1.one of the most interesting revelations to me, at present (because theory is only interesting...morea few random items in a nonsensical list...
1.one of the most interesting revelations to me, at present (because theory is only interesting to me inasmuch as its application is immediate) is the following notion: the voice assumes a structural function closely akin to that of time. in terms of student writing, compositions that are deemed successful tend to score very highly in the assessment criterion: voice. a consistent, organized/controlled vocal quality gives a composition the feeling of structure, and can even unwittingly deceive or intentionally con the reader into missing or excusing the writer's lack of content knowledge, as they've been so carried along by the 'voice' of the work.
2. the very brief discussion of the defense of the dissertation was entertaining, comical, and fair. "the corpus of a candidate's knowledge has been written down in the dissertation, which--supposedly and optimistically--the members of the committee have all carefully read, but this is not enough, it has to be enacted through the voice and only thus made effective. the general experience of those tedious occasions shows that they are indeed simply a question of vocal display; the supposed testing and questioning of the candidate's knowledge has very little to do with that knowledge itself, and has an entirely ritual and vocal character (supplemented by narcissistic struggles and departmental politics under the banner of promoting pure science)." if you aren't laughing your ass off right now...then you aren't as swept away by english department horror-humor as i.
3. freud's thoughts on instinct and reason/intellectual life. this has been something i've been meaning to resolve/get to the bottom of since my first transgression. freud says, after countless rebuffs reason prevails. thank goodness. ["this is one of the few points on which one may be optimistic about the future of mankind."]
3b. formulating the prob of the neurotic in leibniz's terms: "how can i ever justify my existence? an impossible task in the universe of the sufficient reason. can unconscious desire serve as the name for the sufficient reason of all that lacks a sufficient reason?"
4. the phantasy of listening [belauschungsphantasien].
5. the tragedy and truth of this statement cracks me up, "but nothing is more permanent than makeshift arrangements and temporary measures, which, once established, show a steadfast perseverance and inertia."
6. really beautiful passage in a section about the relationship between language and the unconscious. here's the rough and dirty: there is a time loop--the moment we physically hear, the time in which we make sense of, and the ultimate reckoning with the sound. at any rate, when i read this, i thought of the moment you fall in love--recklessly, impulsively--followed by the fantasy, including the delusional aspects--followed by the harsh reality. "it is gone despite the interpretation which tries to provide it with a framework of sense, the horizon of understanding; or rather, it evaporates through the interpretation which consists of pinning it down to a particular sense, naming its meaning, reducing its nonsense, but loses it precisely by endowing it with a positive content--as if it existed properly only in that instant, if indeed this can be called existence at all." [cut to me weeping.]
7. phonology: "the lever which could endow human sciences with the very strictness which until then seemed to have been the privilege of the natural sciences." yes, in college, i was quite taken with the very idea that phonology was even a word i could throw around.
8. silence.
9. omg. silence is a tricky betch. "silence as the simple absence of speech can acquire the highest meaning, it can be taken as a sign of superior wisdom. silence can be a most telling answer which refers the speaker back to her question and its presuppositions, but it can also be a sign of ignorance, the highest easily mingling with the lowest." and also, "speech always delivers us to the powers of the other." and finally, abbe' dinouart "saw the art of silence in the first place as a weapon against the flood of speech inundating the enlightenment century."
10. the silence of the universe.
11. if the universe is no longer "the expression of the supreme sense, of harmony, of God's wise plan [oh crap] it is the universe which has stopped making sense, and this subtraction of sense coincides with the advent of modern science. this silence is neither the imaginary overwhelming nor the symbolic pulsation. the silence of the new universe does not mean anything, it does not make sense, and in this absence of sense it inspires pascal's anxiety." basically, this was my bitter daily bread during my 19th/20th year on the planet... and from time to time ever since... which i think is unavoidable, maybe. ("le silence eternel des espaces infinis me fait peur." pascal)
12. chapter seven. kafka's voices. final chapter. too many points to pick just one, but in the interest of space and time... "Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" needs to be required reading for all, especially those dreaming of becoming reality television stars or those aspiring artists, and writers, like moi. "despite her vanity and megalomania, people can easily do without her, she will be forgotten, no traces of her art will be left." oh shit!
two footnotes:
qui: 'for what is science but the absence of prejudice backed by the presence of money?' henry james, the golden bowl"
qua: "[bernard] baas puts this very well: 'the voice is never my own voice, but the response is my own response.'"
