[lit-ideas] Re: one of Exit Ghost's political points
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:47:34 -0500
IC:
>>Disillusionment is just divesting one's self of illusions.
Well, yes, by definition, I guess.
>>Illusions in my opinion are built on sadness and anger.
Really? I'd say they're mostly built on beliefs that have little or no
relationship to reality. What the hell reality is, I have no idea. But if
something doesn't work, it's probably not anchored in reality. That's a
transcendental truth, just ask Walter.
>>Maturity in my opinion is the unencumbered but appropriate flow of emotions.
I really and truly don't know what this means.
>>As far as seeing humanity for what it is, well, humanity is what it is. You
>>tell me what it is, Mike.
That's what novelists do. That's what Bellows does. That's what I'm trying to
do even better than Bellows. Humanity is whatever humans want, need, love,
suffer, crave, think, believe, feel, do, etc.
>>I can't think of an author that I particularly like.
That's very sad.
>>No doubt you came to praise Cesar, not to bury him...
Huh?
>>It's Halloween, Mike. I'm going as a very mature person. I haven't picked
>>out a costume yet. Maybe Saul Bellows with a squirting flower in the lapel.
>>What are you going as? I know. You can go as a cook. You can make "Reeses
>>Pieces" minus the Reeses. And the Pieces. Actually, it's peanut butter,
>>Splenda and a teaspoon or so of Hershey's unflavored cocoa powder, and a
>>little fat free half and half to moisten (in the sink, it can make a mess,
>>at least the first time). I'll bet that's Robert Paul's favorite Halloween
>>tradition... <<
Huh?
Whatever.
My point was that I find Bellows just as interesting as when I first read him,
actually much more so, but I don't understand why I found so interesting those
passages that I evidently did on my original reading -- that is, those passages
I underlined. Were I still an underliner of novels, I would have underlined
many different passages, not those I did originally -- except of course for the
final one that I reported on, it still fascinates me.
Mike Geary
Memphis
<----- Original Message -----
From: Andy
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 8:13 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: one of Exit Ghost's political points
Disillusionment is just divesting one's self of illusions. Illusions
in my opinion are built on sadness and anger. Maturity in my opinion is the
unencumbered but appropriate flow of emotions. If emotions are flowing,
appropriately, they're not being turned into obsessions and greed and all the
other miseries. As far as seeing humanity for what it is, well, humanity is
what it is. You tell me what it is, Mike.
Saul Bellow is one of those writers that one doesn't remember, that's
probably why you don't remember him. He's too impressionistic. Way back once
upon a time I read the Great Gatsby and I had the same problem. It was like I
never read it, and Fitzgerald was I think a screen writer, so his writing one
would think would be pretty concrete. I can't think of an author that I
particularly like. We're living in interesting times, and interesting times
are more interesting than fiction in my opinion. I guess I'll stick with
Shakespeare. No doubt you came to praise Cesar, not to bury him...
It's Halloween, Mike. I'm going as a very mature person. I haven't
picked out a costume yet. Maybe Saul Bellows with a squirting flower in the
lapel. What are you going as? I know. You can go as a cook. You can make
"Reeses Pieces" minus the Reeses. And the Pieces. Actually, it's peanut
butter, Splenda and a teaspoon or so of Hershey's unflavored cocoa powder, and
a little fat free half and half to moisten (in the sink, it can make a mess,
at least the first time). I'll bet that's Robert Paul's favorite Halloween
tradition...
--- On Fri, 10/31/08, Mike Geary <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Really? You find Bellow's style unreadable?
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