| The Rose by Charles L. Harness: an old classic and a new birth. (Review by Rupert Neethling, Cape Town, South Africa) I know of three works by Charles L. Harness: The New Reality, The Chessplayers and The Rose. There may be more, and I’d be interested to hear of any such. But if you can find it, I strongly recommend you read The Rose. Three characters predominate in this story: the husband, the wife and the husband’s would-be mistress. As might be expected, such a triangular arrangement promises tragedy. But the husband represents Art, the wife represents Science, and the "mistress" represents a fusion of the two. Instead of a domestic squabble, we have Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis. And while there is tragedy, there is also
intense beauty. More than once in The Rose, Harness refers to "Renaissance II". One of the supporting characters says: "‘I repeat,’ said Bell, ‘we are watching the germination of another Renaissance. The signs are unmistakable, and should be of great interest to practising sociologists and policemen.’" This stab of humour emphasizes the power of the opposition: not the scientists themselves, but the National Security/Governmental apparatus that harnesses them. For Harness, in other words, Science isn’t the problem; it’s that Science is set up in opposition to the liberalism and individualism of Art. And, dare I say, the fact that you need a measure of education to appreciate Art to its fullest extent. This is something that resonates throughout Harness’s story, without him ever referring to it directly. I was humbled by the fact that this novelist, this patent attorney during work hours, possessed such an extensive knowledge of classical music forms, painting and literary techniques, as well as mathematics and physics -- a true Renaissance person. Whatever criticism one may level at The Rose, and remember that it takes on a great deal for only a 90-page narrative, this book serves to remind us that we could all benefit by unplugging ourselves from our own specialities and looking around a little. Publisher: Sidgwick and Jackson Limited, 1968, Great Britain. Panther Edition published 1969. [This story was originally published in 1953 in Authentic magazine, edited by H. J. Campbell.] Explorations will be updated
regularly.
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