<kein Betreff>

[Kai Frederik Lorentzen]

> 
> On Apr 29, 2006, at 12:33 PM, Dave Monroe wrote:
> 
> > Actually, I think it's been shown here and elsewhere
> > that Pynchon would almost have to have been familiar
> > with various dictionary entries, certainly with
> > etyomlogies, secondary and/or archaic definitions, et
> > al.  Sure, he wouldn't necessarily have had to have
> > gotten 'em from a dictionary, er se--he could've
> > learned everything on the street, it's concievable, at
> > any rate, or at least in teh course of reading other
> > books, but ...


> It's probably necessary to make a distinction here (at least try to)  
> between
> using a dictionary  1) to learn about words and ideas so as to  
> generally increase
> one's knowledge  and 2} in the creative process of expressing  
> actions, thoughts,
> feelings, desires. (this goes for interpreting as well as expressing)
 
> The former is highly recommended.
> 

Especially in the case of Tom, who often is best writing 
about places he's never been too. 

"In the character of Callisto I was trying for a sort of world-weary 
Middle-European effect, and put in the phrase GRIPPE ESPAGNOLE,
which I had seen on some liner notes to a recording of Stravinsky's 
L'HISTOIRE du SOLDAT. I must have thought this was some kind of
post-World War I spiritual malaise or something. Come to find out
it means what it says, Spanish influenca, and the reference I lifted
was really to the worldwide flue epidemic that followed the war."
(Thomas Pynchon: Slow Learner)

GR is still full of (data) mistakes; since VL THIS got better.

Thanks for the "Welcome!" to Otto and Dave! 

Agamben is today probably the most relevant of the living 
Western philosophers. In "Ausnahmezustand" (= "State of
emergency") there's a short chapter focussing on the relation
of Walter Benjamin and Carl Schmitt. If you read those 8 pages
you will get the crucial point. Benjamin's enthusiastic letter to 
Schmitt (who also fascinated Pynchon's father in law) you can find
printed word by word in "ad Carl Schmitt" by Jacob Taubes
(Merve Verlag: Berlin). There is no international law anymore!
It's globalized "Bio-Power" (Foucault) versus sheer naked Life.
Poor people drowning, running, losing breath.. The Camps. You
may think of those Spanish islands near the North African coast.
Or of....well, you've got the idea by now. The whole "Homo Sacer"
project is verified by our times.. On the relation of humans and 
animals do see Agamben's "L'aperto. L'umo e l'animale", which 
is in German (again Ffm '03: Suhrkamp) "Das Offene. Der Mensch 
und das Tier". Actually Agamben is not hard to read. No jargon or 
something. Dafür 'ne stilvolle Schreibe. See for yourself.

(While we're talking about Camps: My argument 7 years ago that
GR cannot be called a 'holocaust-novel' because Dora Mittelbau 
wasn't a Death Camp like Auschwitz or Treblinka and because there
were many non-jewish prisoners, was wrong. The Jews were treated 
much harder than others and the death of those murdered jewish
people was an explicit goal of the whole thing while the other prisoners
were mostly treated as simple work-slaves. Sorry if I hurted anyone's 
feelings with that stupid argument! Mean it. That being said, I may 
add that I still imagine a 'holocaust-novel' more like "La Tregua" 
or "Sorstalanság". Yet I was stupid, no doubt. Tasteless too, yes.)
   
"Maybe you like to get people in trouble."
"All right." Out with the lower lip.
"OK.,OK, tell me about it. But I don't know if the GUARDIAN will
even be interested. My editors are a rather stuffy lot, you know."
Goose bumps crowd her little breasts. 'I posed once for the rocket
insignia. Perhaps you've seen it. A pretty young witch straddling 
an A4. Carrying her obsolete broom over her shoulder. I was voted
the sweetheart of 3/Art. Abt. (mot) 485."
"Are you a real witch?"
"I think I have tendencies. Have you been up to the Brocken yet?"
"Just hit town, actually." (GR, 293)

Greetings to all,

k°


 







   



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