I took "the kids" to the dentist's office today. It's been two years since our last visit. And the Waiting Room was closed (COVID protocol), so I just dropped them off and then went outside to wait.
While waiting, I decided I might as well get some steps in, so I started walking around the parking lot, then crossed over to the adjacent St. Margaret Mary's parking lot. When I got to the back of that lot, I saw something moving very slowly. Got closer, and it was a turtle. It looked like he was heading for the grassy area that surrounded the lot.
But I guess he freaked out when he saw me, because he pulled his head and legs into his shell and tried to pretend he didn't exist. I checked him out, then started to walk away.
I was thinking that as soon as I got clear of him he'd resume his journey. But when I looked back, he was still sitting there. I started to worry. There wasn't any traffic at the moment, but sure as shit cars would come by eventually. We were right next to the lot's back exit. And I didn't think there was any way someone in a car would be able to tell that this was a turtle and not a bunch of dead leaves... especially as there were more than a few dead leaves right in that area. I walked around, keeping an eye on the turtle. He didn't move.
So I finally went back up to him. He poked his head out, looked at me, then pulled his head back in. He clearly wasn't going anywhere.
I'm more than a little bit squeamish about touching animals. Especially if they are not my cat. But I kept thinking, The only way this turtle is going to get out of danger is if I pick him up and carry him over to the grass.
I looked at him again. I tried to ESP him into moving.
Nope.
So I took a breath, walked over, picked him up, and carried him to the grass area.
I just watched Episode 7 of the Second Season of Evil on Paramount+.
It's primarily set in a monastery where talking is forbidden, so for the vast majority of the show there is no dialogue. (They cheat a few times, but not enough to let you feel comfortable.) Who has the balls to do something like that in a network tv show?
The title of the episode, of course, is "S Is for Silence." And? It was a fascinating show.
In fact, this whole series has been pretty damned fascinating. There were 13 episodes in the first season, all of which appeared on CBS. For the second season, they moved the show to Paramount+. I wasn't happy about that. I didn't want to add another for pay streaming service to my ledger. But it's not too expensive--$4.99 (+ tax) per month. And I really wanted to watch this show. (Matter of fact, it's the only show I've watched on Paramount+...and I still don't feel ripped off!)
For the most part, the show skirts a fine line between Is what just happened due to evil of the Satanic / demonic kind? & Is what just happened explicable by scientific reasoning? I think they've tilted a little bit more into the Nope, it's Satan for the second season, but in a way that I'm okay with. And by the way...for a network tv show, this is pretty scary shit.
Also, all of the lead people are great. Mike Colter (the actor formerly known for playing Luke Cage) as Father David Acosta is just brilliant. He conveys the strength and solidity of a truly good man, a devout man...but he also shows some chinks in his armor...such as his obvious struggle with the temptation to fuck Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard. And Katja / Kristen does a good job of playing a woman who is a faithful wife, devoted mother, and a gal who kind of wants to take a walk on the wild side. (She's also a murderer, but I'm not going to get into that.) Aasif Mandvi as Ben Shakir rounds out the Paranormal Investigation Super Squad (they decided not to go for an acronym for some reason), and here's a revelatory character: a Moslem who is not only not a terrorist, but who is a kind and generous human being. Yep. And then there's Michael Emerson as Leland Townsend. If you don't want to punch this guy in the mouth a few minutes after he appears on screen, then you're not really paying attention.
The Season One ratings started at 4.56 million with the first episode and sank steadily to 3.19 million by the 13th episode, and I'm guessing that was one of the reasons CBS decided to push it over to Paramount+. Which is why I am hoping you will give this show a try. I want those numbers to rise, because I want to keep watching this show for a long while. Hey, you can get a free one week trial of Paramount+ and binge the first season and the seven episodes of season 2, and long before you hit that 7th episode you'll be with me on this, guaranteed.
So yeah, hop on.
P.S. I just found out that Season 3 has been given the green light, so I am pleased to know that I do not have to fear no Evil.
BULLETIN, BULLETIN, BULLETIN, THIS IS A BULLETIN, BULLETIN, BULLETIN.
A mere six weeks ago I was writing to extol the virtues of Evil Seasons One and Two. And now, 6 episodes later, I have to say...never mind.
Yep, they drove this show straight over a cliff so far as I'm concerned.
And it's mostly about tension.
The primary tension was that which existed between the reality of evil (as in demons, the devil, etcetera) and a rational, scientific explanation for what was going on. The show did a masterful job of maintaining that tension in the first season. In the first part of the second season it started tipping over towards the Nope, Evil Is Real side, but in ways that I found acceptable. But now? The tension is gone. Evil is loose in the world, demons cavort around trees in the middle of the night, and Satan wants to suck your soul out of your body through your nostrils. In other words, it's just another stupid horror movie. So to speak.
And the secondary tension...the obvious sexual attraction between priest-to-be David and trollop-to-be Kristin? That's all gone, too.
