In the performance of good magic the mind is led on, step by step, to ingeniously defeat its own logic. (Dai Vernon, 2001)
Following the success of Batman Begins (2005), Christopher Nolan directed The Prestige (2006). The period film centred on the rivalry between two competing magicians, Alfred Borden and Robert Angier.
In line with tradition, Nolan interweaves the film's storyline against the fabric of time, by constructing the pacing of the movie around the narrative framing device of two diaries. Simply put, Angier is reading Borden's notebook in the diegetic past, whilst Borden reads Angier's diary in the diegetic present.
But this reading of each other's diaries is much more than just a storytelling device. These diaries are instruments of self-discovery for each of the two rivals. They are unsparing mirrors that reflect the vanity of their desires right back at them.
"I saw happiness, happiness that should have been mine. But I was wrong. His notebook reveals that he never had the life that I envied."
Nolan's complex structure filters the viewer's access to the story, holding them blind to its overall size and importance. It also complicates the reliability question by revealing that both Borden and Angier have written these diaries, with the other in mind as a potential reader. The bitter rivalry between both men raises a question about the truth of the utterances in these records.
As a result, Nolan makes doubt a centrepiece of the narrative.
He cunningly constructs the plot in a manner that enhances the audience's experience of being caught in an illusion. Aligning the narrative's structure with the deconstruction of a magic trick allows Nolan to delay the introduction of vital information until a well-orchestrated revelation takes place.
The overarching fragmentation of The Prestige's storyline prompted me to think about how instructors could accommodate complex narrative structures within their online courses.
Initially, Kim's paper highlighted the possibility of appropriating video game mechanics for learning. This thesis inspired a post I wrote about course non-linearity, wherein I make a strong case for viewing online learning experiences as a spatial medium.
"Have you considered the cost? Forget this thing. I can recognise an obsession. It will not do you any good."
After recognising my now apparent infatuation with course non-linearity, Tesla's reprimand towards Angier when he noted the magician's obsessive fascination with his rival, struck a chord with me.
I sought to re-balance my thinking by exploring course linearity as an intellectual compromise.
"No one cares about the man who disappears, the man who goes into the box. They care about the one who comes out."
Throughout the film, Borden and Angier wrestle with the two senses of "prestige", namely producing the illusion and receiving acclaim. For the instructor, the latter is of upfront importance.
Concerning this, I outlined an approach to finding an audience and valuing your online course. Indeed, the price of admission and ongoing adoration of a crowd is key to any magical learning experience.
Alas, until next month.