infinite footnotes

[Bonnie Surfus (ENG)]

On Thu, 20 Jun 1996, Jeffrey Stadelman wrote:

> 
> Robert Bruno wrote:
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> > > In an aside, I kinda wished GR had footnotes; but then again, the darn 
> > > thing is frustrating enough...*
> 
> Bonnie Surfus (ENG) wrote:
> 
> > I find that the footnotes in IJ are a tremendous help, and that they
> > reflect the functions of memory that promote a story.*  
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> *  "He gets back to the Casino just as big globular raindrops, thick as
> honey, begin to splat into giant asterisks on the pavement, inviting him
> to look down at the bottom of the text of the day, where footnotes will
> explain all.  He isn't about to look.  Nobody ever said a day has to be
> juggled into any kind of sense at day's end.  He just runs."  GR, Bantam
> p. 238
> 
> 
> 
one of my favorite passages.  And yes, nobody said anything "HAS to be
juggled into any kind of sense" . . . but sometimes it's nice to see
different ways in which time converges around an idea (a thought, a
memory) for a reader, through the writer's eyes/mind.  Then again, in IJ,
the footnotes add rich detail that does not always "explain" as much as
it enhances meanings.

Either way, regarding your post:  ouch.