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Christopher Pike is a sicko. That's why he's great. For example:
"The bottle exploded over the back of Davey's head, the tequila drenching h...moreChristopher Pike is a sicko. That's why he's great. For example:
"The bottle exploded over the back of Davey's head, the tequila drenching his shirt and pants. but it did not knock him out. He whirled upon Tracie, his face unrecognizable. The blow had in no way injured him, but no human being could have twisted living flesh into such an expression of pure hatred and been called human. His was the face of the lost creature that lay hidden inches below the surface of the world's last undiscovered cesspool, preserved in unrelenting misery through a hundred ages, waiting for its day." (page 202) Gotta love it.(less)
I am not sure why, but the consensus seems to be that this book isn't as "good" as "...Magical Thinking." I disagree. I LOVED this...moreI am not sure why, but the consensus seems to be that this book isn't as "good" as "...Magical Thinking." I disagree. I LOVED this book. I devoured it. I thought it was extraordinary in its lyricism, weirdness and beauty. It also had the sting of truth. The good sting. And the refrains are so earned; I felt them.(less)
"It hardly needs to be said that one of the purposes of an education is to give us greater control of our situation."
Bernard Shaw was ...more"It hardly needs to be said that one of the purposes of an education is to give us greater control of our situation."
Bernard Shaw was asked, 'why do we need theater?' and he responded "It is an elucidator of social consciousness, a historian of the future, an armory against darkness and despair, and a temple in the ascent of man."
"Tolerance is irrelevant when there is universal agreement. When there is diversity of opinion, tolerance becomes, if you will, a god to serve."
"The principle argument is that teachers are not competent to serve as priests psychologists, therapists, political reformers, social workers, sex advisers, or parents. That some teachers may wish to do so is understandable, since in this way they may elevate their prestige."
"The reasons for serious foreign-language learning are many and various. First among them is that a foreign language provides one with entry into a worldview different from one's own."
"Slang is a form of colloquial speech that has a bad reputation, largely perpetuated by schoolteachers. They have a point, since slang is almost always created in a spirit of defiance, which is why its most consistent creators are those from disaffected groups, people with grievances."
"Of course, in one sense, we have here an old argument; people have always worried about whether technology demeans or enriches our humanity."
"Is it possible to preserve the best of American traditions and social institutions while allowing uncontrolled technological development?"
"There is no sin in being wrong. The sin is in our unwillingness to examine our own beliefs, and in believing that our authorities cannot be wrong."
"... people in distress will sometimes prefer a problem that is familiar to a solution that is not."
"Even if a narrative places one in hell, it is better there than to be nowhere. To be nowhere means to live in a barren culture, one that offers no vision of the past or future, no clear voice of authority, no organizing principles."
"...the moral I prefer is that a sense of responsibility for the planet is born from a sense of responsibility for one's own neighborhood."
"Our engagement with language almost always has a moral dimension, a point that has been emphasized by every great philosopher..."
"The lesson here is that sameness is the enemy of vitality and creativity."
"Our genius lies in our capacity to make meaning through the creation of narratives that give point to our labors, exalt our history, elucidate the present, and give direction to our future."
"Without a narrative, life has no meaning. Without meaning, learning has no purpose. Without a purpose, schools are houses of detention not attention."
"... a story--not any kind of story, but one that tells of origins and envisions a future, a story that constructs ideals, prescribes rules of conduct, provides a source of authority, and, above all, gives a sense of continuity and purpose. A god, in the sense i am using the word, is the name of a great narrative, one that has sufficient credibility, complexity, and symbolic power to enable one to organize one's life around it."
"There is nothing that happens among humans that is not instigated negotiated, clarified, or mystified by language."
"At present, there is very little tolerance for error in the classroom [...] one of the best reasons for using computers in the classroom is that computers force the environment to be more tolerant of error [...] The computer does not humiliate students for being wrong and it encourages them to try again."
