Thursday, June 8, 2000
Life is hectic. Figured I'd steal a moment to drop a short note.
I like Dave's list. Some consensus picks, good variety, but what interested me most were the novels I hadn't read, including nos. 2, 3, and 4. They look like must add's to my reading list. The Poisonwood Bible was on the bubble of my list. If I'd consciously tried to balance the m/f ration, it would have made it. In any case, men are simply better writers. There have been scientific studies to prove it. Rush recently read an article that located the physiological source of male writing superiority: a bulge in the pons at the base of the brain. Apparently it's all withered in women and that's why they don't write robust prose. There is a prominent brainal structure nearby that is responsible for superior ironing skills in women. Mega-dittos, Rush! Obviously, in putting together my list I couldn't buck science.
Whoo! Unless we get some dialog going on the blog, topic content could really degenerate! Women, en guard! Defend your gender. E-mail me at kevinjlawson@hotmail.com if you want to join the conversation but don't know how.
And take it from me, the body rules the mind.
posted by kevin lawson 6/8/2000 1:16:08 PM
Wednesday, June 7, 2000
Funny you should mention that about Swann's Way.I have been trying to read it for years.
The first ten pages confounded me and I would put it down.
(Is my mastery of the paragraph command irritating you?)
Fortunately, I experienced a breakthrough during a turbulent shuttle flight last night.
The dips and dives forced me either to focus so completely on the book that I closed off the outside world or to wet my pants and cry like a baby.
The read becomes much easier after page 10. It might be a novel to take into a sensory deprivation tank.
I admit that it is embarassing that it's taken me 14 years to (start to) read Swann's Way.
Thanks for rubbing it in, you bastard!
Click here to view instructions for setting new paragraphs.
posted by kevin lawson 6/7/2000 12:23:37 PM
Dave: use "less than symbol" p "greater than symbol" (try editing my posts to see an example --- I can't duplicate it here because it creates a new paragraph) before the paragraph to create paragraph breaks. Or check out webmonkey for simple HTML guides.
posted by kevin lawson 6/7/2000 12:08:34 PM
Monday, June 5, 2000
Kevin: How can I edit my blogs so they contain paragraphs? That last blog puts the ugh in ugly.
posted by D. LoTempio 6/5/2000 7:11:41 PM
Swann’s Way! Haven’t you been trying to read that book for over 10 years? I remember it being one of the suggestions from the original book club. Well, I haven’t read it, but strangely own a two-volume compilation of Remembrance of Things Past. Anyone is welcome to borrow them for the full story.Somewhere in the middle of composing this list I lost sight of the original intention. Are we supposed to list the Top Ten novels we’ve read or the Top Ten favorite novels? Is there any difference between the two? Does the body rule the mind or the mind rule the body? Oh, I don’t know.
Anyway, the following is my Top Ten list of favorite books. Note: many of these would also fall into my Top Ten novels read list.
1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
2. A Walk on the Wild Side by Nelson Algren
3. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
4. Blood Meridan by Cormac McCarthy
5. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
7. Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
8. Faerie Queene by Spenser
9. Foucoult’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
10. Maus by Art Spiegelman
I must admit to applying some pressure on picking some female writers in my list. I noticed that men have a much higher attendance in my Academe than women. Thankfully, I didn’t have to go far afield and the three women already fit into my favorite book list. This list covers a lot of ground, but notably is missing things like science-fiction and horror, which I have enjoyed in the past. For instance, how does one pick a good H. P. Lovecraft book? Some of his stories are fun but I would never call Lovecraft a consistently good writer. The same goes for Robert E. Howard – some of his stories are great but no collection is excellent. The books I did choose are remarkable in many ways – beauty in execution, mind-bending in ideas, brimming with sincerity and pathos. I admit that two selections are controversial. Faerie Queene is an epic poem and Maus is a graphic novel. They do not fit nicely into the definition of a novel yet historically they sit as a progenitor and descendant of the novel. I’m hoping the lineage is enough to justify their inclusion into this list.
posted by D. LoTempio 6/5/2000 7:08:32 PM
Saturday, June 3, 2000
I'd like everyone in the group to submit a list of ten favorite books. The complete list will be posted with links from our home page. To get the ball rolling, here's my10 Favorites:
1. The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner
2. Ulysses, James Joyce
3. A Sportsman’s Sketches, Ivan Turgenev
4. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
5. The Day of the Locust, Nathanael West
6. Foucault’s Pendulum, Umberto Eco
7. The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkein
8. Labyrinths, Jorge Luis Borges
9. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
10. The Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
Funny thing: when I first jotted 10 down, my list looked terribly generic -- it said little about me as an individual. As I added more, it began to become interesting. In the end, those I merely admired were scratched. I kept the ones that changed me. Listing the first 10 that come to mind, there may be considerable overlap in our selections. I hope our individual tastes become apparent, 'cause the intention wasn't to create a consensus Top 10.
