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The Recognitions
The Recognitions - Spine 2012
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Discussion - Week Five - The Recognitions - Part II, Chap. 5 & 6
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How would you relate this back to TR?
Do you see any of this at play in chapter one with Reverend Gwyonn?
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Sorry if I repeated this before. Frazer's "Golden Bough" is one source that Gaddis used. This idea that Christianity is a '..."
Do you see anything in Frazer that relates to chapter 5 & 6?
Now that you're reading Frazer, it might be good to go back through the very first chapter of TR where much of the warping of Reverend Gwyonn and Wyatt took place. The strange objects brought back from Europe, Gwyonn's regression from Protestant back to monastic catholicism, Aunt May's attempts at terrorizing poor Wyatt into studying the saints and martyrs, Wyatt's near-death experience that science couldn't resolve, and of course, the monkey in the barn...
Jim wrote: "Wyatt's near-death experience that science couldn't resolve, and of course, the monkey in the barn..."I thought the murdered and crucified ape especially came into play later when Rev Gilbert-Sullivan (aka Wyatt) is feverishly questioning whether Christ died for him. Sorry, Wyatt, it was an ape.
I think it would be useful to discuss the significance of the words "recognise", "recognition" and "recognitions" when everybody has finished the book, rather than (or not solely) within the context of one chapter.I have collected a small number of uses of the words here:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/2...
Within that passage is a link to a list of the 81 times they appear in the novel.
Gaddis obviously felt that the words were packed with meaning, beyond any implications that could be derived from Frazer's use.
SPOILERS?
Not just is there its etymological origin (in knowledge, cognition and perception), there is the mental process of sight or recognition of an object in the outside world (and Gaddis' criticism of the scientific explanation of sight).
Similarly, there is a concern with the perception of the real self, truth and authenticity.
Plus Clement's "Recognitions" and the relationship with the Faust legend.
Part II, Chapter 5
“The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. You will cause a device to be prepared, without unnecessary delay, with a motto expressing in the fewest and tersest words possible, this national recognition.”
- Abraham Lincoln’s Treasurer, to the director of the Mint.
Frank Sinisterra, who performed extreme malpractice on Wyatt's mother many years ago, recounts the history of his craft to Mrs. Sinisterra, who has turned off her hearing aid. Mr. Pivner prepares to meet his son Otto - with a little help from Dale Carnegie. Otto and Mr. Pivner rendezvous at the hotel, but not with each other. Frank Sinisterra and the man in the checked suit watch from the doorway as Anselm rants and Otto buys drinks with their twenties. The night ends in disappointment for all.
Part II, Chapter 6
“Des gens passent. On a des yeux. On les voit.”
["People pass. They have eyes. We see them."]
Wyatt and Basil Valentine visit the lion cage and discover their fragility. The village people twist and turn in the winds of Yuletide. Mr. Pivner returns to the hotel seeking his lost son Otto.
To avoid spoilers, please restrict your comments to Part II, Chapter 5 & 6 (and the earlier chapters)