A tutorial of a writer s success. Chapter 6

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http://proza.ru/2021/03/04/382 A tutorial of a writer s success. Chapter 1. http://proza.ru/2021/03/04/382
http://proza.ru/2021/03/09/1868 A tutorial of a writer s success. Chapter 2.  http://proza.ru/2021/03/09/1868
http://proza.ru/2021/03/15/256 A tutorial of a writer s success. Chapter 3.  http://proza.ru/2021/03/15/256
http://proza.ru/2021/03/16/302 A tutorial of a writer s success. Chapter 4.  http://proza.ru/2021/03/16/302
http://proza.ru/2021/03/17/214 A tutorial of a writer s success. Chapter 5.  http://proza.ru/2021/03/17/214



Chapter 6. A fairy style (fabulousness) is a powerful method

of a life way optimization
(use fabulousness to optimize own development)


6.1. Five reasons to apply a fairy tale’s approach

Heinrich Schliemann has been surrounded by fabulousness since a childhood.

The legend of the robber knight Henning Bradenkirl and his leg growing out of the ground, mysterious mounds in which treasures are hidden, the appearance of a ghost (the late pastor who previously served in Ankershagen), the pond "Silver Bowl" next to the pastor's house, a fairy maiden, in midnight coming out from this pond, a semi-mythical story about the land of storks - the Saint John's Land ...

Keeping a fabulousness in his soul and creating it as he grows up, Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann moved swiftly and successfully through life, ended up in Troas - the land of storks - and brought the fairy tale to life, freeing ancient treasures hidden underground ...

The conviction declared by Heinrich Schliemann in the reliability of the events described by Homer, the practical "application" of Homer's works, also created the effect of fabulousness.

On closer inspection, fabulousness looks a quite useful approach.

Five reasons to “apply” fabulousness.

A first one.

Next to the fabulousness are such qualities as a jokiness and a a complimentary style of behavior. A joking,  a jokiness, and a complimentarity help to add goodwill to the relationship, remove unnecessary tension.

On May 5, 1858, Heinrich Schliemann wrote to own sisters about the "horror", "endless torment and worries" of the "time of the trade crisis", from which he turned gray at the age of 36. Schliemann dated this critical post-war period, when he "stood on the edge of the abyss" with November 1857 - January 15, 1858 [Богданов И. А., 2008 а. С. 277] [Bogdanov I.A., 2008 a. P. 277].

Around 1861, Heinrich Schliemann sent his photograph to his native land (he is in a cylinder hat and a fox fur coat up to his toes) with the inscription - both prophetic and humorous: “Photo of Henry Schliemann, in his youth - a clerk at Mr. H;ckstaedt in F;rstenberg; now - the St. Petersburg wholesale merchant of the 1st guild, an honorary hereditary Russian citizen, a judge of the St. Petersburg commercial court and director of the Imperial State Bank in St. Petersburg”.

He became a guild merchant, he became a judge of the merchant court (or he was to become around this period). He will become a hereditary citizen. But for a long time, he, already, had a desire to “leave trade” (“I can’t endure any more troubles”, “in Greece, philosophy and history will usefully occupy my days”, “I want to fresh air, to the peasants and animals” [Богданов И. А., 2008 а. С. 260] [Bogdanov I. A ., 2008 a. P. 260]).

A shrewd desire to do away with business appeared in him in the last year of the Crimean War (1856), not long before the “edge of the abyss” [Богданов И. А., 2008 а. С. 257] [Bogdanov I. A., 2008 a. P. 257], but after hesitation, he decided to continue his commercial activities ...

He did not want to become the director of the Imperial State Bank in St. Petersburg, and he could not become. A bank with that name simply did not exist. According to paragraph 4 of the Decree of May 31, 1860, Alexander II approved the name "State Bank". But could distant countrymen know about this? Could they have known about the ever-increasing intention of Heinrich Schliemann to change the profession?