There are other things, too, but I don't want to talk about it. I just wanted to say if you followed my recommendation and watched this show, then I apologize. Or better yet, if you followed my recommendation and watched the show up until Episode 20, "S Is for Silence," then take some even better advice and Stop Now! The last six episodes of season two are only going to ruin the good buzz you've gotten from the first season and a half.
A friend just sent me this bit from Martin Luther:
"You ought to think this way: 'Very well, by God’s decree the enemy has sent us poison and deadly offal. Therefore I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence.'"
Another First-In-A-Long-Time for me: first time in a year and a half that I walked into The Great Escape and said, "I think you have something in my hold box for me."
And there it was: Icon and Rocket #2. I added the first issue of Checkmate (2021) from the back issue box...and was disappointed to see that they had sold out of issue #3...but I put in a request for it if they re-order. Also a new issue of Previews, which I always enjoy looking at, even if I'm not buying much. It's a way of keeping up with what's going on, you know?
Anyway....
Checkmate #1 was good. It made a lot more sense than the first issue I read, which was #2. Even though I still don't know much of anything about Leviathan. (Good news: I see that Hoopla has some comics in the Leviathan story line. I've already burnt through my six loans for this month, but in a couple of days I can start hitting it again.) Once again (as in that second issue) the Brian Michael Bendis writing isn't irritating the hell out of me...which is a rarity. There's not a whole lot in terms of character development, and I don't get the impression that Bendis really understands all of these characters very well, but to be honest, that's kind of secondary here. After all, it's a six issue limited series about conflict between various spy groups. That doesn't leave much room for anything that doesn't push the plot forward at high velocity. Speaking of which...so far as I can discern, Leviathan is a spy group which has usurped the functions (and equipment) of pretty much every other spy group, and is doing a Benevolent Big Brother thing. And Mark Shaw (Manhunter) is the head of the group. Which is puzzling, since he was the character who put a spoke in Kobra's wheel way back when in the Spy War that was The Janus Directive. * Anyway...in response, the Checkmate group has re-formed, and consists of Green Arrow, The Question, Steve Trevor, Lois Lane, Talia al Ghul (what?) and her son, Damian Wayne (one of the many Robins), and some other people who didn't look familiar. There's a little bit of ha ha here, which was a nice surprise. Nothing approaching the belly, more like a slight inhalation of breath and the words, "That's funny" running through the thought. Now I'm going to have to re-read issue #2, though, because I've completely forgotten what happened there. And then maybe I'll be able to pick up #3 next week. (And if I make it back next week, that will be another First-In-A-Long-Times...visits to the comic book store on two consecutive weeks.
Oh, lest I forget...the Alex Maleev artwork is excellent. Seems to me that it has a slightly different look than the work I remember from way back when...maybe a slightly softer edge to it? But Maleev is a great comic book artist, for sure, and I've missed seeing his work on a regular basis. (Of course, if I hadn't been avoiding Brian Michael Bendis, I'd have seen more of it.)
Icon and Rocket #2 was a vast improvement on the first issue. So far as I can tell (since I didn't read the complete run of the first series), this is all new territory--not a re-tread like the first issue. And one of the things that I am pretty sure was new was that they actually went back to Icon's time on the plantation back in the 19th century South. It was definitely time for some of that...and I hope that there's more to come. The rest of the story had some interesting stuff, too, though, including Rocket handling a wife abuser...though I kind of wonder if throwing him out the window is going to solve the problem in a long-term kind of way, you know? I also wonder if we're going to see any more of this sub-plot or if that's that. It really cries out for more, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's done. Disappointed, but not surprised. It's hard for comic books to deal with things that their heroes actually can't handle.
So two enjoyable comic books. And I believe that issue #2 of Hardware is due out next week, so I'm pumped for that. The Milestone Return continues!
* Speaking of Hoopla...I just re-read The Janus Directive courtesy of Hoopla. It was my third time through (at least...maybe more)...and though I'm keenly aware of its shortcomings, I have to say that it is a fun arc. This collection also included a "prequel" bit from Suicide Squad #26, which I'd never read before. Woo-hoo.
Before we take another step here, let me tell you something that you have probably already intuited if you know me personally or have read a couple of these blog posts: I know that I am not "normal." I do not wear that as a badge of honor, I am not proud enough to march (or ride a float) in that parade, and I only inscribe that confession here because I feel that it is a necessary admission to accompany these thoughts.
Okay?
Okay.
I just looked for a book on the Louisville Free Public Library website, and when I didn't find it, I found myself tearing up, and, yes, I began to cry. And I felt a fierce wave of desolation wash over me. A wave that carried with it the flotsam of meaninglessness, of futility, of absolute, frigid uselessness.
The book I was searching for was The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, translated by H.T. Lowe-Porter.
That's Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter.
