Alternate Ideas About the Trilogy

Can't say as I agree with everything here, but they're sure enough to get the little grey cells a-working. Have you done some thinking of your own? Go ahead, don't be afraid, send them to me. The most I'll do is snicker at you, but you'll never know that. :) NOTE: If you don't want your theory listed here, please indicate so in your email.

I'm still hoping to get that theory about Sabine, Satan, and "The Second Coming", because I accidentally deleted the message and need its author to send it to me again. You're killing me, whoever you are!!!

Bear in mind that some of these theories are from a while ago, so associated contact information may be outdated.

From Date In a nutshell, this is what I'm saying
Greg Cox 10 May 1997 Modern star-crossed lovers
Aislinn W. 11 May 1997 Submitted for your approval: inconsistencies that may or may not mean something
Melanie Parker 2 Jun 1997 Sabine as Fallen Angel
Stephanie Castillo 22 Jan 1998 Jungian archetypes
Benjor Catindig 6 Feb 1998 Sabine as Black Widow
Dave Feinglass 6 Feb 1998 Sabine as Guardian Angel
David Murphy 16 Feb 1998 Geographical G&S
Richee 24 Feb 1998 Freudian thoughts
NCMSRW@aol.com 5 April 1999 Name not an accident
Scully77M 11 Aug 1999 Split personality
Cheri Haley 20 October 1999 Links to deconstructive practice
Sardonic 15 Mar 2003 Kabbalah-like conundrum
Amelia McWhirk 15 July 2003 an astrological take on g & s

From Greg Cox

Date: Sat, 10 May 1997 00:42:10 -0400 (EDT)

I read your analysis of Griffin & Sabine, and, while I admire that you've done your homework, I'm not sure if I agree with the conclusions. First off, I think I ought to note that my personal background is one with little artistic training, so my analysis may be a little jaded.

The thing that comes to mind first is that, well, I'm actually reading their correspondence, which says to me that this 'really' took place. I take the variety of stamps and postmarks as sufficient proof of this theory. This, along with their respective dealings with others, to me says that there is a physical embodiment of Griffin as well as a physical embodiment of Sabine. I can't say I have justification for why Griffin's neighbor never saw Sabine.

The pattern I see is that, over time, Griffin and Sabine trade places, on many levels. She comes to live in his home in London. Griffin is initially the one distraught by his home surroundings, and eventually Sabine becomes that way. Their respective penmanship trademarks (ink color, capitalization) eventually exchange.

phi, or the Golden Mean, is often described as a "pleasing" ratio in an visually aesthetic sense. It's also a mathematical progression involving 2 parts, summed, and compared against one another, which over time converge to one point.

But, with all these ideas that don't have a coherent theme, the question remains, what do I think happened? I believe Sabine and Griffin to be modern versions of the star-crossed lovers. Each has a wealth of experience, but each is from a unique world: Griffin is a city boy, worldly, somewhat depressed; Sabine is a free spirit, country gal, more upbeat. As time goes on, Sabine and Griffin switch roles: she comes to the city and he travels. Returning home, Griffin shares more of his free-spirit nature, such as his children's book ideas, while Sabine becomes more weighted down by concerns near home. They grow in different directions, but I believe each grows in a way such that they have a similar experience base as the trilogy closes.

The last postcard Griffin sends, to me, explains what happens. It's called "The Gordian Mirror," and is essentially a horizontally reversed and color photographic negative of "A Passing Shot" (Sabine's Notebook). It's dated 12/28, but says he will meet her on the 21st. (I'm waiving a perfectly plausible explaination that he meants "next month," I know.) Recall the end of Sabine's Notebook. He should meet her on the 23rd, but she claims not to have seen him after waiting til the 31st. I personally believe that means he has discovered that they are opposites, perhaps a yin-yang combination. They've grown together, as exemplified by their mutual longing and merging writing styles.

Do I think they met? Yes. The result is the last communication, where it is a baby postcard, showing a potential *ahem* meeting of the two, dated, written by Sabine, addressed by Griffin, and signed by Sabine, sporting a new middle initial. The letter itself is compassionate, but with a non-artistic touch to it. Penicillin? Neither Griffin nor Sabine were medical students. If anything lends credentials to the "magical advice" theory, it would be the idea of Dr. Sabine. :)

In any case, I hope what I've said is halfway coherent, even if not new, plausible, or altogether interesting. 10 hours at work and a mild dose of rum and pineapple juice can do that, you see. :) Have a good day...

