MDMD Ch. 25 : The Business of the World

[Bandwraith at aol.com]

In a message dated 12/21/01 9:18:42 AM, michel.ryckx at freebel.net writes:

<< This seems to me a quote, and given the "trans-lating all thah' French

Jabber" at the bottom of the same page, from French origin.  I've been

looking around, but cannot find anything relevant.  It must be (to my

ears, that is), at the time, a pretty recent phrase, for it is around

this period the economic school of mercantilism was replaced by the one

of the physiocrats; the latter stressing the importance of commerce,

while the first concentrated on the fruits of the earth as the essence

of economy (I had a post about those things, but it's computer crash

week).


If someone has a CD with Diderot's Encyclopédie, that might help, I

think.


Michel.



My first impressionwas that this was an "ironic" exchange between the men, 
both knowing that no such words were actually said (or flagged) by the 
french, and this was merely Mason's interpretation/translation of the meaning 
of the whole le Grand affair on his personal destiny- as in message from 
beyond, etc., with Dixon realizing that and playing along, ironically- so 
refined, already, the comradship between these two has become- no small part 
of which bond having been tempered by the prophesized appearance of the 
frenchies.

But... that doesn't mean that the crafty pynch has not dropped a more modern 
french quote into the mouth of Charles- in the midst of all this 
meta-matey-ness. Which would make this whole interlocution between the two 
another one of those "double  dealings" by our man. And come to think of it 
"Jabber" reminds me of Jabberwocky, of the L. Carol mintage- and Jabberwocky 
reminds me of Alice, and Alice of the rabbit hole, which brings us back to 
The Ear Museum. 

The progression seems to be from semiphore flags to aural language conveyed 
to us via the written text- a triple dealing- concerning the interplay of 
chance and fate on Mason's personal destiny, or his interpretation of the 
same, with that outside narrator getting in a lick or two.

And if aural language is controlled by written language, and the writing, 
here (or there), by the narrator- than it's a meditation on the control of 
(and constraints on) linguistic meaning as well.

All of which jibberish is about as clear as a chinese palindrome, I know, but 
maybe
inspector Monroe can help us out here with a quick check that Diderot...?

cheers