The professional tension of the merchant [1857-1858] has somewhat subsided; why not make a joke in relation of dear relatives and fellow countrymen..? (With his childhood friend, fellow Mecklenburgian  Wilhelm Rust, "he often corresponded, choosing him as the object of his gloomy witticisms — for example, he spent a long time persuading a seventy-year-old man to start skating"; after Schliemann's describing to Rust the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II, his hard work, buildings, victories, Heinrich Schliemann adds: "And yet he is no bigger than you, from head to toe 1 meter 72 centimeters..." [Мейерович М. Л. С. 170] [Meyerovich M. L. P. 170].)

In Troas, as well as in Greece, Heinrich Schliemann had fresh air, a horse for riding, and studies in science, and local peasants hired for excavations. Neither the Imperial State Bank in St. Petersburg, nor even the State Bank could offer him any of the above.

“I am an excellent swimmer. I have swum far from the shore. Suddenly I see - a huge fish with its mouth wide open is approaching me! What was to be done? It is impossible to escape from her, and therefore I cringed into a ball and rushed into her gaping mouth in order to quickly slip past the sharp teeth and to immediately find myself in the stomach. Not everyone would have thought up of such a witty cunning, but in general I am a witty person and, as you know, very resourceful. (…) As soon as the first light flashed, I began to shout in a loud voice in the purest Italian language (oh, I know Italian perfectly!) that I am glad to see these kind people who freed me from my stuffy dungeon. (…) Their amazement increased even more when I jumped out of the fish's mouth and greeted them with a kind bow. (…) The Italians, among whom I now found myself, immediately saw that I was a wonderful person, and offered me to stay on the ship with them. I agreed, and a week later we landed on the Turkish coast” (Э. Распэ. Приключения барона Мюнхаузена) (Rudolf Erich Raspe. The Adventures of of Baron Munchausen).

Some fabulousness is also formed, is also appeared at those who communicate with Heinrich Schliemann.

For example, his son Sergei, in a letter dated June 5, 1873, congratulates his father on the “brilliant” completion of “his activity in Troas, leaving and erecting an imperishable monument to himself and to all posterity. The keys of the Skei Gate, the house of Priam, the temple of Minevra and other excavated objects found by You can be considered the height of perfection and surprise” [Богданов И. А., 2008 б. С. 218—219] [Bogdanov I. A., 2008 b. P. 218-219]. Sergei did not yet know about the discovery of the "Priam's treasure", which, according to the official version, was found on the last day of excavations, June 17, 1873 [«Шлиман, Генрих»] ["Schliemann, Heinrich"]. So Sergei's complementary fabulousness turned out to be not just a manifestation of stylized relationships, but the accompaniment, escort of a fairy tale, which was coming true.

Rudolf Virchow also gradually began to become a character of the tale. R. Virchow confirmed the status of a historical personality, becoming in Troas the hero of a local legend [Шлиман Г. Илион. Т. 2.С. 462] [Schliemann Heinrich. Ilios. Vol. 2. P. 462].

A second one.

The fabulousness can be used to test and design the future (a positively projecting futuristic effect).

“Once, fleeing from the Turks, I tried to jump over a swamp on horseback. But the horse did not jump to the shore, and we plopped into the liquid mud with a running start.

We flopped and began to drown. There was no escape.

The swamp was sucking us deeper and deeper with terrible speed. Now the whole body of my horse has disappeared into the stinking mud, now my head has already begun to sink into the swamp, and only the pigtail of my wig sticks out from there.

What was to be done? We would certainly have died if not for the amazing strength of my hands. I am a terrible strong man. Grabbing myself by this pigtail, I pulled it up with all my strength and, without much difficulty, pulled both myself and my horse out of the swamp. I gripped my horse tightly with both legs, like by forceps.

Yes, I lifted myself and my horse into the air, and if you think it's easy, try doing it yourself” (Э. Распэ. Приключения барона Мюнхаузена) (Rudolf Erich Raspe. The Adventures of of Baron Munchausen).

A third one.

The fabulousness can create tactical (in general, short-term) protection against social aggression.

As a very unusual and unconventional person who started his life path in the conditions of different, everyday difficulties, Heinrich Schliemann was in constant danger of social aggression. 

If he did not control the level of this aggression, it would be easy for him to be included in the list of dangerous or destructive subjects by public or elite opinion. For example, he could be declared crazy or irresponsible person, after which a productive communicating with him would cease. The fairy style of behaviour created a tactical margin of safety, supposed invulnerability, something like a guaranteed success, a kind of legend, which prevented social aggression, made it difficult.