               - Greg Cox

From Aislinn W.

Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 10:23:29 -0400 (EDT)

Hello,
I'd just gotten the books, lent them out to a friend, and then we spent close to 5 hours finding different analyses than you did. There are a lot so bear with me. Here goes:

--
The subject of the last card and her first card to Griffin- She said something about both the men's work.

Predator-Victim/Frolatti- It doesn't seem likely that she would put someone in the way. Unless, she didn't want him to tell anyone.

Her age when she first saw him/Predator- In Griffin and Sabine she says she was 15, but in another she says she was 13.

What exactly she saw the first time-
   'I could see the picture but not the hand that created it.'
      from Griffin and Sabine
   '...when first I saw your hand moving across that sheet of paper.'
      from (Sabine's Notebook?)

Quotes- If you look at the very first title page (there are two) of each book there is a phrase or quote written in incredibly small type.

Quotes again- The first is, 'Turning and Turning in' and the second is something about conviction. Now aren't turning in and conviction kind of the same thing?

[Well, not really — if you go with the purely legal definition, then "turning in" would be the perpetrator presenting him/herself to the police, while "conviction" would mark the end of the process. There's also taking "turning in" to mean "introverted", and "conviction", "belief". Not sure how these connect... - sg]

Noses on postcards/letters- This one came from my friend. They both use large, long noses and Pinnochio got a large nose when he lied. I guess this really doesn't fit anywhere.

Griffin's ink- It's blue (the color of Frolatti's!) in Griffin and Sabine but in the other two, it's black.

Turning and Turning In again- He's turning into her or vice versa.

The very last card of the series- Sabine wrote it and it's dated. Only Griffin dated his cards.

The circle in Griffin's Gryphon card mark- In all the postcards there are two dots. In the last postcard from Sabine to the doctor there are three dots. One more for the child?

The last two cards of Grifffin and Sabine- Neither one has stamps, an address, has been postmarked, etc. This kind of goes with Griffin being insane.

Sabine's last card of Griffin and Sabine- This one goes with Predator/Victim, her card is strangely aggressive.
--

There they all are. Tell me what you think and maybe we can talk a bit more?

Aislinn W.
DuckAW@aol.com

From Melanie Parker

Date: Mon, 02 Jun 1997 15:42:44 -0500

My take on the trilogy is that Sabine is some sort of fallen angel. I'm partial to this theory because I am fascinated by angels (and I LOVED the angel artwork in Sabine's Notebook). I also think that the overall theme of the trilogy, as well as the artwork, grows darker with each page. While I am prepared to defend the fallen angel theory, first let me clarify that I believe the intense amount of symbolism in the illustrations and the thought that went into every letter were carefully constructed to promote a variety of conclusions. I don't think that there is a true conclusion, but the joy in reading the trilogy is the intrigue. I'd like to believe that the two are star-crossed lovers and that the final card was a photo of the fruits of their union, but there are just too many symbols that insinuate otherwise to me.

In G&S, Sabine's kinetic power to "see" Griffin's art and feel his angst were supernatural and belonged to some sort of higher being. At first, I felt that she was sent to help him. That maybe he was suicidal and an angel (sent in the form of a stamp artist) was coming to intervene and save him from the damnation that would result if he committed suicide.

After Griffin learns of Sabine's ability to see his work, he confirms that he believes that they have a "unique" relationship with a postcard entitled "Man Descending a Staircase." Some may see this as a parody of Picasso's "Nude Descending a Staircase," but I think that this card signifies Griffin's demise. Later in this book, she sends him a postcard with a peacock feather. In some circles, this can be a death wish on someone. I know it sounds strange, but sending someone a peacock feather could be a method of revenge or ill will to the recipient. After he receives this card, his attitude deteriorates to the point that he's using foul language and talking about starting fights with strangers. The true first signs of the fallen angel theory is the final card that Sabine sends, which depicts a skeleton with an angel wings and is called " . . .The ceremony of innocence . . ." Griffin, of course being the "innocent," the "ceremony" perhaps his demise.

After reading G&S, I still wondered if he was insane or if she was real. The "self-portrait" that Sabine sent of herself was rather weird. I didn't know what to make of it. It seemed like something Griffin might want her to look like, rather than how a woman would see herself, which made me think he might be insane. After completing the trilogy, I feel her final card was beginning to show that she had a sinister side.

