Subject: Re: Just an item of interest
From: Tim O'Connor (oconnort@nyu.edu)
Date: Tue Jun 25 2002 - 23:34:47 EDT
On Tue, Jun 25, 2002 at 07:10:03PM -0400, Omlor@aol.com wrote:
An item of interest, indeed!
> But since we have a collection of readers here, I thought I'd direct those
> interested to the following Washington Post article concerning your visits to
> libraries, your reading habits, and the good old FBI.
Thanks for the pointer. I hope that people will take a moment to read
the article and see what is being done in your names, you who, like
me, are U.S. citizens.
I only wish the heroic patriots who are presently eviscerating the U.S.
Constitution would read a bit of history (I'm sure Scottie will second
me on the value of learning from history's mysteries) and learn how the
U.S. got to be the country it is (certain mid- and late-twentieth-century
aberrations excepted).
A starting point -- well within the grasp of even the limited minds in
power in Washington (and a title allegedly at least cracked, even if
perhaps never actually read to the end, by the present occupant of
the White House) -- is David McCullough's biography of John Adams, the
second president of the U.S., a man who was a tireless champion of the
liberties noted in the Constitution and its first ten amendments. Adams
fought the tyranny of the British Crown, fought the tyranny of France,
and faced down several internal threats that might have resulted in
tyrannies imposed upon the colonies by its infant government.
It is funny how at this moment, hoary cliches (such as "the price of
liberty is eternal vigilance," credited to Thomas Jefferson) suddenly
show themselves to be of interest. It is a delicate balancing act to
insure safety, yet to allow liberty to flourish in the face of threats.
But the government has failed us many times already -- even Adams
himself, in office, signed a law that made it a serious crime to publish
criticisms of public officials.
Kurt Vonnegut, by the way, has been especially eloquent about these
matters; see his essay collections -- particularly PALM SUNDAY.
Watching powerful politicians tear down civil liberties in the name of
protecting the country might make Americans realize (before it is too
late) how deeply we take for granted what we had. We may be able to
halt the damage before it cuts too deeply. Salutes to the brave
organizations like the American Library Association and the ACLU for
championing constitutional rights and, for their trouble, being smeared
with accusations of being unpatriotic.
And lest this seem somehow alien in the "bananafish" context: remember
that The Catcher in the Rye is ALWAYS on the top-ten list of books our
mighty keepers of morals want to ban in schools and libraries in this
country. Because of the appearance of the word "fuck" and Holden's
drinking and that sad little prostitute, Sunny. Remember that, the
next time someone gets uppity with you about what "we need" to do: you
put a strangle-hold on freedom, it comes back to bite you in the ass.
It always does.
> PS: The discussion concerning Hemingway and Joyce has been interesting. One
> small note, though, concerning Hem's alleged "straightforwardness" and
> readers not needing footnotes. We are assuming some things about the
> readership. A quick experience with even some college freshman reading
> "Hills Like White Elephants" or "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" will reveal
> that some do indeed need notes, and explication, and all sorts of assistance.
> Of course, giving them the adventures of Poldy & co. is out of the question
> without the "guide" to the chapters and a mess of help, too.
Right -- your anecdote about "Hills Like White Elephants" and the
interpretation thereof in your class is still a priceless milestone of my
time dealing with reactions to Hemingway! "Exploring Hemingway's
Icebergs" (no pun intended): Now, there is the first step to a million and
one dissertations....
I'm glad that you weighed in with a reaction to the discussion! I was
hoping you would have something to add.
A bit of a digression: does anyone know if there has ever been an attempt
to explore and explicate ULYSSES cinematically? It would be a fascinating
use of the medium to point an intelligent guide at the book and then plumb
the narrative's many depths in a way that allows a viewer to be led by an
intelligent hand through the alleys and lanes and pubs of Joyce's
Dublin. Kind of ... moving footnotes, as I imagine it. Heresy in many
quarters to suggest this, I am sure. But I wonder if anyone knows of any
such effort. In terms of online efforts, as people experiment with
hypertext, I've located sites at http://www.trentu.ca/jjoyce/ and also
http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/portal.html and (to bring the
conversation full-circle) one on the matter of censorship and ULYSSES,
http://www.spectacle.org/398/gertie.html. That last one has Jane
Heap's perfect comment on the Gerty McDowell passage, where Gerty is
observed on the beach by Bloom as she leans back to watch fireworks
overhead:
Mr. Joyce was not teaching early Egyptian perversions nor
inventing new ones. Girls lean back everywhere, showing lace
and silk stockings; wear low-cut sleeveless blouses, breathless
bathing suits; men think thoughts and have emotions about these
things everywhere--seldom as delicately and imaginatively as Mr.
Bloom--and no one is corrupted.
Enough for me, tonight. I retire again to my hermit-crab's shell.
But thanks for tempting me out, John.
--tim
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