Monk's motto or: Is Against the Day in favour of the Night?

[Paul Mackin]

On Jul 24, 2007, at 5:46 PM, David Morris wrote:

> Hello Kai.  It's good to hear from you again.
> I'll attempt stabs (not answers) at bits and pieces of your points  
> below:
>
> On 7/24/07, Kai Frederik Lorentzen <lorentzen at hotmail.de> wrote:
>>
>> "It's always night, or we wouldn't need light" (Thelonious Monk)
>>
>> From the beginning on I had the strong impression, that Monk's  
>> motto and the  novel's title must be closely connected (not only  
>> because they follow immediately after another). Yet I have to  
>> admit that I do not quite get it.  Let me ask you a couple of  
>> questions:
>>
>> If there's "always night", where would be the need to do anything  
>> "Against the Day"?
>
> According to the quote, "It's always night" would be the natural
> condition of things, with light being the exception.  This is the case
> with the universe, isn't it?  At least literally it is:  vast amounts
> of dark void (and dark matter as well) with points of light widely
> scattered about.  But that's not necessarily a good condition.  That's
> why WE (not THEY) need light.


What do we suppose Thelonius himself meant by the statement? Was he  
being mystical, as he was wont to be at times?  The Buddhist Monk.

Or, more likely it was a hip, poetic way of expressing the fairly  
ordinary idea that the world is everlastingly in need of  
enlightenment--or joy? Which he was surely  attempting to supply with  
his music.

If such had been Pynchon's interpretation, the epigraph could have  
expressed, among other things, the writer's intention to do with  
science, math, political theory, and other learned shit what Monk was  
doing with music.

Third possibility, TM was just trying to confuse the squares? As was  
also his wont.

Just dunno.

P.


>
> Those that "oppose light would be against the day."
>
> Gnostically speaking, light as an atypical condition would make sense,
> because the creation is in a "dark" state (although masquerading as a
> "light" state).  Light in this sense would be the wisdom (hidden
> flame) deep inside that needs to be let out to strive against the
> darkness.
>
> Of your comments below, I have a very
>
>> Your mails help me to always again take the book into my hands.  
>> Checking out the favourite passages you people name (I don't  
>> believe in 'spoilers') helps me to get a feeling for what I might  
>> be liking about "Against the Day" some day. If Heaven allows. Up  
>> to now --- Don't stone me! --- there isn't much. I don't like the  
>> ethnic  jokes, I don't like the view on women, I don't like the  
>> M&Dish humour. I haven't learned, up to now, new things about  
>> Anarchist theory, the Tarot, the functional differentiation of  
>> science, or Shambhala (issues about I, perhaps, know one or two  
>> things). So I would be grateful for any hint that keeps me hanging  
>> on.