TRTR, Pt 2, C 2 "does there exist such a thing as mermaids, sar?"

[Richard Ryan]

Hmmmm... I guess I would counter, Mark, that there's no inconsistency
in seeing all formal religions as having social or anthropological
origins and also thinking there's a mystical, non-material dimension
of experience.

If we think that Gaddis is an atheist and a materialist, how do we
account for mystical/magical events in The Recognitions?  I.e, Wyatt
seeing his mother's ghost on her death; Wyatt's recuperation after the
sacrifice of the Barbary Ape; the supernaturally evil power that Brown
has over Wyatt, etc.?

On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 3:37 PM, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I think I see Fuller's belief in the unseen--mermaids and mermahns--as
> examples of Gaddis perspective on 'faith'
> With Brown's simple reasoning as narratorial perspective (there's one rub,
> eh?)
>
> Then there is the line about the Deity as an imaginary number, the square
> root of minus one, not, again, narratorial maybe, but an author's mind at
> work.
>
> And as Gaddis 'exposes' the real world origins of just about all religions
> (via The Golden Bough and anything else).....
>
> Mostly, I see little presentation of 'mystery' about such ultimate
> questions, as I do in Pynchon. No middle here from Gaddis,
> Charles Fort notwithstanding............
> From: Richard Ryan <himself at richardryan.com>
> To: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
> Cc: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2011 5:20 AM
> Subject: Re: TRTR, Pt 2, C 2 "does there exist such a thing as mermaids,
> sar?"
>
> The G&S comparison rings true - especially for this wry dialogue.  But
> Gaddis's "non-belief"?  How so Mark?
>
> On Sat, Jul 23, 2011 at 7:30 PM, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> I have heard the mermaids calling each to each. ----Eliot
>> Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
>>
>> p. 346 Fuller.....explores the 'dialects' of religious belief.......
>>
>> simple man of faith...dissed and 'refuted' by the awful Recktall.......
>> but in Fuller's arguments....."have you seen an octopus"...............
>> There has to be mahn mermaids............
>>
>> I think we see Gaddis's non-belief......True?
>>
>> And religious belief/dogma as a Gilbert & Sullivan light opera.......
>
>
>
> --
> Richard Ryan
> New York and the World
> ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> "The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround
> him. The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself.
> All progress depends on the unreasonable man." - Shaw
>
>
>



-- 
Richard Ryan
New York and the World
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround
him. The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself.
All progress depends on the unreasonable man." - Shaw