meditation on the Universe/God or, transposed in psychological terms, on the
Self. Or is it a homiletic engineering feat? A fusion of European and Mexican
cultures is effected in Carlos Fuentes tale "In a Flemish Garden," which de-
picts an unnerving parapsychological experience enacted in a baroque man-
sion. The thirteenth-century Chinese drama The Romance of the Western
Chamber, by Wang Shih-fu, offers readers a mathematically conceived and or-
dered universe existing within the Buddhist temple complex. Following a spe-
cific blueprint designed according to minutely measured conventions, the
protagonists' patterns of behavior deviate for a time from these outer visible
lines and forms--making for the drama's succulence--only to return to the
same structured ways. The architectural archetype in Yukio Mishima novel
The Temple of the Golden Pavilton is experienced by the protagonist as a destruc-
tive force: a feminine image that drives him to extremes in both his fantasy
world and his behavioral patterns.

The metaphoric visions of the authors that will concern us in Archetype,
Architecture, and the Writer reveal a structural dominant in their psyche, a bio-
logical pattern of behavior that becomes evident in their protagonists, images,
moods, and dialogue, and in the other literary devices at their disposal. An
exploration into the meaning of these primordial images which have gained
such autonomy over the authors chosen for scrutiny will be undertaken with
the hope of acquiring greater understanding of their creative works--as living
and dynamic forces--and their impact on us in today's world.

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