She was THE translator of Thomas Mann from 1924 until 1960, and, in fact, had exclusive rights to translate Mann from German to English for over two decades.
The last time I visited the library, I spotted an old-looking book on the Books For Sale cart. I picked it up and it was In Another Language by John C. Thirlwall. I'd never heard of it or him, but I like to look old books over. And a glance at the cover copy--"A Record of the Thirty-Year Relationship between Thomas Mann and his American Translator, Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter"--was enough to make me want that book.
I haven't read all that much of Thomas Mann...just The Magic Mountain and 3 different translations of Death in Venice (*). But I was impressed by Death in Venice (hence my desire to compare translations), and I was completely blown away by The Magic Mountain.
Speaking of which...I had read in several different places that I should seek out the "new" (1996) translation of The Magic Mountain by John E. Woods. More than that, I read that the H. T. Lowe-Porter translation was seriously flawed...that her lack of knowledge of German caused her to mistranslate some things, that she excised passages from the novel, and, even worse, that she added material. Needless to say, I had no interest in reading her translation.
But then I saw In Another Language at the library...and started reading it...and there is obviously another story here.
I haven't gotten all that far in In Another Language yet...20 pages of prefatory stuff and 28 pages of text...but two things are already clear to me: (1) I want to and will finish reading this book and (2) Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter has been seriously maligned by reviewers and critics.
For one thing, she devoted a huge portion of her life...almost 40 years...to translating Thomas Mann's works. For another, she was chosen by Mann to be the sole translator of his works into English. And for yet another, Thomas Mann spoke and wrote English. It's not like he was at the mercy of his translator.
In fact, letters from Thomas Mann (which are excerpted here) indicate that he and Helen had regular and detailed discussions about the translation of his works. Also, both acknowledged that translation always involved an element of changing, rearranging, and sometimes deleting portions of the original text. There's even one bit wherein Mann tells HTL-P to dump a section of the text because it won't translate.
The more I read of this book, the less validity the complaints against Ms. Lowe-Porter seem to possess. And on top of all that, there's the knowledge that the Nobel Prize Winning writer attributed s measure of the success of his works in the English-speaking world to his translator. In a letter dated May 24, 1935, Thomas Mann says "The excellent reception accorded Young Joseph by the press has pleased me immensely, and I do not fail to attribute a large share of the success to your skillful translation."
So with all of that in mind, I decided it was time to re-read The Magic Mountain...something I had intended to do ever since I finished reading the book the first time. But back then, I was determined to avoid the HTL-P translation. This time I was seeking that one out.
So I went to the library website and punched in The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. There were four hits. The first was a reader's guide to the novel. The second was a dvd of the (not very good) movie based on the novel. The fourth was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward...because the copy beneath the title compared it to The Magic Mountain. And the third? "The magic mountain / Thomas Mann ; translated from the German by John E. Woods ; with an introduction by A.S. Byatt...." (sic) The library's search engine can be a bit persnickety, though, so I typed Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter into the search box. 7 hits. The first a play by Ms. Lowe-Porter. The other six works by Thomas Mann. None of them was The Magic Mountain. I started feeling a little queasy. But wait, this is the 21st century. It's available as an ebook, of course. I looked. Nothing. I went over to Hoopla. No results. I went back to the library home page. Tried another search: The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann translated by H. T. Lowe-Porter. "No titles found (0 hits)."
I found myself tearing up. And then I began to cry.
All I could think was that even the greatest literary achievement by a Nobel Prize Winning writer...in the translation that he approved of, that he contributed to...has vanished from the library. That's how little Thomas Mann means in this world. That's how little Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter means in this world.
Quintessence of dust.
I knew that I could find a copy of the translation somewhere online. But the fact that the library system in the 29th most populous city in the United States of America didn't have a single copy of this book... not even a e-copy...just filled me with sadness for that moment. It made me feel the way I did after I went into the hospital with non-ischemic left bundle branch blockage (feels just like a heart attack, but we don't call it that): why bother with anything?
Nothing matters. Not even a little bit.
Well, that's no way to live, obviously, so I "pressed a finger delicately to my eyes" and started looking around for a copy of The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, translated by Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter. Found a few. But come to think of it, I think I saw one on the shelf of Half-Price Books a few weeks ago. I'm going to go see if that's still there first.
The first of these pictures was identified as Public Domain, and since it is cropped from the second picture, I assume that that is also Public Domain.
The third picture (my favorite) can be found at https://ibb.co/jbcpBhp.
The fourth (of young Helen) can be found at https://www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/imagining-helen-the-life-of-translator-helen-tracy-lowe-porter/.
P.S. Went to one of the Half-Price Books stores yesterday...there was not a single book by Thomas Mann there. Went to Books-a-Million today...nothing. To be continued.
