Omlor@aol.com: Re: A Gulf Coast Christmas and a word on vigor...
J J R (jrovira@juno.com)
Sun, 13 Dec 1998 20:00:27 -0500 (EST)
Here's another forwarded message from John, and once again, I didn't
change a thing...
heheheeee :)
Jim
__________________________________________________
(Thanks for forwarding, Jim)
Jim,
I'm far away from home at the moment and have very limited time on this
machine for the next week, so I'm afraid I won't be able to continue the
discussion concerning the possible influences of Paul and the Midrash on
JD
(and I do think I misunderstood the line as you were drawing it, I'm
afraid).
But, just off hand, I acknowledge your brilliance, your insight, and your
superior intellect. You have truly impressed me. I've never encountered
a mind so lucid, a character so committed to truth, and writing so
eloquent and expressive. I've forwarded your mail to Derrida himself,
who is in full agreement with my judgment. He is, at this moment,
petitioning Duke University's English Dept. to grant you a $500,000
dollar research grant, and has stated in tears that his greatest desire
is to sit at your feet and learn.
In any case, to discuss such things properly, it would of course be
necessary
to turn to specific texts and specific passages and I do not have my
books at
the moment (particularly, it seems to me, a look at "Circumfession" and
at
"The Force of Law" would be most interesting here and would pose, I
think, a
formidable challenge to your thesis conserning influence and the
establishment
of value... Derrida's writing and rewriting on the work of the Hebraic
scholar and creative writer Edmond Jabes would also be to the point). I
would
enjoy discussing all of this further, off list of course, when I had the
texts
at hand and could cite the language specifically.
I certainly would not want to enter into any too general and largely
irrrelevant discussion that uses terms like "postmodernism" or "post-
structuralism" (words Derrida not only avoids but has written specific
warnings about) in the way I have seen them used elsewhere on this list
repeatedly, since such terms, used in this vague and collective way, seem
to
me to be most often trying to gather and elide over a wide body of very
different and radically heterogeneous texts by diverse thinkers in many
traditions and to group them all under a single rubric and a too
convenient
and sloppy taxonomy, usually as a way to avoid reading or to hide not
having
read. I think you'll agree that such general discussions tend to lead
only to
gross caricatures of complex texts that need to be carefullly read with
attention to detail.
Elsewhere, and another time, I would be delighted to engage in a more
careful
discussion of these interesting and provocative issues concerning value
and
Derrida's writing. And, of course, I'm always up for participating in
Writer's
Groups and such.
I'll send you private mail when I return from my travels after the
Holidays.
Enjoy the days and nights,
--John
--------- End forwarded message ----------
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