Has anyone some recommendations for our next book. I'd like to get started. I've picked up Swann's Way in the meantime. Anyone read it?
posted by kevin lawson 6/3/2000 4:00:07 PM
Tuesday, May 30, 2000
Passages posted per promise. (From Harrison's Burton and Speke)
He also wrote down to suggestions which, he informed the judge, he intended to forward to Washington: (1) that a camel corps similar to General Napier's should be established to deal with the Indian uprisings in Nebraska and the Dakotas and (2) that the world's animals -- the yak of Tibet, the llama of South America, the kudu of Africa -- should be imported, so that the globe's population could be easily fed off the production from these vast prairies....
Of the many wives and assorted women of this pious settlement, none was available unless a man intended to settle down in the valley, to farm, and to join the faithful. So the wild harems and pleasures of this holy city just weren't there; the women were calico and gingham servants; the streets were wide and dull; the most excitement was generated when the elders spoke of plans to build a new tabernacle.
...
"Friendship between man and woman," Swinburne mused. "Isn't it called marriage? Isn't that what's left when the electricity sparks out?"
"Metaphors annoy me," Isabel replied.
Sexual love is the fire, Burton thought to himself. Marriage is the smoke. Yet, even as the thought passed, he looked at Isabel seated beside him, then reached over and took her hand. Her eyes showed her gratitude. With her free hand she forked a morsel of roast beef into her mouth.
...
Again, a lapse: just the rivulets of slow time out there in the jungle.
"I'm not talking about my sexual tastes, not that at all." Speke finally went on. "No, not about preferences. About how I'm dammed up. I feel as though --" He stopped, peering into the fire.
"I don't have to hear any of this," Grant replied. "It might be best if I don't. I can't help you."
"As if my semen might come out as dust. As if I'm another element -- so different from others. Not earth or air or water. As if I'm fire: meant to live in the flame and not in any of the normal elements. Don't you see?"
"No, afraid not. We needn't talk about all this, really."
"You heard those sounds out there?"
"What sounds?"
"In the jungle. Soft, wet sounds. And the Nile. That's the river, that low monotone. And the ground makes its little seeping noises. But I'm like none of it. I'm dry as powder. Believe me, I've been baked down into nothing -- I'm nothing at all."
"I think you're truly exhausted. You need a good rest. You should sleep around the clock."
"Oh, God, Jim, what a clod you are."
...
"It's not your ignorance I detest," he told her. "It's your ignorance of your ignorance."
...
"Khwe-ta-nun," one of Gelele's ministers explained with a sigh of resignation: the yearly head thing.
I may be in the minority here, but I quite enjoyed it. Of course, I should, since I suggested it. The portrayal of the two protagonists went completely against my expectations. No two-dimensional heroes here. Certainly, Burton was heroic, as portrayed in history and literature, but pathetic at the same time. I'm picturing a bulked up, polyglot Willy Lowman. You'll find it interesting to compare the book and the movie, in which Burton is presented in a far more positive light. Speke, too, resisted my attempts to pigeon hole his character. I wonder what sources Harrison used. There couldn't be an autobiographical record. Perhaps Oliphant recorded something. Grant was practically illiterate. Maybe the kid in Cairo wrote Memoirs of a Bathhouse Boy. Was it completely fictional? Why characterize (slander) a historical figure in such a way? I suppose there were no surviving Spekes to sue the author. If it is fictional, what does it say about the author and his agenda? This novel begs deep Freudian analysis. I don't think this cigar is a cigar.
Dave has my copy of the book. Who needs one? Anyone finish theirs?
posted by kevin lawson 5/30/2000 7:40:31 PM
Monday, May 29, 2000
Web site development continues. Suggestions, anyone? I just registered the site with 30 search engines at the suggestion or Terri. I'd like to add photos of the group members that wish to participate and a list of 10 recommended books from each member.Remember, this site can and should be used for group discussion fodder and any self-indulgent ramblings you would care to see the light of day. Not that they would see much light. I'm sure traffic has been minimal. Visitors ... stick with us, we're still sharpening our wit.
Any initial response to the book (William Harrison's Burton and Speke). I finished it today. Who wants my copy? The computer died earlier today and I lost the passages I'd recorded. I'll post them tomorrow. Peace.
posted by kevin lawson 5/29/2000 1:21:16 AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
Anyone know where I can find a program to teach myself Hindustani?
posted by kevin lawson 5/24/2000 12:01:23 PM
Here I sit, and write. Its past midnight and I suppose I'm trying to throw off some of the convention I've wrapped myself in. I suppose with the last sentence I've also thrown off some adherance to the rules of grammar.Invisibles: It definitely carries the fever dreams we experience after a night of ghosts stories and ganja or after rewinding that David Lynch tape one time too many. Like those experiences, it's the vague uneasiness that stays with us. I agree that Morrison does not advocate a return to Eden, that would violate his rule of the cool. Revelations is cool, not Genesis (that includes the group). By the way, as a segue, I once again encourage everyone to checkout the Invisible Basilica link I posted below. I found it running a search for Sir Richard Francis Burton. Did you know that he is a saint in the Gnostic Church?