In SN, I felt more strongly that she was an angel. This is where I see the first true references to her being an angel, although the "muse" or higher being allusions are apparent at the end of G&S. For instance, in Griffin's first letter (dated Jan 29), he asks if she's a "dark angel" and hand writes on the bottom of the typed letter "ARE YOU MY SHADOW?" I interpreted this as a cry for help, that he wants a guardian angel.

It's also curious that Griffin and Sabine both explore churches (he in Florence and she in London). Not coincidentally, Sabine goes to a church that she describes as "a black twin to the underground." Is that what she is to him? I think so. At this time, I felt her motives were obviously shifting. She just wasn't as lovey-dovey and supportive as she was in the first book.

In Griffin's March 10 letter, he writes about a Samurai swordsman's reflection that he feels may be his guardian angel. Relating this to her shows his desperation for guidance and protection. In Sabine's reply, she encourages him to believe in the "guardian" and draws an angel by her name. This is a mild reinforcement to the seed that she has already planted with him that she is his "angel." Also, could the jackal-headed god of the underworld have been a premonition? Maybe he should have taken this sighting as a sign.

Later, drawings of angels fill the pages of Sabine's notebook. She credits the idea on some stone angels that she's using for Christmas stamps, but then why does she write, "I think you cannot know" by a pair of gargoyle-like wings in the corner of the page? This seems sinister to me.

By TGM, I felt that she was trying to drive Griffin insane. Like she was a monster feeding off of him and he was some sort of prey. When Victor entered the picture, I felt that Sabine was playing some sort of game with Griffin--enjoying his jealousy and anger at this outsider interfering with their extraordinary relationship. The part about Victor hurting her father was an obvious throw in to make Griffin go mad. As a result, Griffin begins to use foul language and is obviously upset in his letters. If she truly loved him she would have dealt with this harassment on her own because she knows that Griffin has other problems to deal with and that he can't help her when she's in the South Pacific.

In Griffin's Dec 28 postcard, he agrees to meet with Sabine and asks her to "bring her angel wings." Is this a term of endearment or is it the relinquishment of his soul? I'll take the latter. In Sabine's first card to Griffin she requests the fish card (titled "Drinking Like a Fish") and the very last card of the trilogy uses a darker, cropped version of this graphic as the stamp. This seems to suggest a new beginning, that Sabine has started all over again with someone else. I also felt that the overall tone about death and mortality was too strong to be ignored by a star-crossed lover theory.

Although I am very much a romantic (and hoped that they were finally united at the end), I believe that Griffin's weakness made her stronger, and that she was on to her next victim with the doctor in Kenya. That, in fact, the last postcard was "the second coming" of this fallen angel into the life of another person. It is clear to me that the entire trilogy is based off of Yeats' poem about the anti-Christ because it is quoted from the preface to some of the postcard titles in each book. Staying true to the premise of this poem leads me to believe that and that they did not end up together, but rather that she fed off of his soul and moved on to her next victim.

Some unexplained occurrences in the books:

Well, so many possibilities and so little time . . .

Melanie
mparker@c1chicago.com

From Stephanie Castillo

Thu, 22 Jan 1998 22:24:56 EST

Let me offer another perspective, tho note an analysis here. I have done this verbally with friends but not written it. Bascially, I believe Bantock is writing a tale with Jugian archetypes about the transformation of the male in integrating his female side. Until a man does, according to Jung, he is not complete. That is why in the end they merge, because they are now "whole" as male/female psyches. I believe this to be Bantock's attempt to put these Jungian archetypes into metaphor. Within are other Jungian "organs" -- the Shadow, the Ego, the Group, the Projections, etc.

In the end, the transformation begins again this time with the doctor.

There is a big clue that I got in one of G's letter as he writes about Vereka. Vereka, by the way, is the signposts of the integrated person, who helps Griffin to discover his feminine through ceramics, but he abandons this I think it was after her death and "death" to go back to his very "literal" and "linear" existence, and thus loses his feminine soul until Sabine forces her way out of his repression. The clue is in there! It's the key that I found unlocked my theory. But then one has to be fairly familiar with Jung to put these pieces together.

Anyway, thought I would throw my two bits in.

Stephanie Castillo, Honolulu
CastilloSJ@aol.com

From Benjor Catindig

Fri, 06 Feb 1998 23:07:33 +0800

I too have theorized Griffin and Sabine spiritually uniting with each other at the end of the story but you have given me new insights on this paradox. Now i'm theorizing Sabine as a black widow that has actually preyed on Griffin and was pursuing another victim. And being a Strohem might mean having revenge on the male gender, relating to the romans.

benjor@info.com.ph

From Dave Feinglass

Fri, 06 Feb 1998 23:04:37 -0500

Well, I haven't done nearly as much thinking as some of the other respondants, but here goes.