P.P.S. Also, as I read further in the book, I find that in addition to the actual translation of the book, Helen T. L-P also did a considerable amount of research around the subject matter of the book she was translating...and was not paid very well for her work. And on top of that, here's a few words from Mr. Mann:
"I acknowledge willingly that much must be omitted in translating and I believe that such omissions had best be left to the judgment and the feelings of the respective translator...." (50)
So I'm feeling like this pretty much puts to bed the whole "H. T. Lowe-Porter did a shitty job of translating Thomas Mann" argument. Do you feel me?
I loved the first run of the Sweet Tooth comic book. So when I heard that there was going to be a Netflix show based on it, I was (1) amazed, (2) worried, and (3) anxious enough to sign up for a Netflix account. After watching the first couple of episodes, I thought it was kind of sort of okay, somewhat enjoyable, but I also felt that something was missing. Actually like somethings were missing. So I got out the old comics and re-read the thing. It reminded me of how much I loved the series...and how far the Netflix version had strayed from the original story and characters. I still liked the show enough to hope that it gets a season two, but it was really not the same Sweet Tooth so far as I was concerned.
I also became aware (and very surprised) that there was a new Sweet Tooth comic book...sub-titled The Return. I was really interested in checking that out, but at the time I wasn't going to the comic book store, and since several issues had already come out, I thought that I would wait for the trade paperback to catch up on that one. I marked the date it was to be released on my calendar...August 16th. I wasn't about to buy it from Amazon, though. (See Amazon Fucked Me for details.) Walmart had it...and at $15.99, $2 under the list price...and the same price that Amazon sells it for, btw. But I really wanted to buy it from The Great Escape. Keep those dollars local, you know? So when I visited the store that week, I looked for it. But it was not to be found. I'm a patient fellow, though. If I kept coming to the store, they would get it.
And then today I was running through the comics titles on Hoopla, and lo and behold, there was Sweet Tooth: The Return. I was a bit stunned. I had no idea that you could put your hands on new comics via the library...I've had no experience of that before. But apparently Hoopla does more than just a little bit of that. A word to the wise. Anyway, I checked it out, downloaded it, and sat down on the sofa for a read.
There was some good stuff, for sure.
"Just because the world is cruel doesn't mean you can't believe in something." #3
"We are no sheep. We are lambs of God." #4
And if you're into this kind of thing, then I'm pretty sure (having read a fair amount of Jeff Lemire's work) that we have Lemire's first penis drawing in issue #4, page 11, panel 1. And slightly clearer in panel 4.
But for the most part, I thought that this story was just a bad re-take on Sweet Tooth. As if Lemire had taken something that was pretty original and exciting and turned it into something that was cliche-ridden and, for me, kind of boring. For instance: in Sweet Tooth, Gus's dad was kind of a religious fanatic who taught his son to believe the way that he did. This was a pretty big part of Gus's identity--which was completely stripped out of the Netflix version, by the way. But Gus's dad loved him, only wanted to protect his son, and genuinely cared for him. In The Return, that's all out the window. Gus's "father" is a priest who has become a demented scientist, he obviously cares nothing for Gus whatsoever, and there is no doubt that he is evil. I don't know about you, but I've seen that movie before. More than a few times, actually.
I don't want to spoil any more plot twists, but let's just say that this is the kind of thing that happens again and again in The Return.
There are also things that just don't make a whole hell of a lot of sense. For instance, early on in The Return Gus uses the word "ain't" and his father corrects him. Well. I see that "ain't" as a kind of holdover from Sweet Tooth. It helped to define Gus as a kind of innocent, not learned, country and old-time religion guy. That made sense, given the fact that his father was his only companion. But that father would never have corrected him for saying "ain't." In this new version, I can't see how Gus would ever have heard the word "ain't." His father certainly wouldn't have used it. Gus's only other companions are his nannies...which I thought were robots for most of the series...and they certainly wouldn't have used it. The only possible explanation is that it's a kind of genetic holdover...the word is hard-wired into Gus's brain because of his dna. And that's just serious bullshit.
And the art? It looks to me like Jeff Lemire has been immersing himself in Frank Miller art lately. His linework here has that kind of darker implication, there's something a bit squiggly about it at times. And it doesn't work for me. I love Frank Miller, it's not that. But seeing Lemire leaning into a Miller-ish style is just kind of painful. It's almost as ugly as the variant covers that are included in this collection...and MAN, are they ugly. Check out this one by Jim Lee:
Is that Gus to you? Elf-Gus, maybe. But not my Gus. Not my Sweet Tooth.
So sorry to say that The Return was a big let-down for me. I'm really glad that I didn't throw my money down on it, because I'd have felt ripped off, and it would have made me reluctant to follow Jeff Lemire's work in the future. If you've just got to have it, I hope that you can Hoopla.
By all means, go back and re-read the original series. Buy the collections. The three volume deluxe version is really nice...and quite affordable, really. And read some other Lemire work. Essex Country is still one of my favorite comic books ever. And Trillium, and Royal City...and the Black Hammer stuff that I've read...all good stuff.
