Ian Bage

Desire: a Novel Ian Bage

Desire is based on Ovid's myth of Narcissus. It is also true to contemporary Jungian psychological perspectives on narcissistic character disorders. In the original myth, his fate is to die beside the pool of water where he falls in love with his reflection. In Desire, Narcissus doesn't die but undertakes a spiritual journey of self-discovery which heals him. He recognizes the futility of self-love and he sees how he smothers his lovers with images of himself, and discovers how to love women themselves. He transcends the mirror of his physical appearance and finds the mirror of his soul, the infinite beauty of creation.