The New York Review of Books: Occidentalism

[calbert at hslboxmaster.com]

I don't believe they got Spengler quite right........you can pull lots of 
stuff out of DotW that will sound like the cite they provided, but 
when placed in the context of the entire work, it looks very 
different......


will offer more comment on your take in a while...


love,
cfa

> Hi Otto and Charles--I meant to remark on the bringing of Spengler
> into the West/East thing.  The quotes of Spengler in the article make
> him sound like a Nazi but if Anglo-America were really in decline like
> S sez why would defeating it have been of such urgent concern--I refer
> of course to the idealogical reasons for defeating it--striking a blow
> for a return to the volk ideal--rather than the practical imperial
> rivalistic/Western  reasons. In other words what made Hitler's Germany
> a close relation to bin Laden's  Islam ideologically speaking?  As for
> bin Laden if the West be truly in decline why is it necessary to crash
> airplanes into its most cherished monuments.  The most interesting
> thing about occidentalism is its contradictions. If N____ Music is
> poluting the Rationalism of the West is it not at the same time
> infusing soul where formerly only reason dwelt? Muddled thoughts
> perhaps, but suggestive I would guess. (my muddle not the article's)
> 
> I thought the article might be useful because it puts in the
> foreground why WWII could never have been solely a war over markets
> though some among us seem to wish the master had so written it. I of
> course don't think he did but still this question occurs to me: Did
> Gravity's Rainbow skimp on the Nazi ideology angle?
> 
> P
> 
> Otto wrote:
> 
> > Thanks for it, it's a very fine essay.
> >
> > Otto
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <calbert at hslboxmaster.com>
> > To: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
> > Cc: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2002 6:42 PM
> > Subject: Re: The New York Review of Books: Occidentalism
> >
> > > I had intended to recommend this yesterday.....the authors
> > > ambitions, it appeared to me, exceeded their reach....but it was a
> > > very informative piece and a very interesting argument.....I urge
> > > folks to check it out........it really does offer a different
> > > perspective on "the struggle"....
> > >
> > > In the same issue there is a review of a book on the history of
> > > London........Skim it - there is yet another of those Pynchonian
> > > concurrences which MUST be coincidental, or maybe not......
> > >
> > > Rent Way of the Gun TODAY! That writer is without peer in the
> > > US.......
> > >
> > > ......and hi, paul.......
> > >
> > > love,
> > > cfa
> > >
> > > > http://www.nybooks.com/articles/15100
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > This is a discussion of what the authors call "occidentalism."
> > > > The word has been coined I believe both along the lines of words
> > > > like racism and sexism, but its coinage is also an obvious nod
> > > > to the term "orientalism." Anyway, I found the article a help in
> > > > organizing my thinking about war and conflict in the world in
> > > > the past and in the present. MalignD's post of a minute ago
> > > > reminded me of its existence in the current NY Review of Books.
> > > >
> > > >   P.
> > > >
> > >
> > >
>