Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 15:15:02 -0100
From: hbone <hbone-AT-optonline.net>
Subject: Re: Can't buy me Love! - or Philosophy!


Eric wrote,

> Hugh:
>
> Thanks for the interesting comments.
>
> I have the novel "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy sitting here at
> home somewhere, but haven't had the chance to read it yet. (I'm having a
> lull with fiction these days.) I certainly enjoy him as a writer and
> think his Borders Trilogy is a great series of books. He has an very
> interesting style of writing which always reminds me a little of
> Hemingway with a dash of Beckett thrown in.

Agreed.  .

I'm mainly interested in what "Blood Meridian" is "about" in the sense of
spirit, spirits, spiritual, states of mind, as with Epicurean, Kantian, or
Lyotardian sublimities, obligations, Nietzschean dances, the visions of
epileptic saints,  etcetera.  How to connect with this kind of experience in
living minds.

Perhaps, years ago, the "treasure hunt" or "alchemic" theory of "mind" led
me to believe that following words through the artifacts, forms and
formulae, of their creators, would produce a wonderful end result of
knowledge.

It ain't necessarily so.  Pinning names on ideas, like tails on donkeys
creates jobs and scholarship, however, IMHO, there is no substitute for
first-hand expression of first-hand experience.  Of course it may be
received as confusing or meaningless.

What do do you "think"?  What was an experience "like", not what did famous
"A" say of famous "B"'s discussion of famous "C"'s oft-quoted statement..

> I haven't read Octavio Paz for a long time now.  It would be good to
> read him again. His essays always resonated more with me than his poetry
> as well. Maybe it is the language gap. If I could read Spanish, I might
> feel differently. (There is also a connection with Malraux since Paz
> held political office at various times. He was a similar polymath.)

Yes, poetry is most difficult in translation.  Subtle life-time histories of
one's reaction  to particular words are the problem.  Yet with some
knowledge of French and Spanish, and an English translation,  I can
occasionally appreciate original lines, and find the translation clumsy.

> Andre Malraux is someone who currently interests me very much because of
> his connection with Lyotard.  One of the biggest surprises for me was
> the extent to which Lyotard was obsessed with Malraux at the end of his
> life.
>
> I'm sure you are aware that Lyotard wrote a biography about Malraux,
> entitled "Signed, Malraux."  In addition, however, he also wrote a very
> short book of essays about him as well, one of the last pieces
> published. It has just been translated as "Soundproof Room: Malraux's
> Anti-Aesthetics" in a small bilingual volume.  You might want to check
> these books out when you get a chance.

Thanks, I was not aware of any of the above info on Malraux and Lyotard.

> I would be very interested in discussing these works in greater detail
> because I admit they are still something of an enigma to me.

I'm all for sharing enigma's, such as: "What we don't understand, we
explain to each other".

regards,
Hugh