JLS: (literally, we know a chimaera was a goat!)
MOI: Oh, do we now? (CHIMAERA: In Greek mythology
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mythology#mythology__2>)
a fire-breathing
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/breathe#breathe__2>
female monster
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/monster#monster__2>
with a lion’s
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lion#lion__2> head, a
goat’s <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/goat#goat__2>
body, and a serpent’s
<http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/serpent#serpent__5>
tail.
from Greek khimaira, name of a mythical creature, slain by Bellerophon, with
a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail (supposedly
personification of snow or winter); literally "year-old she-goat" (masc.
khimaros), from kheima "winter season" (see hibernation
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hibernation> ). Figurative meaning
"wild fantasy" first recorded 1580s in English (attested 13c. in French).
Beestis clepid chymeres, that han a part of ech beest, and suche ben not, no
but oonly in opynyoun. [Wyclif, "Prologue"]
You say it was "a goat" as though that said it all, nay and nought,
literally it was a "YEAR OLD SHE GOAT." Do you think that age matters
not? Are you a misogynist? Such verbal laxity and carelessness does not
become you. Of course, that's just my opynyon. But, of course, opynyon is
what lit-crit is all about. Accordingly, I only read critics who agree with
me.
Things are (here in Memphis) as they should be in accordance with my
opynyon.
Tears,
Geary
On Mon, Oct 19, 2015 at 7:33 AM, Redacted sender Jlsperanza for DMARC <
dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In a message dated 10/16/2015 9:55:28 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes of Bloom's self-disclosure.
Quoting from Bloom:
"I reread and teach Moby-Dick to uncover and appreciate the
sublimity and the danger of American Promethean heroism. But several
prolonged times when close to death, I have recited Whitman to myself as
medicine. I hardly recommend my personal praxis to students or readers
because what works for me may not do much for another. Unable to rise
out of bed for months, desperate for self-help, chanting much out of
Whitman..."
and comments:
"Somewhere recently I read the title of an essay something to the effect
of “politicians are becoming more and more open about their personal
lives. They should quit it.” That advice should not be applied to the
poet, but should it be applied to the critic?"
Well, I loved Bloom's implicature "hardly". Indeed it would not precisely
be in good taste to recommend his students to be 'close to death' -- but
then I'm purposively taking his words LITERALLY rather than grasping their
implicature.
But 'hardly' is an adverb whose implicatures have allways fascinated me.
And I write allways with a double "l" to be literal!
Perhaps we could distinguish between an impersonal literary crticit and
other. Perhaps impersonal literay criticism is more of a British thing?
Consider I. A. Richards?
Indeed, it would be out of place for Richards to disclose when and why he
feels moved by, say, Housman!
But then 'impersonal' triggers a horrible implicature. Of course Bloom and
Richards are persons, so the idea of impersonal-impersonal lit. crit. is,
figuratively, a 'chimaera' (literally, we know a chimaera was a goat!)
Cheers,
Speranza
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