Burton and Speke: I'm halfway through. Should be done sometime this weekend. Who wants the book next? Thanks, Kelly, for being our connection. It is who you know, yaknow? It started slow but picks up speed. Here are some of my favorite passages thus far:
Another article outlined Dr. Arnold's theory of education at Rugby School: character, the headmaster asserted was still more important than brains. That fallacy, Burton told Speke was at the root of what was wrong in England.Speke considered disagreeing, but wasn't sure how.
...
By midafternoon they were out in the sea breezes, so that Burton, although his skin had yellowed, felt stronger and talkative.
Speke had to endure a number of captain's theories, such as:
-- smoked glass could be developed into eyeglasses that would be beneficial to the eyes while out in bright sunlight.
-- the sabre, far from being a useless weapon, should be developed by the army for use in guerrilla warfare and other close-quarter situations.
-- malaria was probably caused by the bite of the mosquito, and a plan should be introduced for draining the world's swamps and ridding mankind of the breeding ground of this pesky inset.
-- pornography, if properly introduced to the reading public, would have a beneficial result on mental illness and the nervous disorders caused by sexual repression.
...
Bits of the beetle's legs and wings came out of his ear, occasionally, along with the constant trickle of blood and puss. And, once, sitting in the canoe, blowing his nose into his handkerchief, a definite whistling noise sounded from the ear. The porters and Caetano broke out in laughter. When Speke blew his nose a second time and the whistling sounded sharply again, they beat on each other in hilarity.
...
"That does it. He joined a race of slavers, don't you see? Hates niggers. And that sort of hatred contributes to ruined commerce hereabouts."
"Quite," Speke agreed.
I think it's everyone's initial reaction (at least among those attracted to this book) that they would count Burton among their friends, and everyone's secret fear that they act more like Speke. It's interesting that Speke, with his hidden predilections, is most acceptable among the old guard, and interesting as well that both of these outsiders find themselves roaming the frontiers of "civilization." Better stop now before these comments revealed too much of the "real" me!
Heh, heh ... I wonder how many critics are, in their own criticism? By the way, did anyone here This American Life on Friday? The topic was Mother's Day and the first piece incorporated an interview with Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live alum) about her mother. She said whenever her mother sees a movie or a play, when she discusses it with someone, she retails the story from the perspective of the character that most closely resembles her. She said, if her mother had just seen Romeo and Juliet, she'd say, "I just saw this play -- it was this nurse, and she had this girl that she cared very much about -- she was like her daughter -- in this girl just wouldn't listen to her and ran off with his wild boy..." It was hilarious. If you've got real audio and some speakers, you might want checkout at www.thislife.org. Made me more cognizant of the way we identify with characters, especially in this novel.
Feels good, productive, writing this late. I'll pay for it in the morning. Night all!
posted by kevin lawson 5/24/2000 12:56:57 AM
Saturday, May 20, 2000
I too just finished Counting to Zero and was disappointed. Although it didn't stop me from buying the fourth book - Kissing Mr. Quimper. I couldn't help but feel that the time machine, the roaring 20s, American Death Camps in Batavia, and killer words weren't used as well as they could have been. Note - after finishing the book, I took a nap and had an intense dream where I spoke the words, "But it emites an 0-positive subliminal way into the hypothamus." This should indicate the power of the Invisibles, it really priggs up your mind. But not enough. Your suggestion of Tom Jefferson as an Invisible is a good one, even postscient since he and the other founding fathers were apparently part of a Templar/Mason cabal. It even shines an intriguing light on the work and reveals a true abscene of politics. The first King Mog is obviously a communist, and de Sade is a confessed Libertine, but what about the other members? I think Morrison is victim of a prophet disease. He sees a better or greater world but can not express it properly. He avoids laying down ground rules since he wants to endorse personal independance and not jingoism for any political or social construct. But, humanity develops social castes/roles not because of alien insect hyper dimensional beings, but because we are naturally prefer a caste system to define our role in the pack. Allow me to make a controversial statement. Morrison is not advocating a back to nature scenario, even as a metaphor. He would consider that a Return to Eden scenario - which is reductive and does not advance society. He endorses a hyper-civilized world. One in which mankind exists as custodians of reality, and not Lords. Interestingly, the role of animals is hardly addressed in the series, and might I note, hardly addressed by svengali McKenna. These ideas of multi-dimensional beings communicating through acid is sapien-centric. Dogs, cats, rats, bugs, even viruses seem to play no role in this communication/evolution. Why? Do they just stay at their level of reality? Surely, some of the other species are stuck in lower dimensional consciousness. I don't know where to proceed with this train of thought, but I feel it's important to the ongoing discussion. Feel free to add your two-bits Kev. PS. Thanks for the Gladiator invite - "Do you like gladiator movies, billy?"
