tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post8788466832423410280..comments2024-03-10T09:24:45.565+02:00Comments on Dispatches from Vilnius: History and the Sense of the TragicJames Fergusonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-69343760878525322262012-01-17T14:23:14.124+02:002012-01-17T14:23:14.124+02:00''difficult to read''
I'm wit...''difficult to read''<br /><br />I'm with you, there. Still, very glad to have read it. There are more biblical symbolisms or parallels that can be drawn between Absalom and New Testament:<br /><br />As you wrote, "four different ways" ~ four different Gospels<br /><br />Henry, son of the patriarch who built the house of evil, ''waited four years ... '&#Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-67112822140767619182012-01-17T07:00:31.497+02:002012-01-17T07:00:31.497+02:00I guess this was the passage that made be bristle,...I guess this was the passage that made be bristle,<br /><br />"I just now read thru Brooks' writing but found that it is essentially what I've written: In sum, the book is "the story of the curse of slavery" and its consequences upon a given family - ''the story embodied the problem of evil and the irrational ... slavery and its moral blindness" and that the James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-83448929124620195032012-01-16T17:51:55.090+02:002012-01-16T17:51:55.090+02:00''profound ambiguity ... There is no one c...''profound ambiguity ... There is no one clear interpretation''<br /><br />Which is why I used the terms "seems", "possible", and "appear to affirm" above. As for Faulkner teasing his reader, you will likely recall that Jesus spoke in riddles because he, too, liked to riddle his audience leaving them with more questions than answers. Could this again Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-12719327384826652052012-01-16T07:41:52.221+02:002012-01-16T07:41:52.221+02:00Well, you can read it as you will, but I don't...Well, you can read it as you will, but I don't see the novel as a "sermon" but rather an evocation on memory. The concept of evil is a part of it. He starts with Rosa who viewed her brother-in-law as evil, but we travel a pretty long distance over the course of the novel and by the second half of the novel, Southern Gothicism has pretty much given way to two young men trying to sortJames Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-2796234364471483942012-01-16T02:30:45.231+02:002012-01-16T02:30:45.231+02:00''it is read at least four different ways&...''it is read at least four different ways''<br /><br />Not coincidentally, there are FOUR Gospels in the New Testament which also view the life and deeds of Jesus in their own way. Is there any possible chance that this could be yet another allusion to the Bible and its teaching on good and evil? If not, why are those words "God" and "Jesus" repeated over Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-35853329034136995852012-01-15T19:07:16.373+02:002012-01-15T19:07:16.373+02:00Yes, the story can be read different ways, and we ...Yes, the story can be read different ways, and we see it is read at least four different ways in the novel itself. Ultimately, it comes down to who holds the most information and who carries the most emotional burden. <br /><br />Rosa lived with the events, at least those she was a part of, her entire life, yet it would seem Quentin took a lot of the emotional burden on himself that night he wentJames Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-44332338315102026702012-01-15T16:27:02.223+02:002012-01-15T16:27:02.223+02:00As for "Rashomon" I watched it in 1982 o...As for "Rashomon" I watched it in 1982 or 83 so my analysis of it may be off a bit. But there appear to be seem parallels between its structure and that of "Absalom". I cannot be more specific as I do not recall the full details of the movie (that's what happens when you get old like me).<br /><br />One last thing about "Absalom", let's bear in mind that itsTripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-1459170231927383462012-01-15T16:13:04.715+02:002012-01-15T16:13:04.715+02:00Some of details only become more clear as you read...Some of details only become more clear as you read on which is why a reader might miss some of the details. You are correct in that I did not mention miscegenation but that's because you mentioned it previously and the notion of "purity" which is a theme though in my opinion a marginal issue. But I don't quite agree that "Faulkner's main thrust in the novel is to Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-86688452135666206122012-01-15T09:00:21.847+02:002012-01-15T09:00:21.847+02:00BTW, it isn't "exactly" the pattern ...BTW, it isn't "exactly" the pattern in Rashomon. Very different stories. Interestingly enough, Akutagawa was influenced by many of the same writers Faulkner was, including Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. I think if Faulkner used any story as his starting point it was Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, which was also told by an active narrator.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-5817586044646654222012-01-15T08:47:42.625+02:002012-01-15T08:47:42.625+02:00You must have read what you wanted to read in it, ...You must have read what you wanted to read in it, because Brooks talks about much more than that. He talks quite a bit about the use of narrators and how this affects the telling of the story. As he notes, all our information about the Sutpen family is passed through Rosa and Compson to Quentin who in turn imparts it to Shreve in the second half of the book. With so little to draw in, they James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-36413399963521580892012-01-14T19:46:49.231+02:002012-01-14T19:46:49.231+02:00I just now read thru Brooks' writing but found...I just now read thru Brooks' writing but found that it is essentially what I've written: In sum, the book is "the story of the curse of slavery" and its consequences upon a given family - ''the story embodied the problem of evil and the irrational ... slavery and its moral blindness" and that the book reads like a Greek tragedy --- all this is precisely what I'Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-62247223185207679182012-01-14T09:12:35.522+02:002012-01-14T09:12:35.522+02:00I don't see that all, trippler, they are all s...I don't see that all, trippler, they are all struggling with their inner demons, Quentin especially. He tries to sort through each of the persons involved in the Sutpen tragedy to find some kind of reason for the events that took place, with the hope that it will give him a greater understanding of the "South" in which he lives. The fact that Shreve takes part in this process James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-42181415535456504282012-01-14T05:34:33.543+02:002012-01-14T05:34:33.543+02:00http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL02335D1079A...http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL02335D1079AD3BF3<br /><br />Evidently, today is Stephen Foster Day. I guess that is a good way of celebrating Southern culture.Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-44361964759732652892012-01-13T14:00:58.602+02:002012-01-13T14:00:58.602+02:00The book reminds me of the movie "Rashomon&qu...The book reminds me of the movie "Rashomon" in that several different people discuss a given situation from their own viewpoint. As such, a different story emerges with each tale:<br /><br />http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aB7lKAolXtU/S7hEJ_PeTXI/AAAAAAAAA24/MixF6Gt2L4s/s1600/rashomon1.jpg<br /><br /><br />Seems as if no one has any real moral values and that they live lives of self Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-25863112689614621182012-01-13T08:59:51.495+02:002012-01-13T08:59:51.495+02:00I would caution viewing what Faulkner describes in...I would caution viewing what Faulkner describes in a broader sense. This book appears to be written mostly to explain Quentin's actions in The Sound and the Fury (written 7 years previously), at least to some extent. <br /><br />To me, the most interesting aspect of the novel was that of miscegenation and the notion of "purity." Sutpen tries to cover up his Haitian past, only James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-65704803765209020982012-01-13T01:51:13.890+02:002012-01-13T01:51:13.890+02:00The second part of Ch 7 was just as confusing to m...The second part of Ch 7 was just as confusing to me as the first part. There are repeated references to whiskey and its corrupting influence. Then there is an unclear segment in which Wash Jones kills Sutpen, then is hunted down, and punished for his crime. The lack of rationality for these crimes probably is meant to explain the South and its irrational way of life:<br /><br />"the South Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-48154986001289241312012-01-12T08:48:23.133+02:002012-01-12T08:48:23.133+02:00I also think it was no big deal to use the n-word ...I also think it was no big deal to use the n-word in 1936, at least as far as publishers were concerned. The Civil Rights movement would hit full tilt until a full generation later. <br /><br />I don't think Faulkner is being apologetic of the old South, he is trying to come to terms with it through his characters. What makes his books especially interesting is the way he links the Old James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-91225037773738457892012-01-12T06:01:46.647+02:002012-01-12T06:01:46.647+02:00I'm half way thru Ch 7 which is especially dif...I'm half way thru Ch 7 which is especially difficult to swallow because of its repeated use of the nefarious N word. Obviously, this is symbolic of the de-humanization of Southern and Creole Blacks which was done through slavery, violence, and exploitation. Sutpin's Machiavellian character evolves as he learns that only through violence and domination does one become prosperous and Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-22867368813878682212012-01-12T05:46:52.018+02:002012-01-12T05:46:52.018+02:00Gintaras ~ don't be shy: you obviously enjoyed...Gintaras ~ don't be shy: you obviously enjoyed the book so why don't you tell us more than you have already? Some analytical comments and excerpts from your favorite quotes are certainly in order.<br /><br />As for your comment on ''suffer me'', yes it does reference to the idea of an Old Testament teaching where iniquity is visited upon the 3d and 4th generations of the Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-3905833184327971062012-01-11T07:24:21.063+02:002012-01-11T07:24:21.063+02:00In this case I think it means the children suffer ...In this case I think it means the children suffer for the sins of their parents.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-22148396271796801102012-01-11T06:33:54.184+02:002012-01-11T06:33:54.184+02:00''suffer me the little children''
...''suffer me the little children''<br /><br />[p 206] <br /><br />Over the years there has been much speculation as to what this passage means. But there is no actual mystery as all it meant was Jesus asking the people to send the little kids to him. Nothing more.Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-25471907979089420592012-01-11T06:31:34.343+02:002012-01-11T06:31:34.343+02:00Ch 6 certainly didn't sound like an idyllic &q...Ch 6 certainly didn't sound like an idyllic "Little Women". Quentin is recounting the old family tales while he was a student at Harvard. Evidently, he was asked by Shreve "Tell about the South. What's it like there. What do they do there. Why do they live there.'' [p 181] And while the story is one of violence, tragedy, prejudice, and just about every evil Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-41770648025084365232012-01-09T12:39:13.554+02:002012-01-09T12:39:13.554+02:00There is kind of a "little women" qualit...There is kind of a "little women" quality to Judith, Rosa and Clytie, now that you mention it, but I think here Faulkner is pretty faithful to the plight of women during the Civil War.James Fergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901612633415337879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-89608664068086872522012-01-09T07:33:19.742+02:002012-01-09T07:33:19.742+02:00I'm currently up to p 170.
Had some trouble u...I'm currently up to p 170.<br /><br />Had some trouble understanding the symbolism of the wisteria which is a sort of clinging vine. While attractive, it can be damaging to the side of a house if its growth is unchecked. Judith said she was a clinging vine in a sense but that this was done out of self preservation ~ she had nowhere to go and stayed at the doomed house of Sutpen in order to Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103772230302021699.post-35999729332911058872012-01-09T07:22:25.156+02:002012-01-09T07:22:25.156+02:00''given up'' ?
Heck no ~ it's...''given up'' ?<br /><br />Heck no ~ it's playoff and college bowl season. Moreover, we had the terrific IIHF major juniors hockey tournament and much of my time was occupied with that. The hockey may well be one of the greatest sports tournaments in the world - sadly it is virtually unknown in the States. But what a series it was!!<br /><br />Sorry not to have added more Tripplerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16568801152695491482noreply@blogger.com