All along I believed that Sabine was his guardian angel. He needed one. She was, I don't know, assigned to him somehow. But unlike your "by the book" guardian angel, she fell in love with him, and contacted him to satisfy her own longing. She waited a long time to get in touch with him. When she finally does, he can't comprehend or accept it. As his depression gets worse, mainly I think over his inability to feel her in person, she takes a more active role in protecting him. She was the string that wouldn't let him drown. As he accepts and falls for her, she realizes that she is not following the rules for a guardian angel, and her guilt begins to manifest itself in the evil Frolatti hurting her father. (guardian angels have familes too, I guess). But she can't resist the need for him, and she, just like he is willing to sacrifice everything else to be with the other. As they figure out how they can meet, (I think she knew all along) they both must leave the life they have known to be with one another. Once they do meet, and complete each other, they feel the urge to help, as a true guardian angel would.

Much less involved in the details as the other readers, but I am a romantic and I refuse to accept the evil predator theories.

Jeeez, I need to stop watching so much sports and start paying more attention to the details. You people are amazing.

dfeinglass@loudoun.com

From David Murphy

Fri, 06 Feb 1998 23:07:33 +0800

You may already know this.

CAPE SABINE is in Canada at 78.50 N 74.30 W

SABINE ISLANDS (Baffin Bay) at 60.00 N 75.50 W

GRIFFIN POINT, Alaska at 70.05 N 142.50 W

Griffin Point and Cape Sabine are almost on the same latitude (the Sabine Islands might be, too. I had to estimate their location from Royal Admiralty Charts)

I found them by accident while looking into the background of Peter Hoeg's 'Smilla's Sense of Snow'.

Please e-mail me if you have found this useful.

Yours,

David Murphy
(murphyda@indigo.ie)

From Richee

Tue, 24 Feb 1998 21:08:54 -1000

I think it's an accident to try and relate it to an experience. Though it is a process Griffin goes through I believe it is an internal one. I happened upon this after tossing around ideas that they were in fact in parallel dimensions, different times, different plains, different existences (say Sabine was an angel- literally). But a little voice said no, Mr. Bantock isn't a philosopher. So I traced it to the very essence of the story... the essentials.

Neither of them is real. The book isn't real so why would the characters be? I was reading a book by Freud when I decided upon my final hypothesis which seems convincing.

Griffin, Sabine and Frolatti are all one person (perhaps Nick Bantock). I have found a lot of a story is an unconscious reflection of ourself. Freud describes the self as being made up of three parts: the id (Griffin), the ego (Sabine) and the Superego (Frolotti). The book was a personification of this structure if the three were allowed to roam about in the real world.

The id is the real self as Freud describes it, the I. It includes the conscious self you're born with... perhaps best described as your soul, ethics and about a hundred other ways. It's naive and very impulsive, natural, artistic. That is Griffin- the painter who decides to "find himself" only to find nothing but ghosts.

The other extreme is the superego which is everything society tells us. We don't have to listen, but it will affect us nonetheless. There are habits we don't even think of because they have become so automatic. You have to obey the law, you have to go to school. Not everyone listens but they are expected to. This can best be described as the subconscious. I decided this because Frolatti seemed to be barking orders when he was really on the outside of the situation.

The bridge between the two, the ego, is Sabine. And what an ego she is. "Do not underestimate me foolish man". But it is more than that... she is the one who holds the story, the characters, the structure of being, together. Without her Griffin would be painting in his isolated studio and Frolatti would be silent. The ego is what takes the rules of society (the superego) and merges it with our true self (the id) to form someone capable of making decisions for them self based on what society tells us.

The end, to me, is a symbolic union of these three entities. The story was watching them dance twirl and find each other.

(richee@lava.net)

From NCMSRW@aol.com

Mon, 5 Apr 1999 16:29:30 EDT

I don't believe the name "Sabine" was chosen by chance. The sabine women I have met in life have been magical

From Scully77M@aol.com

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 16:09:43 EDT

I have given the ending of the triology much thought.... and some of the clues you noticed I had also noticed. One theory of mine is that perhaps there wasn't 2 people involved... perhaps one person dreamt the thing, could become Sabine and Griffin... the person was writing the letters to thereself [sic] without knowing through the split personality. Perhaps the doctor in Kenya at the end started the thing all over again it was going to continue... but the doctor was just another split personality. What do you think?