"Knowledge is presented as a commodity to be acquired, never as a human struggle to understand, to overcome falsity, to stumble toward the truth." ... or just to stumble.
"To remain ignorant of things that happened before you were born is to remain a child." Cicero
"The scientific method is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." Thomas Henry Huxley
"There is no sure-cure so idiotic that some superintendent of schools will not swallow it. The aim seems to be to reduce the whole teaching process to a sort of automatic reaction, to discover some master formula that will not only take the place of competence and resourcefulness in the teacher but that will also create an artificial receptivity in the child." H.L. Mencken
"You can give humanistic value to almost anything by teaching it historically." William James
"When the mind is thinking it is talking to itself." Socrates
"For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." Ecclesiastes (1:18)
Also, this book offers a brief and interesting discussion of Alfred Korzybski. Cheers!
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Jonathan Kozol is the bomb. This book is angrier and more "reactionary" than his later work. At times the tone and style (well-justified ven...moreJonathan Kozol is the bomb. This book is angrier and more "reactionary" than his later work. At times the tone and style (well-justified venom) overwhelms the message, but 'that no bother me so much.' Cheers.
"My own belief is that a teacher's stated views--and more important, the visible actions which that teacher takes during a year in public school--are infinitely more relentless in their impact on the students than a wealth of books of any possible variety."
"There is no way, however, by which teachers of privileged children can avoid this point if we believe those children should receive the chance to grow up, not just smart and slick, but also ethical and strong."(less)
I couldn't possibly put it better than this: "Readers familiar with Gass, especially his reviews and essays, will know that he has a remarkable a...moreI couldn't possibly put it better than this: "Readers familiar with Gass, especially his reviews and essays, will know that he has a remarkable aptitude for constructing metaphors and that his facility with language is startling and occasionally overwhelming. Words are fertile and Gass tends to allow them to grow and breed until, at times, they even shroud his intent; sometimes I forget the topic of a Gass essay while I am reading it, following the language as language instead [...] This book weds Gass's love of words with its subject: which is the color blue, and which is also the depiction of sex in literature, and which is also how language forms itself around certain concepts, oh and sometimes simply emotion [...] I would recommend it highly to anyone sick with literature. Or colors."
-- will, a brilliant goodreads reviewer (my description)(less)
Can mental states be inferred from (past) actions? Can past actions be inferred from present mental states?
"Whiskey, I find, helps c...moreCan mental states be inferred from (past) actions? Can past actions be inferred from present mental states?
"Whiskey, I find, helps clarity of thought. And reduces pain." Julian Barnes, THE SENSE OF AN ENDING
The last pages--particularly the digression about hand-cut fries--are quite phenomenal. Great voice. Great lyrical moments. A great "single-sitting" book. Have been thinking of this repeatedly since finishing it.
"If I can't be sure of the actual events anymore, I can at least be true to the impressions those facts left." Julian Barnes, THE SENSE OF AN ENDING(less)
I read the last two chapters at midnight on Friday and scared the living daylights out of myself. I hate that feeling/love that feeling. Not Pike's be...moreI read the last two chapters at midnight on Friday and scared the living daylights out of myself. I hate that feeling/love that feeling. Not Pike's best work, from the perspective of sheer writing, but the story was nice and odd and compelling. Cheers!(less)
As one reviewer said, "a relic." Always rather thrilling to read something in the old style. The cult of poverty is fascinating and I won't ...moreAs one reviewer said, "a relic." Always rather thrilling to read something in the old style. The cult of poverty is fascinating and I won't use this space to digress, but I will say one of the most profoundly beautiful ideas/principles forwarded by St. Francis of Assisi is that 'it is discourteous to be in the presence of someone with less than you.' Peace.(less)
A terrific read. Some of Thornton's interviews contain breathtaking definitions and questions of art and/or the artist.
"A protest aga...moreA terrific read. Some of Thornton's interviews contain breathtaking definitions and questions of art and/or the artist.
