The one Universal
Daniel Mahanty (MAHANTYD@ojp.usdoj.gov)
Wed, 15 Jul 1998 10:30:10 -0400
>>I think your boyfriend may be confusing the term "tossing your
cookies,"
which does refer to vomiting with the term "tossing one's salad" which
applies, as you have pointed out, to quite another bodily compulsion. >>
>>Patrick Flaherty
Unfortunately, These may be the only universal truths upon which we
have stumbled.
...as a rather odd seguille to my meager comments as follows:
"Universality", in my opinion (the obligatory if not unneccessary preface),
is a term of abstraction, as is any concept in mathematics, yet applies
interms of subsets which most of us, or any group of human beings can
accept de facto. For instance, 1+1 does not exist, nor does it ever =2,
however, we use this as the ovum for a system of commonly accepted
and understood "laws" which hold very real people on very real and
sturdy bridges etc. If we attempt to apply, perhaps, these things to more
"subjective" mechanisms, e.g. literature, we can form not a "tyranny" of
oppressive thought conditioners, but rather a perrenially questioned,
discussed, interesting set of human qualities. Luckily, the ability to
escape the quantitative predeterminism of animal instinct, has given us
the opportunity to create sets from quasi-universal to concepts of
individuality.
Regardless of the universally accepted definition of universal, longevity
of literature et al., in any case may be establishing an increasing inverse
relationship with new generations of readers, -probably including my
own, who are unfortunately beginning to resent the idea that English
teachers compel them to read stories about people with whom they are
SUPPOSED to share "universal" feelings and perspectives. (Nota bene:
Before I get chewed out, let me say that of course, this is not the reason
for reading literature. I just have an 18 year old brother who has
established an incredible furor scribendi, but refuses to read - even my
suggestions of Salinger, Kerouac, and Anthony Burgess, as he fears
limitations of style. Either that, or he is just lazy. Regardless, I see this as
a trend. )
Hence, my retreat from my self-conscious list voyeurism into discussion.
Dan Mahanty