TC as mirror

[februeruri]

My friends and I are all hobby MBTI enthusiasts, and I recently talked one of them into reading TC. I told him that I'm fairly certain Laurie is an INFP, while he (on the strength of chapter 2 alone, mind)  maintains that Laurie is an INTJ. These are our *own* respective types. 

Here and there, I've also encountered fandom discussions of TC where I wonder if I've read the same book as the poster, our takeaways were so different. And of course there are the stories of people coming out in letters they wrote to Mary Renault.

All this to say, more than other novels I think The Charioteer demands that you draw on your own emotional experiences to engage with the narrative, so that it becomes slightly different for everyone. Renault's writing often does a thing where she goes, "He contemplated x, which, cue omniscient meditation, was really attributable to a universal y." But of course everyone will relate to that "y" differently. Not to mention the stances TC characters take on sexuality, gender, religion, etc.

*Anyway*, I still say Laurie is an INFP, because he enthusiastically idolizes people he hardly knows, refuses to plan for anything (then either becomes paralyzed with indecision or improvises on the spot), and delivers rose-coloured lines like, "I believe enough in him to feel like I'd like to help him be what he wants to be." Though perhaps that's me projecting! 

Comments

Re: ??

[februeruri]

hi penina-- MBTI is a sort of pop psychology way to categorize people into 16 personality types, based on 4 dichotomous attributes:

1. Introverted-vs-Extroverted
2. Intuitive-vs-Sensing
3. Thinking-vs-Feeling
4. Judging-vs-Perceiving

for instance, an INFP personality is one that is primarily (I)ntroverted, i(N)tuitive, (F)eeling, and (P)erceiving

there's a bit more to where these attributes come from and how they interact with each other, but that's p much the gist of it. the tone of popular discourse around MBTI lies somewhere between psychoanalysis and astrology, though ive found it can be an enlightening way to talk about personalities and motivations.

most people determine their own type based on self-reporting quizzes-- try taking this one:

http://www.16personalities.com/

(and yes, mary's writing sucks you in, doesn't it?)

Re: ??

[penina_45]

Thank you. That was fun. I have the kind of personality I hoped for, at least one on the outside, finally. It takes effort, but that's what life is about. I still can't draw, although I've tried. You can. Please keep doing it.

Re: ??

[februeruri]

thank you, i will :)