"A protest against forgetting" - Eric Hobsbawn, quoted by Hans Ulrich Obrist
"[...] do you choose somebody to make history or do you confirm history?" Andrea Rose
"I was taught that one of the defining premises of modern art was its antagonism to mass culture [...] I could argue that Takashi is working within the system only to subvert it. But this idea of subversive complicity is growing stale..." Scott Rothkopf
"I threw out my my general life, so that I can make a concentration for my job. You maybe expecting more romantic story?" Takashi Murakami
"I love abstraction, but I even look at that kind of work for narrative content." Jerry Saltz
"I was so sick of reading Hemingwayesque novels full of muscular lyricism. Contemporary art seemed to be taking more interesting risks than contemporary fiction." Elizabeth Schambelan
"Don't things live not just by direct experience of them but by rumor, discussion, argument, and fantasy?" Adrian Searle
"It's not about innovation for innovation's sake or the ambition to be novel or unique. All good art gives us an opportunity for a different relationship with time." Matthew Higgs
"[Nicholas Logsdail] likes artists 'who are on a slow burn, very good, very serious, not in the fast track, but pursuing their own artistic interests with tenacity, quirkiness, and confidence.'"
"What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of--that often makes for very good art." Paul Schimmel
"To get the most out of your crit, you have to have a mysterious blend of complete commitment to your decisions and total openness to reconsider everything. . . I wanted to do something different. Students make work just because it stands up well in critiques, but outside the classroom it is often inconsequential." Fiona
"You have to find something that is true to yourself as a person--some non-negotiable core that will get you through a forty-year artistic practice." William E. Jones
"I don't care about an artist's intentions. I care if the work looks like it might have some consequences." Dave Hickey
"It's about being open to the possibility of what you could know." Mary Kelly
"Art comes out of failure. You have to try things out. You can't sit around, terrified of being incorrect, saying, 'I won't do anything until I do a masterpiece.'" John Baldessari
"Baldessari believes that the most important function of art education is to demystify artists: 'Students need to see that art is made by human beings just like them.'" Sarah Thornton, quoting John Baldessari
"Buying is much more American than thinking, and I'm as American as they come." Andy Warhol
"It's not by chance that I went from cosmetics to art. We are dealing with beauty here. We are dealing in things that are unnecessary, dealing with abstractions." Philippe Segalot
"The artist Francis Bacon once said that when MAN realizes that he is just an accident in the greater scheme of things, he can only 'beguile himself for a time.' He added: 'Painting or all art, has now become completely a game by which man distracts himself. . .. and the artist must really deepen the game to be any good at all.'" Sarah Thornton, quoting Francis Bacon
"As they say in the movie industry, ideas are a dime a dozen. You've got to put it into some sort of form." Thomas Lawson
"We hunt for students who are in some way on edge with their world." Steven Lavine
"The decisions that go into making a work are often social." Michael Asher
"Our view is that art should interrogate the social and cultural ideas of its time. Other places might want a work to produce pleasure or feelings." Charles Gaines
"The work you do as an artist is really play, but it is play in the most serious sense, like when a two-year-old discovers how to make a tower out of blocks. It is no halfhearted thing. you are materializing--taking something from the inside and putting it out into the world so you can be relieved of it." Leslie Dick
"An artist is someone who understands the border between this world and that one," he continued. "Or someone who makes an effort to know it." Takashi Murakami(less)
"We never shall. We never can expect to prove any thing upon such a point. It is a difference of opinion which does not admit of proof. We each b...more"We never shall. We never can expect to prove any thing upon such a point. It is a difference of opinion which does not admit of proof. We each begin probably with a little bias towards our own sex, and upon that bias build every circumstance in favour of it which has occurred within our own circle; many of which circumstances (perhaps those very cases which strike us the most) may be precisely such as cannot be brought forward without betraying a confidence, or in some respect saying what should not be said." Anne Elliot.(less)
Wisdom. "The Lion and the Unicorn" essay is especially relevant to today's OCCUPY movement v. the "old powerful money men." "...moreWisdom. "The Lion and the Unicorn" essay is especially relevant to today's OCCUPY movement v. the "old powerful money men." "Politics and the English Language" is well told and incisive.
Standout lines:
"This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose."
"Fascism, at any rate the German version, is a form of capitalism that borrows from Socialism just such features as will make it efficient for war purposes."
"Inevitably, because of their position and upbringing, the ruling class are fighting for their own privileges, which cannot possibly be reconciled with the public interest." (less)
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