An example is the declared (directly or indirectly), the acquisition of American citizenship allegedly twice (See, eg: [Шлиман Е., Письма. С. 19] [Shliemann E., Letters. P. 19], [Шлиман Г. Илион. Т.1. С. 49] [Schliemann Heinrich. Ilios. Vol.1. P. 49]). (American citizenship is an important issue for Heinrich Schliemann for many reasons; but when the researchers figured out the “mechanics” of obtaining it (citizenship), when they read the documents, the topic ceased to be relevant for Heinrich Schliemann). For the same purpose, in particular, the use of names from the works of Homer to describe archaeological finds served. (It can be assumed that both Homer and ancient Greek are unfamiliar to (for) the most aggressive natures. When they figured out the incomplete correspondence of archaeological finds to the classical Homeric descriptions, the question, in general, lost its relevance).

Of course, there is also the opposite, negative effect of fabulousness. After the crossing of  a certain threshold, fabulousness can give rise to such reactions as loss of trust. If fabulousness extends to utilitarian knowledge, it can generate losses and cause social aggression.

So, such a method as fabulousness must be used skillfully.

A fourth one.

It is possible to single out such a positive property of fabulousness as educational one.

A. K. Gavrilov writes: “To develop creatively means to invent oneself, to compose oneself further and further, moreover, with a certain inner consistency and crescendo. Such a myth is a product not only of imagination, but also of will: a person has to first look for his myth, then get used to it, even building an own way of life according to own imagination” [Гаврилов А. К. С. 347] [Gavrilov A. K. P. 347].

A fifth.

The psycho - and literary-training properties of fabulousness are of relatively independent significance. According to A. K. Gavrilov, Heinrich Schliemann “overcame the most difficult conflicts of his life through the written pronunciation of them [through writing them] in different languages. (...) An essay on the topic “what if I met such and such [person]”, a literary exercise popular in ancient rhetorical schools, where it was called etho- or prosopopoeia, fictio personae, etc. " [Гаврилов А. К. С. 332] [Gavrilov A. K. P. 332].


6.2. The fairy worlds of Heinrich Schliemann

The concentration of fabulousness created the fabulous microworlds of Heinrich Schliemann.

For instance:


1. Schliemannopolis.

In 1890, "Schliemann ordered to build a village on the Hisarlik hill of rather comfortable houses for the expected guests (workers soon christened it “Schliemannopolis”), and in addition to the two existing ones, another narrow-gauge railway was laid" [Вандерберг. С. 552] [Vanderberg. P. 552]. Heinrich Schliemann “spared no expense: a small town of comfortable wooden houses for guests was built, immediately named by the locals“ Schliemannopolis ”, and a narrow-gauge railway was built for the removal of soil after excavation. Schliemann spent almost the entire winter at Hisarlik, arriving in Athens only at Christmas" [«Шлиман, Генрих»] [" Schliemann, Heinrich "]. (Recall that the land of the Hisarlik hill was not the property of Heinrich Schliemann).


2. The Athenian House-Palace "Iliou Melathron".

M. Meyerovich cites the following words of an eyewitness: “This palace is a marble two-storey building amid a luxurious garden. Between the first and second floors, the name of the building is marked in large gold letters... The lower floor houses the Schliemann Museum, which contains the rarities he found while the Trojan excavations ... The first floor is occupied by living quarters and a large, brilliantly decorated ceremonial hall. A wide marble staircase leads to these rooms, a miracle of architecture, - it has no support, but, as it were, hangs in the air. All furniture is designed in the ancient Greek style. Tanagra figurines (Tanagra is a city in Boeotia (Central Greece), where many antique terracotta figurines of the realistic style were found) and works of antique ceramics decorate the rooms. The mosaic floor depicts the most important examples of Trojan vases and urns, along the walls - friezes with classical landscapes and episodes from the Iliad, mixed with poems by Homer. Each room has its name in the Homeric language. A similar marble staircase leads to the holy of holies: to the working rooms located on the second floor, where the library attracts special attention. Entire rows of shelves, from floor to ceiling, are filled here exclusively with the manuscripts of Schliemann himself. Above the library is the saying of Pythagoras: "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter" [Мейерович М. Л. С. 141—142] [Meyerovich M.L. P. 141-142].