László Krasznahorkai'sChasing Homer is due out on November 2, 2021. I love László pretty dearly, and have spent a fair amount of time (and a bit of money) tracking down all of the books he's written which have been translated into English...and reading them, too. It's a fairly extensive oeuvre:
Satantango
The Melancholy of Resistance
War & War
Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens
Seiobo Down Below
The Last Wolf / Herman / The Death of a Craft
Animalinside
The Bill
The World Goes On (the only one I haven't read yet)
The Manhattan Project
Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming
I also sought out and watched all of the movies based on László's scripts--all of which are Béla Tarr films:
Damnation
The Last Boat
Sátántangó
Werckmeister Harmonies
The Man From London
The Turin Horse
That was even harder than tracking down the books.
And since money is not flowing freely these days, I have, whenever possible, resorted to borrowing László books from the public library. And since the Louisville Free Public Library is cool like that, I didn't have to buy The World Goes On, The Last Wolf / Herman / The Death of a Craft, Destruction and Sorrow Beneath the Heavens, or The Manhattan Project. (Actually, I didn't have to buy Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming, Satantango, or Seiobo Down Below, either, but the first was given to me for a present, I bought an on sale ebook of the second for a couple of bucks, and I loved the third one so much that I had to buy it so that it would be near me at all times.
So of course I wanted to buy Chasing Homer when it came out. But it's a tiny book...96 pages, and a mere 5.5 x 9.5 inches...and it lists for $20. So ever since I've heard of its coming, I've been checking the library website, and not finding anything. But I finally had success last night, and I tapped the REQUEST button, wondering how many people were ahead of me.
And?
That's right. I was first in line. Which makes me worry. Is there a line at all?
Because László Krasznahorkai deserves a line. I mean, I know it's stupid to bitch about being first in line to read a forthcoming book... but that is exactly what I am doing.
I implore you...if this book is available at your library, put in a hold request for it. Even better, pick it up when it comes in. And even better, read it. László is not an easy read by any means...but he is worth it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if you just hang tough with him for twenty-five minutes, you'll find yourself acclimating to his style, not noticing that periods are few and far between, and, since this book is so damned short anyway, you'll be closing it up and feeling that blush of satisfaction shimmying up your spine. And then maybe you'll find yourself wanting a little more László.
My Daily Devotional Reading program...now nearing the end of its 4th year...has taken me through a lot of pages: 13,449 in my first 1,000 Days, and 8,876 thus far in my second 1,000 days. That's 22,325 pages. A lot of love.
Most of my reading has been in the non-fiction realm. In fact, I didn't read any fiction in my first 1,000 pages...and have only read three thus far in my second 1,000--two of which were pretty close to history (Stalingrad and Life and Fate, both by Vasily Grossman).
But today (which is actually August 20th), as I try to decide what I want to read next, I find myself leaning towards fiction. Don Quixote, which I tried to read again a few years back, is a prime candidate.
And today, which actually is August 21, I had a little What Should I Choose Next panic attack. I really have to start planning ahead more carefully. Anyway, I decided Don Quixote wasn't what I wanted right now, and thought, "But I would like to read Alan Moore's Jerusalem, which I had a go at previously and never completed. That makes it fitting material for my DDR program, right? A book I wanted to read, tried to read, and had my ass kicked by? But before I even got it off the shelf, I thought, "But of course I should read something about William Blake first." Which reminded me that I had long ago purchased Blake: Prophet Against Empire by David V. Erdman, but had never even opened it up.
Yep. That was the one.
Then I got side-lined by softball...the first game at 11:30, the second at 2:00...and then had to take The Kids out for a celebratory dinner... and then had to finish watching Reminiscence with Joe (it wasn't very good)...and then had to read to Jacqueline, who was so tired out from playing two softball games that she was ready for bed at 7 pm.
And THEN I finally opened B:PAE.
Read the prefatory material--xx pages. Read to page 10 of the text.
Hmmm. This is some pretty challenging material. I found myself wondering if I had the intellectual gumption to follow through on reading 20 pages of this a day.
Which, of course, convinced me that it was the perfect choice.
So let's go. *
Blake: Prophet Against Empire is 503 pages long...plus those xx pages of prefatory material...so a Grand Total of 523 pages. It looks like this:
As stated above, I am dubious of my ability to throw back 20 pages a day on this one...but that's going to be my out of the gate goal. If I can keep to it, that means this will be a 26 day reading journey... which would put my End Date at September 15th.
And just to make life easier for my future self, I do now solemnly declare that my next DDR selection will be Alan Moore's Jerusalem. All 1,312 pages of it. **
* Yes, James Osterberg fans, that is an allusion to Iggy Pop's recording of "Bang Bang" from the album Party. Your welcome.
