The Book I Read: John Barth's The Floating Opera

I read some John Barth a long time ago. I have a vague memory of enjoying The Sot-Weed Factor...although the only specific I can recall from it is one character saying to another, "Thou hast beshit thyself!" (Or at least I think I remember that. The older I get, the more I realize that I have inadvertently managed to invent at least a few of my "memories.") And I remember starting Chimera--I think.  (Only specific "memory" there: some character who had braided his pubic hair...maybe into pigtails?) I'm pretty sure that I have purchased several other Barth books, but not at all sure that I could find them now, reasonably sure that I never started them, and almost absolutely sure that I didn't finish them. 

Nevertheless, I retained a great deal of affection for John Barth. In fact, lately I have been thinking about re-reading The Sot-Weed Factor. Unfortunately, it's not easy to find a copy at a reasonable price, and my copy of that one is for sure long, long gone.

Somewhere along the way (before The Covid-19 Clampdown), though, I picked up an old copy of The Floating Opera (Barth's first book, originally published in 1956, when Barth was a mere slip of a lad--26 years old; and btw, my copy is the 4th Avon printing from February 1968, in case you're keeping track)--for a few bucks and a copy of Chimera (first published November 1, 1972 (my copy the 16th Ballantine Books Edition, published in December, 1993) for a dollar. I have a vague memory of some other Barth books that I either bought or thought about buying, but (1) none of them was The Sot-Weed Factor and (2) I am not able to verify the existence of any of these books at this time. It is possible that they went out in one of my Great Book Purges (when I was trying to straighten things up in this place by selling books I didn't think I'd ever want again to Half-Price; I sold quite a few (for very little money), but you really can't see any difference vis-a-vis the state of things on my homefront).

And hey, pretty impressive that Chimera went through 16 editions by 1993, isn't it? Of course, it was a National Book Award winner in 1973, so that didn't hurt sales, I'd suppose. 

A few days ago I picked up The Floating Opera and started reading. I liked it pretty much from the get-go. It was meta-fiction-y, which almost always rubs me the right way. It was funny in a cynical and self-abnegating way, which is right up my alley. (For instance: "...I could never be content with anything even remotely within my power to achieve.") And it was clever and allusive (I have always been a sucker for a good allusion) in unexpected ways, such as when Todd, the narrator, refers to his diseased heart as

There were also some bits which I found quite self-revelatory, such as this

(which, by the way, was marked by a previous owner of the book--not me--who (1) seems quite simpatico with me and (2) occasionally seems a bit on the dull side, as his / her annotations are sometimes more than a bit insipid...as, for instance, when s/he writes "excitement" above the word "titillation" in the text. I mean...really?  ANYway, s/he also liked the follow-up quote to the one pictured above--

--as did I...though not as much as the first one. 

Barth also invoked a quote which he attributed to Cicero at one point. I liked the quote, too, but when I looked it up, I found a bit more context which indicated that it was actually Cicero quoting another fellow:

"True, therefore, is that celebrated saying of Archytas of Tarentum, I think it was—a saying which I have heard repeated by our old men who in their turn heard it from their elders. It is to this effect: 

'If a man should ascend alone into heaven and behold clearly the structure of the universe and the beauty of the stars, there would be no pleasure for him in the awe-inspiring sight, which would have filled him with delight if he had had someone to whom he could describe what he had seen.' 

Thus nature, loving nothing solitary, always strives for some sort of support, and man’s best support is a very dear friend."

Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Amicitia

So I think JB loses a point for that one.

But before I shuffle off of this literary coil, I'd also like to point out that Barth's line

"...there is no will-o'-the-wisp so elusive as is the cause of any human act."

was also meaningful to me. It's not exactly a deep thought, but of late I've been pondering my divorces...especially the second one...in part because I've been corresponding with a friend who was recently bereft of his spouse, and though he hasn't told me much about that situation, I wouldn't be surprised if he, like me, was taken completely by surprise. I actually thought that (1) when you swore before God and your friends and family that you were going to be married for life that you meant it and (2) that if there was a problem in a marriage that it would be brought up and discussed before deciding to end the marriage. Turns out I was wrong on both counts there...both times. 

But enough about me. I enjoyed this Barth book enough to want to start reading his second novel right away. Unfortunately, I don't have it, the library is closed (and doesn't have it on e- or audio-book), and it costs $13.34 for the Kindle version. (Which seems exorbitant; I mean, the thing is only 188 pages long.) I have found some cheap versions at various online bookstores, but I don't really feel like waiting for it. I want it all, and I want it now.

Fortunately for me, I just discovered that it can be had on Scribd. And even though I have belonged to Scribd before, I think it's been long enough that I can get a 30-day free trial out of them. Of course, if I want to continue chronologically from there--which I seem to want to do, which is why I didn't start reading Chimera today--I am going to have to shell out for The Sot-Weed Factor (1960) and Giles Goat-Boy, or, The Revised New Syllabus (1966). because they're not to be found on Scribd. Although the former is available in book form at the library...if it ever opens up again. Time will tell.

P.S. It's been a few days, and I still haven't hit the Publish button for this one. I've been suffering from a serious case of Who The Fuck Cares? of late. 

And as for Mr. Barth...I've been poking around. Almost hit the reactivate my account for Scribd (looks like no more free trials for me), but couldn't quite bring myself to do it for some reason. Now if they had The Sot-Weed Factor and / or Giles, Goat Boy on there I would most definitely have done the deed. But since I've hemmed and hawed for a few days now, I think I might just forget about the chronological shit and go ahead and read Chimera. For one thing, I know myself, so I know there's a good chance that I will poop out on Barth at some point in the not-too distant future, so I'd really rather not waste money on books I won't get around to reading. For another thing, it looks like the public library might be opening up soon, and they have a few Barths in their bins. And I'll bet that U of L has everything.

Okay? Okay.

P.P.S. Started Chimera. On page 27...and the text started on page 11...there was this:

So it ain't pigtails, I suppose...sounds more like cornrows, but it is definitely a braided variation, and hey, maybe the pigtail variation comes up later on (no pun intended). But my faith in my memory is at least partially restored after a brief refractory period (pun intended).

P.P.P.S. Whilst searching for something else, I came upon this:

...which I have to admit that I had completely forgotten about. Funny, too, in that yesterday I spent a bit of time looking through piles of books to see if there was any Barth and came up with nothing, but today when I was looking for something else entirely I found Barth. So maybe there's hope for some more Barth around here, too.

Also funny, this book was inscribed thusly:

That was 2010. After 5 more years of that kind of thing, that relationship flamed out, so I guess that poor Trish now lives in dry darkness. Alas. She deserved better. 

ANYway...I now have enough Barth to fuel me for a little while, and have since ascertained that the U of L Library does, indeed, have pretty much everything else, so with a little luck I may be able to do this thing at No Additional Cost to Myself.


More news as it happens, Barth Fans.