AtD translation: the title

[Monte Davis]

I'd go with those Bible translators --"'until that day' or  'be ready for
that day.' I agree with David M. that "against" BY ITSELF "primarily
denotes opposition, an active fight against something or someone." But AS
PART OF THE IDIOMATIC PHRASE "against the day," its primary sense is
"making preparation or provision for a day to come."

AS THE TITLE of this novel full of photography and relativity and
electrification, it takes on the secondary, spatial sense of contre-jour:
something silhouetted by the sun or bright sky behind/beyond it, the
details of what you're looking at lost because of the extreme contrast...

... which in combination with the primary sense, might prompt further
connotations relevant to the ideologies and politics of the book's period
and characters -- e.g. that looking forward to a bright future may make it
harder to discern what's right in front of you today. Which circles back to
inflect the primary sense.

It seems unlikely a priori (a putonghuari?) that an acceptably short phrase
in *any* other language would point in all those directions at once, so my
recommendation would be to concentrate on the primary sense -- "something
is coming in the future, get ready for it."

On Sat, Jan 5, 2019 at 12:18 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Well, in that case, the bible translations do not offer much help at all.
> That sense is completely lost in translation. That's what makes this so
> difficult.
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 11:10 PM David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Remember, "against" primarily denotes opposition, an active fight against
> > something or someone.  Other meanings are secondary.
> >
> > On Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 10:03 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com
> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks, David. That helps a lot.
> >>
> >> It's various versions of "until that day" or "be ready for that day".
> >> Although it cannot be directly adopted word for word, the important
> idea is
> >> there, and that's something I can work with.
> >>
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 10:51 PM David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>> See how your Bible scholars have translated these KJV verses.
> >>>
> >>> David Morris
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 9:48 PM David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> [image: Unchecked Copy Box] 2Ti 1:12
> >>>> <https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/2ti/1/12/s_1126012>
> >>>> For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not
> >>>> ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is
> >>>> able to keep thatwhich I have committed unto him against that day.
> >>>>
> >>>> [image: Unchecked Copy Box] Est 3:14
> >>>>>>> <https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/est/3/14/s_429014>
> >>>>>>> The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every
> >>>>>>> province was published unto all people, that they should be ready
> against
> >>>>>>> that day.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>