Kip Manley's Blog, page 30

Things to keep in mind (The secret of cruelty)

Many years ago, a deeply religious Roman Catholic friend said to me, with some irritation, “Why must you liberals bring everything down to cruelty?” What could he have meant? He was, and is, the most gentle and kindly of men, and a principled defender of political freedom and social reform. As a Christian, he obviously regarded cruelty as a dreadful vice. He was not defending cruelty or abandoning liberal politics; rather, he was explicitly rejecting the mentality that does not merely abhor brutality, but that regards cruelty as the summum malum, the most evil of all evils. And he was reminding me that, although intuitively, most of us might agree about right and wrong, we also, and of far more significance, differ enormously in a way we rank the virtues and vices. Those who put cruelty first, as he guessed, do not condemn it as a sin. They have all but forgotten the Seven Deadly Sins, especially those that do not involve cruelty. Sins are transgressions of a divine rule and offenses against God; pride, as the rejection of God, must always be the worst one, which gives rise to all the others. Cruelty, as the wilful inflicting of physical pain on a weaker being in order to cause anguish and fear, however, is a wrong done entirely to another creature. When it is marked as a supreme evil, it is judged so in and of itself, and not because it signifies a rejection of God or any other higher norm. It is a judgement made from within a world where cruelty occurs as part both of our normal private life and our daily public practice. By putting it irrevocably first—with nothing above it, and with nothing to excuse or forgive acts of cruelty—one closes off any appeal to any order other than that of actuality.

—Judith N. Shklar

Things to keep in mind (The secret of prepositions)

The process of becoming accustomed to a new author is very much that of learning what to exclude in this way, and this first of the three “facts,” hard as it may be to explain in detail, is one with which appreciative critics are accustomed to deal very effectively. But the other two are more baffling; one can say little about the quality of a language, if only because the process of describing it in its own language is so top-heavy, and the words of another language will not describe it. The English prepositions, for example, from being used in so many ways and in combination with so many verbs, have acquired not so much a number of meanings as a body of meaning continuous in several dimensions; a tool-like quality, at once thin, easy to the hand, and weighty, which a mere statement of their variety does not convey. In a sense all words have a body of this sort; none can be reduced to a finite number of points, and if they could the points could not be conveyed by words.

—William Empson

No. 35: “ – many Christian eyes – ”

Disparate dissatisfactions and discommoding disaffections, but “Such benefite in good Example dwels.” 36 pages with color cover. $3.00 plus shipping and handling.

the Lights are Out; the Curtains drawn – Order 722 – 
what Becker hasn’t done – those Scrawny arms – the Semblance of a Hound – Up under; high Beneath – 157,185 SF – a Delicate clink – “Welcome back” – Jack’s dog – the Fly, the Fly – 
Less than a two-Point-five – East Multnomah Soil & Water – 
duty – Ward, or Sigil? – Select Passenger – Beautiful Mountain – the Last of the International Harvesters – “Sorry about the burrito” – the VERN – east of Everything
 – the Lights are Out, the Curtains Drawn

Decimation

As of the last day of last year, the first draft of no. 35 was done. As of today, the editing pass is done; some tuck and polish and boom. Patrons have already seen the “track listing,” as it were; that brief chapter header that’ll lead you astray if you let it make you think it’s telling you what’s to come. I should be releasing the chapter itself to patrons and paying customers early next week, I think. To the rest of the world on or about February 8th, I should think. See you then.

They say that writing a book doesn’t teach you anything about writing books; all you’ll ever learn, if you’re lucky, and paying attention, is how to write the book you’re writing. I was weirdly conscious of this, writing no. 35: each scene as I figured it out unfolded something that changed the earlier scenes, or will once I re-write them. What was odd about it is this sort of energy usually drives me to scowl and rip things out by the roots and re-do them. This time I was moved instead to just, take the occasional note, and otherwise let it be.

And as I edited this chapter, the reasons perhaps for why began to hove into something of a view: the changes needed, on the level of a word, or a sentence, were small enough. But the shifts they ended up engendering, in focus, in drive, in direction—these small (enormous) mysteries are why I keep getting up, of a morning.

Anyway: sit you down, you English Merchants, Factors, and Travailers. Whole Truth does with our Spirits hold Commerse.

No. 34: up and stand (Closing)

a House that looks Much Like the Others – Everything to Lose

No. 34: up and stand (Act IV)

two Swords, side-by-side – Disappointment – another World – kept Safe – what Makes it Tick –

No. 34: up and stand (Act III)

rolling Over under Untucked sheets – Hands – Bourbon & Blueberry – “Hunt what?” – Compromise – Southerly, for Korea –

No. 34: up and stand (Act II)

a Stifled shriek – that First sob –

No. 34: up and stand (Act I)

uncertain Laughter – the Colors of the Hound – exactly as You are – what happened Next –

No. 34: up and stand (Opening)

brightly Shining sun –