** Holy shit! I just went over to Amazon to get the page count... since I'm far too lazy to get up and go over to my bookshelf to take down my (3 volume) copy...and they've got GOOD copies of this edition of the book for $8.12...including the $2.99 shipping charge. How did THAT happen? Well...here's a possible answer:
Best Sellers Rank: #502,063 in Books #1,154 in Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction (Books) #30,245 in Literary Fiction (Books) #34,322 in Science Fiction (Books)
Which makes me sad. But it makes me a little bit happy to see that Amazon has a Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction sub-genre listing. (Not happy enough to buy anything from the fuckers, though. Unless somebody gives me a gift certificate, of course.)
Day 2 (DDRD 1,390): August 22, 2021
Read to page 30. I wouldn't call it easy reading, for sure...but it was interesting. It's really more literary analysis than biography (which was what I was expecting), and I quickly realized that great familiarity with Blake's works would have been a boon for this reading. So note to you readers and teachers out there: for the Alan Moore Jerusalem unit, begin with a careful (one month minimum) study of Blake's Prophetic Works (Tiriel, The Book of Thel, America a Prophecy, Europe a Prophecy, Visions of the Daughters of Albion, The Book of Urizen, The Book of Ahania, The Book of Los, The Song of Los, Vala, or The Four Zoas, Milton: A Poem in Two, and (of course) Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion. And maybe that should be followed by a week's worth of William Blakes's Mythology. Couldn't hurt. (This seriously could be a great one semester class in a university.)
I did something like unto this in my AP English class with my Beowulf unit. We started with some Anglo-Saxon poems, proceeded to Beowulf (I love Seamus Heaney, but I prefer the Burton Raffel translation), did some literary studies (often including the J.R.R. Tolkien essay "The Monsters and the Critics"), then took a side-turn into Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell before winding it all up with John Gardner's Grendel. I was always very proud of that unit ...the way everything paid off with Grendel, and the way that Grendel's ambiguity gave you plenty of room to think and draw your own conclusions. ("Is it joy I feel?")
But back to this book.
Erdman akes reference to Blake's "frustration as a prophet without an audience." He also notes, "The Poetical Sketches were never published except among friends...." (17) That both makes my heart ache for Blake...and, I have to admit, though it be a tad heretical, feel a kinship with him. But after all, every unpublished (or severely under published) writer would like to think that somewhere down the line s/he will be discovered and lauded, right?
Of course, of course.
Day 3 (DDRD 1,391): August 23, 2021
Read to page 50.
It's now apparent that a reading of all of Blake's prophetic books prior to reading this book would have been ideal. I'm slightly familiar with Blake--mostly from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience and from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell--but not nearly familiar enough to feel that I'm grasping more than a piece of the discussion in this book, which veers from one work to another without pause. Still, it's interesting and in part comprehensible, so I shall soldier on.
There were many mentions of poet Thomas Gray, who was apparently buddies with Blake...and for whom Blake did some illustrations. Also mentions of several other painters, one of whom, James Barry, seems particularly interesting. I looked up some of the paintings referenced in the text--Mercury Inventing the Lyre and The Temptation of Adam--and they were both interesting, but not particularly striking so far as I could see. Of the later, it's not clear to me if the picture posted on Wikipedia Commons is Public Domain, so I'll refrain from posting it. One interesting detail is that Eve is holding the apple in such a way that it's shadow and a leaf partially obscures Adam's genitals, but his scrotum and part of the head of his penis is visible. Apparently this caused some concern for the folks back in the day, as there a reference made to contemporaenous comments about the "lack of drapery" in the text of the book.
Speaking of painting, there's a lot of talk about Blake beginning his career as an artist as a depiction of history. That was a surprise for me. There was also talk about how historical paintings became repositories for symbolism of one sort or another...and for one purpose or another. (One painting, for instance, included the figures of people who were not actually in the scene depicted, but who paid to have their likenesses painted in. See? Nothing new under the sun.) Which makes sense. If you're going to convey the impact of a historical moment, just having a bunch of white guys standing around looking at each other might not do the trick. Throwing in an eagle or something of like ilk pumps up the volume. And on that note, here's a bit from Blake which I thought worth remembering:
"...shall painting be confined to the sordid drudgery of facsimile representations?" (47)
And from there we can easily see the path to Pollack and Klee and etcetera, right?
Right.
P.S. I'm also thinking that in my "Jerusalem class" I would knock back the reading of the works of Blake to just Jerusalem. And maybe a commentary on it. Maybe even this: William Blake's "Jerusalem" Explained: The First Full-Scale Line By Line Analysis by Dr. David Whitmarsh-Knight, which I found at Amazon. Of course, since I don't buy from Amazon, you'd think that that would make it difficult, but guess what? Thrift Books has a copy...a NEW copy...for $2.84 LESS than Amazon...and Thrift Books is a really excellent online bookseller that doesn't like to fuck you (or its suppliers or its employees) over! Better World Books also has a NEW copy for just a little bit more...$45.69, and they are also a truly lovely online bookseller. In fact, I'd probably rate them as my #1, so I'd certainly be willing to spend an extra $3 to get the book from them. Of course, I first want to check this book out a little bit, so I'm going to see if I can find an excerpt somewhere. Just in case. 'Cause it sounds exactly like what I want...but you never know, right? I thought that that biography of Jules Verne was going to be IT, too, and I barely made it through the first pages of that thing before realizing that the writer was just horrifically bad.