posted by D. LoTempio 5/20/2000 7:31:37 PM
If anyone has other people that might be interested in joining the Virtual Salon, invite them by following the directions under "team" through Blogger. Clear directions: After registering with blogger, go to russellbankssalon, click team, and enter the name and e-mail address of the person you'd like to invite. Got it?
posted by kevin lawson 5/20/2000 1:26:25 PM
Just finished "Counting to Zero." A tad disappointing. Very like "Bloody Hell in America," with fewer new ideas. From what I've read, the first series and the last are most interesting. One point of appreciation: this book brought the issue of killing/violence/handguns to the surface. Still, King Mob did not exactly turn his back on it. Morrison may have the market to consider: Will a comic sell to today's audience without violence?The message that resonates with me is that of freedom. Are we indoctrinated drones serving the hive of consumer culture? The study of other cultures reveals certain communities with a different take on life and the tradeoff in comparison of ours and theirs seems goal-oriented, anti-bacterial, workaday, systematic, material Western life versus life of the moment in the "natural" world, with authority reduced to the village elders. Obviously there's a romance to "going native" that's been explored in fiction as well as anthropology, but how many have walked out of our modern, shiny world into that wonderful, brutal one never to return?
On another note: Thomas Jefferson seems the perfect Invisible. He believed in a truly democratic, agrarian society. He believed in a regular cycle of revolution ("the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of patriots" from time to time). He was an advocate for hemp. He was the father of the American wine industry. Then there's the whole slavery thing...but I won't go into that now. Interesting choice, Marquis de Sade over Jefferson as architect of the future. I must read some of his work.
To follow your point, Dave, I don't know how we define positive and negative, healthy and sick in Grant Morrison's world. I do have a firm grip on his concept of cool. It involves the tropes of modern "alternative" culture: piercing, tattoos, drugs (hash, e, marijuana, cocaine, acid, various naturals from mushrooms to blue lichen ... any others used thus far?), fringe new age religion, sex, baseless whacked-out science, action, sex, (brit) rock that seems a trifle passé for Morrison's audience (unless it's us, c'mon, Morrissey?) and sex. The appeal to the comix nerd is obvious. How would you define positive and negative? What sort of vehicle would you create for your story? Would it find an audience? Need it?
posted by kevin lawson 5/20/2000 1:16:16 PM
Friday, May 19, 2000
Thanks for the information. Still waiting for my email to show up but I'd like to add another piece to the Invisibles conversation. Another quandry I have with the Invisibles is the role of the "healthy" dimension. Does it lead the Invisibles? Who is the leader of the Invisibles? The "healthy" reality seems to be very selective regarding who it imparts knowledge too. In which, I have even more serious misgivings about the work of some of the Invisible draftees, eg. the Marquis de Sade. By implication, the "healthy" reality is the font of positive information - healthy action and notions. Yet, we have no insurance that the leaders of the Invisibles are privy to this knowledge or if they really subscribe to it. In Vol. 2, king Mob mentions that the Invisibles rotate leadership in each of the cells. The new leader, Ragged Robin, has never been contacted by the "healthy" reality, we learn, and is unaware of its full role in the battle. Why does she battle the Archons then? How do we know her ideas and actions are sufficiently aligned with that of the savior reality? Well, we don't know. Some of the point is that humanity is supposed to take responsibilty for its own actions and development. But by introducing a pinnacle of virtue - the "heallthy" reality - I feel the reader can't but feel that the world created by the Invisibles will forever sit on a foundation of sand. Am I on a significant point, here? Kevin, Dan, who do you feel?
posted by D. LoTempio 5/19/2000 5:51:11 PM
Dave,Sign onto Blogger under your own name and post there, man. The e-mail thing just sends mail to the russellbankssalon@yahoo.com address.
To get there, either click the powered by Blogger button or the new Blogger link I'm posting on the home page.
posted by kevin lawson 5/19/2000 3:55:40 PM
Hey! I just noticed that all of my comments are getting posted as being written by Kevin Lawson. He can't take the credit for all my pearls of wisdom. Sob! Weep! I'm crying in my Burton biography here.
posted by kevin lawson 5/19/2000 3:51:35 PM
Man, this web experience is getting pretty trippy.Check out The Invisible Basilica of Sabazius on www.hermetic.com.
For gnostics, e-gnosis is a revelation. With a click you can upload yourself to heaven.
posted by kevin lawson 5/19/2000 3:45:18 PM