“In 1878, Schliemann began building a pompous house suitable for housing the finds and the life of a growing family (after four unsuccessful pregnancies, Sofia gave birth to a son, Agamemnon, on March 16, 1878).  Schliemann invited his friend Ernst Ziller as the architect, the construction cost 890,000 francs. The house in the very center of Athens was named Iliou Melathron, consisted of 25 rooms, including 2 rooms for the museum, and was furnished with great luxury in the antique style, as the owner envisioned it. The impatient Schliemann agreed to wait three years while the house was being decorated (it was done by the Slovenian artist Yuri Subik). The house fully reflected the tastes of the owner, for example, the furniture was adjusted to his proportions, so it was inconvenient for everyone else, there was no upholstered furniture, carpets and curtains, which, according to Henry, did not exist during the Mycenaean era. Schliemann received guests in his library, and, in addition, had two working offices - summer and winter. Only cold water was supplied to the bathrooms” [«Шлиман, Генрих»] [“Schliemann, Heinrich”].

“The floors and walls were decorated with mosaics in the Pompeian style. Between the columns and pilasters were placed miniature sculptural images of the archaeologist himself, and over each door and each passage shone Homeric quotes and sayings in large letters ...: "Know thyself", "A thinking (process) - it's everything", "Above all, a sense of proportion", "Ignorance is burdening" , "Do not exaggerate anything" [Вандерберг. С. 449] [Vanderberg. P. 449]. Paintings were also present; among them is the portrait of Beatrice Cenci (a copy of the portrait acquired by Heinrich Schliemann back in 1868 in Italy) [Богданов И. А., 2008 б. С. 46, 243] [Bogdanov I.A., 2008 b. P. 46, 243].

(“Even at his pretentious dinners, where diplomats and professors from all over the world - and the King George I of Greece - were invited, the menu remained very modest ... Much more important than food for the archaeologist, who smoked cigars and cigarettes ..., was a regular intake of quinine” [Вандерберг. С. 459] [Vanderberg. P. 459]).


3. Ankershagen during a visit by Heinrich Schliemann in 1883.

On June 16, 1883, Schliemann with his wife and two children went to their “small homeland in Ankershagen, where the family lived until July 12 [1883]. The old house, in which Schliemann spent his early childhood, now was occupied by his cousin, Pastor Hans Becker. Despite the fact that the Schliemann paid 3,000 marks for the stay in the house, the Becker family reacted to the Schliemann with suspicion. Judging by the recollections of the pastor's daughter..., the Schliemann's eccentricity exceeded all limits. For example, on principle, he communicated with children only in ancient Greek, which they did not understand, and with local residents and relatives he spoke exclusively in Low German (dialect). The head of the family got up at four in the morning, for two hours he rode a horse, and then he swam in Lake Bornsee. At the same time, Schliemann was magnanimous and generous, willingly giving out gifts and alms. Here he had a meeting with 75-year-old Carl Andres and even orginized a meeting with the 60-year-old Minna Meincke (married - Richers) (he described her in Autobiography as the main love in his life)” [«Шлиман, Генрих»] [“Schliemann, Heinrich”].

(Let me point out in parentheses how easily a fabulousness - in the presence of partiality - turns into comics. What is the “eccentricity that transcends all limits"? Is that a person, which knows different languages (modern and ancient) and he tries, in a very light and kind manner, to direct the attention of others to study languages? Or the “eccentricity  that transcends all limits” - is it regular physical activity, bathing, tempering? Thus, if to be consistent, “within the normal range of adequacy” [“a normality that not transcends all the limits"] - it's the  ignorance, the primitiveness, the stupidity, the unhealthy lifestyle).

“... A carriage rolled up to the house. A short elderly man in a tightly buttoned frock coat easily, youthfully jumped off and helped a beautiful young lady and two children get off. Before entering the house, the visitor looked around the assembled crowd and silently raised his hat.