News as it happens.
P.S. Speaking of Jerusalem...Wikisource has the whole thing... including the plates with the illustrations and text as well as the text separately...which is sometimes needed, especially if you have horary eyeballs like me...available for your perusal right HERE. I was hoping to get a copy of the book from the library, but they don't have it. I thought I had a book with all of Blake's works, but I haven't been able to locate it. I can't believe that I've have sold that one...but it's possible that I loaned it out and that it didn't come back. It's also possible that it's in this house somewhere and I just haven't found it yet, too. ANYway, I read the first few pages, and although a lot of it goes over my head, I might could try to stick with it as I read B:PAE.
Day 4 (DDRD 1,392): August 24, 2021
Read to page 70. Blake has various folks revealing their true nature as they transform into dragons (George III) and other reptilian creatures. BTW, I really appreciate the fact that this book has actual footnotes. That makes so much more sense to me than endnotes... which really only make sense if you don't intend to read them.
Day 5 (DDRD 1,393): August 25, 2021
Read to page 90. Don't know if this is a quote from a Blake poem or a summary comment by David V. Erdman (though evidence leans towards the latter), but I thought this was a most excellent and thought-provoking expression: "...cynicism is close to opportunism." (86) Takes a bit of thinking, that.
I timed today's reading. There was an end of chapter followed by a blank page or two, but discounting that, it took
to knock back those twenty pages. So, yeah. About two minutes per page, give or take. I think that's pretty ideal for me vis-a-vis this project, since it's enough time to make visible progress, but not enough to be burdensome or unwieldy. Everybody's got 40 minutes of leeway time in a day, right?
Day 6 (DDRD 1,394): August 26, 2021
Read to page 110.
So, I've been reading a little bit of William Blake's Jerusalem online, but I really wanted to be able to hold the book in my hand and turn the pages, and since I couldn't locate my copy of Blake's illuminated works, I looked to see if the library had one. Got a hit on The Graphic Canon Volume 2 : from "Kubla Khan" to the Brontë Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray, which had 7 plates of it. Funny thing is, I had already checked that book out from the library when I was trying to read every John Porcellino book I could get my hands on, so I still had the book sitting on my table. Kind of odd, huh?
Day 7 (DDRD 1,395): August 27, 2021
Read to page 130.
Yesterday I got a copy of an old Comic Journal in the mail. I'd ordered it from eBay for the interview with John Porcellino that it cover-featured. Included in the package was a mini-comic by the seller, one Jeff Zenick. I thought it was interesting, so I went online to see who this fellow was. Saw some of his other mini-comics, one of which was New First Printing 2020 of PROVERBS OF HELL . 68 pages. 7 " x 8 1/2". Xeroxed. Strange world, ennit?
Day 8 (DDRD 1,396): August 28, 2021
Read to page 150. That's getting close to 1/3rd of the way through.
Two things struck me in Today's Twenty. First, the fact that Mr. Erdman was able to find so many records referring to Blake. I mean...he even has references to his dinner dates (from diaries of others). It really put the whole lack of information about William Shake-speare into perspective. It's just not possible that a guy of WS's stature left NO impressions behind, y'know? The more I think on it, the more I'm convinced that you have to be willfully blind and ignorant not to conclude that WS was a pseudonym. Speaking of which, these thoughts reminded me that I've yet to read the monumental The Mysterious William Shakespeareby Charlton Ogburn. Seeing as how I've owned that book for a decade or two and haven't yet cracked it, it might be prime material for DDR treatment.
The other thing that struck me was this bit:
"Withdrawal of this work was to mean Blake's withdrawal from any audience beyond a few uncritical or even uncomprehending friends, its withdrawal from the essential experience of communication, without which even the most richly significant and creative art cannot attain full stature and true proportions. Failure to communicate with the fraternity of citizens for whom and of whom he wrote encouraged Blake to pursue the invaluted symbolism and obscure manner he had already made use of in Tiriel and The Marriage." 138-139)
Well. Is it just me, or did Erdman just crack William Blake across the face? Seems to me that he's saying (1) that Blake's work started heading downhill at this point...which is a point very early in his career, by the way, and (2) that Blake's symbolism is weak. Which leads me to ask...who the fuck does Erdman think that he is? I know that there is an inclination in biographers to shit on their subjects... presumably in the name of Exposing The Warts, but this just pisses me off. If nothing else, I don't need a biographer to do my thinking for me. But really, it just sounds like sour grapes: the limited mind casting aspersions at the greater mind. It's Richard A. Lupoff v. Edgar Rice Burroughs all over again.