From Cheri

Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 00:50:28 -0700

I wonder that no one has seemed to link the trilogy to deconstructive practice, and more specifically to the questions Derrida, Foucault, and Heidegger (to name a few of the many voices) grappel with. Specifically, the relationship between image and text and other doublings.

From the little I have explored of Bantok's [sic] intentions, it appears that he is writing with some knowledge of recent philosophical investigations into language. I would appreciate any comments on this, as I am writing my honour's thesis on the instability of language, truth, etc. in relation to this trilogy.

Cheri Haley

"It is both disturbing and redeeming to realize that the enigma will not be solved, that the resources of reality and imagination are inexhaustible, that roadways stay open, that the impossible always remains to be discovered, and that nothing can ever be told completely." -- Andre Breton

From Sardonic

The Hoodwink may be removed at this time
After the completion of "Alexandria" I realized that after closer inspection, an initiatory journey was indeed taking place.......with the construction of impossible..enchanting multi-sensous spaces. Twilit squares and grottos transcendent with cunning orientations in space time to radiate the eternal present....an overflowing vessel holding the Archetypes of its creator spilling over its city walls a great iridescence....a blue-green deluge filled with strange fish from the celestial libraries.

An Extraordinary Correspondence using Mail Art as the medium but not the oracle. Elaborate and ornate sets of symbols, images and maps are scattered across its landscape like breadcrumbs or organic signposts forming a cabalistic expression of the Supernal Triad. Three Silver Cords thread throughout....The Birds. The Gryphon. The Sphinx.

Like the Cabala it is a conundrum whos only key for entry is dialogue with it's contents. I've had these books going on 10 years now, and this just occurs to me.

"The Morning Star" - Illuminations on Griffin & Sabine is due out in October

(printed exactly as received — in other words, [sic])

From Amelia McWhirk

I've read all the theories on this page — those of Ms. Guzdek as well as those of the other rabid Griffin & Sabine fans — and while I don't really feel the need to debate Sabine's goodness or Griffin's madness, I would still like to offer some astrological opinions.

I believe Griffin is a Cancer, and Sabine is a Scorpio. Both are Water signs, and thus remarkably intuitive, artistic, and empathetic; Water sign's psychic senses of each other are so highly tuned that they can literally sense each other from a world away. Griffin, as a Cancer, is extremely fragile underneath his surface "crabbiness" (crabs are the symbol of Cancer). He is ruled by the Moon, the ever-changing yet predictable governor of emotions and the ocean tides. Sabine's Scorpio nature explains why so many people seem to view her as a dark angel. Scorpios are symbolized by both scorpions and eagles. In other words, a Scorpio can indeed be vicious, vindictive, and aggressive, but she can also be passionate, inspiring, and angelic in many ways. If Sabine as an eagle brought her "angel wings" when she met with Griffin in Alexandria (home of all ancient knowledge), there's no telling how high these two soulmates could have flown together.

See, Scorpios have gotten a bad rap over the years because they have "reputations" as sex-crazed, power-mad Lady Macbeth types. Of course, some of them do sink to these depths, but that is no reason to condemn all Scorpios.

A few other notes:

I believe I read somewhere that Nick Bantock himself is a Cancer; he has openly admitted that Griffin and Sabine are both part of him. Bantock's Sun is in Cancer; perhaps his Moon is in Scorpio.

Perhaps it means nothing, but I was intrigued by the fact that Griffin and Sabine reside in a place called Paolo. In Dante's "Inferno", Paolo and Francesca were whirling around the first circle of Hell because in life, Paolo (Francesca's teacher) had sorta coaxed her into being his lover. They were powerfully attracted to each other sexually, but now that only their souls live on in Hell, they hate each other. Nothing but their bodies provided pleasure for them in life, so in death they abhor one another (he thinks it's her fault their in Hell and vice versa). While this might seem to go far in confirming that at least one of them (Griffin or Sabine) is doomed, I believe it is instead an ironic choice for a place's name: our lovers never meet face to face throughout the course of the first trilogy, so how could their love be based on lust? They fell in love in the "correct" way: first mentally, then emotionally, then spiritually, then physically.

Anyway, I hope this has been entertaining for you.

Amelia McWhirk