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Re: THOUGHT Semantic Vacuoles
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On Jan 19, 2010, at 7:30 PM, R S Gwynn wrote:
> But I do think that the poem makes perfect sense without any
> footnotes whatsoever,
I have to more than quibble with "perfect".
The naive listener would probably be bewildered
at the beginning of Canto 3:
L’if, lifeless tree! Your great Maybe, Rabelais:
The grand potato.
The listener might let it pass, but then again have problems when
reaching:
Maybe one finds le grand néant; maybe
Again one spirals from the tuber’s eye.
The naive listener, if attentive, can no doubt construe the main gist,
the narrative,
but that understanding would be greatly enhanced by
a rather short note about the above passage.
There are probably other similar passages.
Moreover the whole Eliot-grimpen-Holmes schtick,
and VN's attitude toward Eliot, is important for understanding
some non-narrative things that are also being conveyed.
PF without notes does have distinct semantic weaknesses I think.
– A List of Semantic Vacuoles of the Common Mind –
CK's explanation of "empty emerald case", which may be fictive, is
useful.
Maybe something about admirable Vanessa.
"Bimanists", "versipel", "Newport Frill" I think are all made up, .
Also I think it's very useful to have viewed David's The Death of
Marat before beginning Canto 4.
Dewlap and ephebe, Hebe, ament, consonne d'appui, waxwings even,
are pretty unusual word choices.
Stang and larvorium.
I think if an audience were prep'd before, or merely equipped, with
a set of notes covering mainly the topics listed above,
it would probably enjoy the recital a whole lot more.
(There is value, to the audience, I think, in keeping the list short,
and not try to explain too much.)
I think this might take up 3 to 5 pages; for the notes alone.
But I think a transcript of the poem would also be useful.
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