The promise and perils of crystallization
A philosophical analysis of the process of crystallization as described by the 19th-century French writer Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle) and criticized by the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)
- Sylvia Plath, Mad Girl’s Love Song
We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality.
- Ayn Rand
The theory of crystallisation
Crystallization occurs when a tree branch lies in a salt mine for some time and is found to be covered with glittering crystals when brought out. In love, one endows the object of one’s infatuation with perceived perfections, which (sugar)coat them like a layer of crystals. At least to an extent, these perfections are the product of the lovers’ fantasy, though he will deny it himself and attribute them to his love. Stendhal speaks of une certaine fièvre de l’imagination, a certain ‘fever of the imagination’. It’s a type of madness, a warped perception of reality. We project our desires onto the other until they become what we want them to be. But Stendhal doesn’t describe crystallization as a bad thing. He views it as crucial for love to be born.
“When you turn someone into a fictional realization of your deepest desires, you instill in them (or impose on them) a little part that is you. Or at least, more you than it is them.”
If you were to see the extent of someone’s flaws right when you met them, the chances of you wanting to participate in a romantic relationship with them would be much slimmer. You need a certain measure of idealization, some hopeful optimism to lead you towards that initial affection. Something that makes the idea of crystallisation even more poetically fascinating is the following thought: when you turn someone into a fictional realization of your deepest desires, you instill in them (or impose on them) a little part that is you. Or at least, more you than it is them. What takes place could be described as a certain integration of the self into the other.
Criticism
One could state that the process of crystallization, as described by Stendhal, could potentially turn one into a person of questionable morals. The lover hears of his friend suffering a broken arm, and his mind immediately goes to how – had he been the one to break his arm – the woman he loves would have nursed him back to health. The tale of another’s misery turns into a confirmation of the perceived perfections of the lovers’ beloved. It would be like if someone said, “my hamster almost died in a terrible microwave accident,” and you replied with, “I bet if I almost died in a terrible microwave accident, my crush would come to visit me in the hospital. My crush is great.”
And, as José Ortega y Gasset would argue, it remains fiction. He rightfully asks: what happens after reality unavoidably catches up? When the smokescreen of perceived perfection lifts, what is left? If love is an imaginary thing that exists solely within the bounds of the lovers’ minds, what is its durability? What is its worth?
Ashes to diamonds
On the other hand, if crystallization is essential for the seed of love to sprout, it could be said that for the sake of love, it should be embraced, albeit with a sensible amount of care and at least some critical thinking. And although this thought is as comforting as it is disturbing – if it is a case of folie à deux, a ‘madness shared’, something that exists exclusively but in equal measure among the two lovers… it could potentially outlast reality.
“If it is a case of folie à deux, a ‘madness shared’… it could potentially outlast reality.”
Recently, people have been quite literally crystallizing their passed loves using lab technology. Under high heat and pressure, the carbon that can be found in cremated ashes is compressed and turned into a so-called ‘memorial diamond.’ Perhaps a metaphor could be applied here: if the love born out of crystallization dies, one is left with ashes that can be pressed into crystals once more, although this time it will require pressure and hard work. This could be an argument in favor of the initial crystallization: love wouldn’t have been born if it had never happened. If it hadn’t been born, it wouldn’t have died, and there wouldn’t have been any ashes to work with. At least with the existence of that initial love, there is a fundament to build on, the possibility of a better, truer love. Perhaps it would be fair to state that loving a human being will always require at least some degree of romanticism.
References list:
Gasset, O. J. Y. (2012). On Love: Aspects of a Single Theme. Martino Fine Books.
Jacobs, F. C. L. M. (2008). Een filosofie van emoties en verlangens. Nieuwezijds.
S., Knight, B. C. J. G., Sale, G., Sale, S., & Stewart, J. (1975). Love (Penguin Classics) (Revised ed.). Penguin Classics.
