The Magician's Hidden Library Magic Words: A Dictionary

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MAGIC WORDS Asi Nise Masa Meanings: Film scholar Charles Affron notes that this magic phrase (also spelled Asa Nisi Masa) is "apparently meaningless," achieving its affect "by transcending precise meaning." The words "convey . . . the full wonder of . . . childhood perception. Magical, enigmatic, an invitation to meaning, 'Asa Nisi Masa' is susceptible to interpretation."167 Avant-garde theatre director Arthur Holmberg points out that "The intelligibility of ritual language is not the critical factor. . . . The purpose is to establish contact with the transcendent. . . . Ritual language stresses the sounds of words and heightens language as a sensuous and emotional experience. Often unintelligible, ritual language is associated with the holy and with the authority of divine revelation."168 • Anima • Child-like wonder • Nonsense • Soul Origins: Asi nise masa is an Italian phrase, the equivalent of abracadabra. "These words are derived from 'la lingua serpentina' (serpentine language), a children's language game akin to pig Latin that inserts 'sa' and 'si' syllables into existing words -- here into 'anima.' 'Anima' has a dual resonance. It means 'soul' in Italian; it is also a key concept in Jungian psychology: the female element lodged within all human beings. . . . The search for meaning leads back to the mysterious symbol of the children's game, the symbol that contains the inexpressible in its ambiguity."169 Facts: These magic words are featured in Federico Fellini's film 81/2 (196 ). "The phrase 'Asi Nise Masa' is the key that unlocks Guido's unconscious. (It can be translated as anima, a Jungian term meaning soul or spirit.) For Guido, it is a magical phrase from his childhood, and he goes back there to try to find a solution to his lack of inspiration through magic."170 Critic Mark Abraham suggests that the "child-code foolery" of Asi nise masa encapsulates "importance disguised with inanity, erudition breathed through giggling lips, lucidity rearticulated as gibberish. It's also a bridge between the past and present (Fellini has two magicians pull the phrase from an adult Guido's mind as a way to link temporal states in his film); it's a bridge between different spaces; . . . it means that animus 'boy' and anima 'girl' (or any other 167 Charles Affron, 81/2 (1987) 168 Theatre of Robert Wilson (1997) 169 Charles Affron, 81/2 (1987) 170 Nicholas Proferes, Film Directing Fundamentals (2001)
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