I think, though I could be mistaken, that many people do not know Roger Williams wrote A Key into the Language of America, published in 1643. It’s sort of a lexicon+ on the language and culture of the Narragansett Indians. Phrase lists and anthropological observations. I’ve known about the book for some time, but [...]
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The ship is another of Margaret Cohen’s maritime chronotopes, one of rigid hierarchy and work. As in many hierarchical societies, ships often need a “carnival” to let off steam (c.f. the sperm scene in Moby-Dick). And meanwhile, The pirate communities that shadow lawful ships are a kind of permanent carnival, where the ship’s structures [...] So, here I am with my maritime theme; am I interested in seafaring? I think not, and yet, as a literary subject, I think I very much am. Or, if you will, as a chronotope. From Margaret Cohen’s fascinating essay, “The Chronotopes of the Sea”: There are six waterside chronotopes across the history of [...] So, my favorite thing about The Odyssey might be its almost incessant repetition. I had worried that I wouldn’t be able to get a real feel for the language of the poem, but in fact the words are hypnotic. First, there are the epithets, metrical stopgaps that were an important part of oral poetry. [...] So last week I told the consumption partner about the upcoming maritime theme. He is, as a rule, completely uninterested in the blog, but this got him very excited. He even started recommending books! One of his suggestions was a funny one, not really what you would think of as maritime literature at all, [...] Don’t Look Now is a collection of Daphne du Maurier short stories selected by Patrick McGrath. The selection is excellent; the nine stories all share an atmosphere that holds them together just the right amount. Most of the stories are on the longer side, which is something that doesn’t usually appeal to me (the [...] It’s actually very rare that I would read a book because of a family member, because we just don’t have a lot aesthetically in common, and when my father picked out The Book of Lies for me I was surprised (that he would choose something—he is a list-user) and a little frustrated (because it [...] After three days in bed, this is the experimental day 1 back in a chair. Word to the wise: do not fly immunocompromised. Posting will resume after the workday. But I just couldn’t help myself, I wanted to share what may be the best piece of “search engine poetry” I’ve personally gotten. Thank you [...] |
My Personal Canon (ongoing project) |
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