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🦋 Getting our stories straight

My "stepping out of the story" last week when Sylvia and I were watching the video about dolphins seems to have had an effect, though whether it is on me or on her I am not sure. Several times today and yesterday, I noticed her asking me about my understanding of what was happening inside the game that we were playing -- I think this is something new. I think that previously when we played make believe (which as you may imagine from reading this blog, occupies a good portion of the time we spend together), we counted on each other to know what was going on in the imaginary world — though this did not necessarily extend to our "staying in character" or anything like that, the mix of narrative and acting-out would not include querying each other about the plot. So the possibilities as I see them are: I am right about this, and my question to her on Friday opened a new door of perception for her, allowing her to begin developing ironic detachment in this regard; I am wrong about this, and the make-believe has always included this component, I just have not been noticing it, and my writing about last Friday's interaction clued me to start looking; or I am sort-of right about this, Sylvia hasn't been approaching our play from a consciously authorial perspective until recently, and her developing this perspective happened to coincide roughly with my asking her the question. I think any combination of those answers is also possible.

posted evening of Sunday, April 4th, 2004
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