{"product_id":"the-schmetterschwanz-manuscript-paperback","title":"The Schmetterschwanz Manuscript - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlphadesigner\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eYanko Tsvetkov\u003c\/b\u003e (Contribution by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn illustrated companion to Yanko Tsvetkov's best-selling fairy tale series \u003cem\u003eApophenia\u003c\/em\u003e, credited to his artistic alter-ego \u003cem\u003eAlphadesigner\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Schmetterschwanz Manuscript\u003c\/em\u003e is a daring experiment in surrealist world building in the tradition of classic masterpieces like the \u003cem\u003eVoynich Manuscript\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eCodex Seraphinianus\u003c\/em\u003e. While those authors rely on asemic writing or constructed language to inspire a sense of mystery and wonder in their readers, Alphadesigner preemptively reveals the code of his manuscript's elaborate alphabet in the very beginning. Yet, what is supposed to serve as a key to understanding is in fact a trick of artistic gaslighting. Although the supposedly decoded text obeys the rules of English grammar and syntax, its meaning remains obscure, and the only potential hints exist not in the actual words but in the artworks they illustrate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe introductory essays and notes offer yet another layer of mystery, for they are written not from the author's point of view but from that of fictional characters, scientists from the \u003cem\u003eKingdom of the Word\u003c\/em\u003e-an imaginary country full of petty bureaucrats and pedantic librarians who worship scientific determinism and frown upon the untamed imagination of \"undisciplined minds.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe juxtaposition between the frivolously nonsensical illustrations and the desperate attempts of the clerks in their search for meaning is where Alphadesigner's true talent shines-he brilliantly emulates the role of an impartial observer, satirising but also empathizing with both sides in the dispute.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExisting somewhere between pseudoscientific satire and surrealist eroticism, \u003cem\u003eThe Schmetterschwanz Manuscript\u003c\/em\u003e is a brilliant addition to Tsvetkov's \u003cem\u003eApophenia\u003c\/em\u003e series, offering an alternative look at its picturesque world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 66\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.17 x 11 x 8.5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 08, 2021\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42705625546815,"sku":"9788409338832","price":25.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/4145c313ce6640cfd9fe27ed29b99976.webp?v=1765037445","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/the-schmetterschwanz-manuscript-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}