The old house where childhood passed. Upstairs, in this room, his mother died. Her name was Louise. She was very kind. Fifty-two years have passed since then. The staircase still creaks underfoot. His bed was here. A sofa was at that place. Minna Meincke climbed onto the sofa with her legs and listened to tales of robber knights and of storks flying to a mysterious land for the winter. In the garden, on an old linden tree, his initials were carved - that day he was nine years old, and he received a penknife as a gift. (…) Old acquaintances were still alive. Carl Andres arrived, a decrepit old man; he remained a candidate of sciences for the rest of his life. Managed to find Hermann Niederhoffer - the same mill apprentice who read Homer aloud in exchange for a glass of potato vodka. Niederhoffer settled down long ago, gave up drinking and became a respectable farmer. Schliemann made him recite Homer again. Niederheffer read the verses with mistakes, but Schliemann did not correct the Hermann's errors.

Finally yielding to urgent invitations, Minna arrived. Schliemann met her on the threshold of the house, kissed her on both cheeks, introduced her to his wife and dragged her into the garden for a walk. (...)

His autobiography was, of course, a novel. A little boy, a first love, a parting, an unbroken will, the realization of a childhood dream, a world fame, a humiliation of opponents ... To write this novel, he had to think up of something, a something to keep silent, a some facts to show in a different light” [Мейерович М. Л. С.155—156] [Meyerovich M. L. P. 155-156].  M. Meyerovich artistically reflects: Heinrich Schliemann “locked himself in a room that once served as his father’s the working room, and spent a month working on a German translation of the book “Troy””. [Мейерович М. Л. С. 157] [Meyerovich M. L. P. 157].

(Before the inspecting of Ankershagen, Heinrich Schliemann visited with his family Berlin. "Here he showed the children a museum, the most beautiful and richest halls of which were named after their father - the kids were delighted with this" [Штоль. С. 386] [Stoll. P. 386]).


4. The coast of the Nile, evening readings of the Quran.

Sometimes such a fabulous world was like a breeze, it "fit" in the evening hours, such as, for example, evenings in a Nubian village on a narrow strip of land between the desert and the left bank of the Nile, when Heinrich Schliemann recited the Quran Surahs in Arabic to local residents. “And so Schliemann began to recite the Surah of the Quran from memory; his voice, at first deaf, rose more and more, and when he finally uttered the final words in real ecstasy, the faithful bowed their heads and touched by their foreheads the ground,” recalled Rudolf Virchow, who traveled with Heinrich Schliemann along the Nile in 1888 [Богданов И. А., 2008 б. С. 261] [Bogdanov I. A., 2008 b. P. 261]. "So with hardship comes ease. With hardship comes ease." (Коран. Сура 94. Стихи 5—6) (Quran. Surah 94. Verses 5-6).

“… I did not immediately return to Constantinople, as I wanted to rest and, as a private person,  to wander along the famous Nile. I hired a boat and sailed to Alexandria, hoping to admire the delightful beauty of this river on the way.

Wishing to observe like incognito, I did not tell anyone about the proposed walk along the Nile, otherwise I, of course, would have been warned that the time of the annual flooding of this great river was approaching. And on the third day of the trip, we suddenly felt that we were climbing, climbing and, finally, we lost sight of the coast, because the protruding water flooded the whole country.

Not counting on a long stay on the water, we did not take with us enough supplies and therefore were very happy when our boat got entangled in the branches of a tree, which turned out to be covered with beautiful ripe almonds. The storm, that arose soon, sank our boat. And it was only thanks to this wonderful almond tree that we not only held on to the branches for about a month and a half, but also ate quite satisfyingly all this time delicious almonds. In drinking, as you yourself can guess, we also did not feel any lack.

Finally, at the beginning of the seventh week, the water began to subside quickly, and we, going down with it, found solid ground, and at the same time our boat. A few days later we were already in Alexandria ... " (Э. Распэ. Вечера барона Мюнхаузена) (Rudolf Erich Raspe. Evenings of Baron Munchausen).

Summing up the presentation of this topic, I would like to give my following comment (not a recommendation!): Life is a difficult thing ... Overcoming difficulties the easier the more fabulousness you add to your life. Add fabulousness, it will be easier ...