Day 9 (DDRD 1,397): August 29, 2021
Read to page 170.
I found these lines from The French Revolution particularly interesting:
"But go, merciless man! enter into the infinite labyrinth of
another's brain Ere thou measure the circle that he shall run. Go, thou cold
recluse, into the fires
Of another's high flaming rich bosom, and return
unconsum'd, and write laws. If thou canst not do this, doubt thy theories, learn to consider all men as thy equals, Thy brethren, and not as thy foot or thy hand, unless thou first fearest to hurt them."
Pretty good advice for the Republicans currently sitting in Congress, too.
Speaking of The French Revolution, it looks like we're now finished with that and moving into The Marriage of Heaven & Hell. I've read that "book" about a dozen times, so I'm much more comfortable in this material. It's also one of my favorite pieces of literature...a piece that I always find startling and inspiring...so I'm anxious to see what insights Mr. Erdman can shed on it.
I'm also reading In Another Language right now, which is the story of Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter's translating the works of Thomas Mann, and there was an excerpt from something Ms. Lowe-Porter had written in which she quoted one of the aphorisms from The Marriage of Heaven & Hell. So another crossover there.
Day 10 (DDRD 1,398): August 30, 2021
Read to page 190.
Hmpf. Just when I was feeling like I had a better grasp of this book--because it was focusing on The Marriage of Heaven & Hell--the focus shifted, and we're on to others things before (IMHO) we even got started. I have to admit that Erdman's organization (or progression, I suppose) baffles me. It seems like he just leaps from one thing to the next as the mood takes him. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to grasp the bigger picture. Or maybe he's just not a very good writer. Hard to tell who has the log in his eye here.
Meanwhile...I don't think I'm getting any more tattoos in this lifetime...which unfortunately means that I'll go to my grave with P a t r i c i a inscribed beneath my left teat...but if I were going to have another tattoo, this drawing from Blake's notebooks would be a good one:
Day 11 (DDRD 1,399): August 31, 2021
Read to page 210.
Learned a new word: sup·pos·i·ti·tious
Which is pronounced /səˌpäzəˈtiSHəs/...or, in my orthography, suh-pah-suh-TI-shus.
It is an adjective meaning, substituted for the real thing; not genuine. And I really thought that it was a typo. So there you have it. David V. Erdman took me to school.
Also, there was a bit which really bothered me...some verses from "A Song of Liberty":
O Jew, leave counting gold! return to thy oil and wine. O African! black African! (go, winged thought widen his forehead.)
Unless I'm misreading, these lines say two things: (1) Jews are totally absorbed with money and (2) Black Africans are stupid.
And you know what? I don't think "The Times" can excuse this kind of thing. Blake was not a man of his times in any appreciable way, so giving him that excuse is just bullshit.
Sigh.
This is the kind of shit that really takes the wind out of my sails. Guess I'll have to row for awhile and see if I can still make some headway.
Day 12 (DDRD 1,400): September 1, 2021
Read to page 240. Got a few extra licks in because I was babysitting ...and baby fell asleep.
"I see a Whale in the south-sea, drinking my soul away."
Day 13 (DDRD 1,401): September 2, 2021
Read to page 260.
Erdman quotes some lines from "The Song of Los" (Asia) which I found interesting:
Her bosom swells with wild desire,
And her milk & blood & glandous wine
In rivers rush & shout & dance....
I was particularly puzzled by the "glandous wine." Is Blake talking about...PUSSY JUICE? I Googled around a bit. Found a couple of references which made it seem that that was, indeed, the case. Which seems more than a little bit bold for 1795. By the way, in my Googling about, I also found a website entitled William Blake and Enlightenment Media which I thought was very interesting. On the first page I looked at, there was a picture of the entrance to the old General Electric Building in New York City, and above the doors there is a bas relief which is obviously based on Blake's Ancient of Days. Interesting blog...worth having a look at.
Day 14 (DDRD 1,402): September 3, 2021
Read to page 280.
This
"In Blake's account, the fall of speech (Tharmas) precipitates the fall of man from 'Universal Brotherhood' into the age or iron, where he is a slave to the repressive laws of reason (Urizen)." (274)
made me think of my novel, Nine Cat Stories, which featured the giant bipedal cat, Tamas. (Tharmas.) In fact, it actually made me think, "I should write another Tamas story"...which is not a thought I thought I'd ever think. It also made me think, "I should try to promote that novel here. Tried before and it resulted in 0 sales, but it's worth another shot, right?" Then I realized that I'd taken Nine Cat Stories off of Amazon when I entered it in a contest. I didn't win the contest, though, so maybe it's time for it to go back up? Maybe.
Also, had another Why On Earth Are You Bocking Me? * moment with Erdman. He was talking about how Blake had written a letter pretty aggressively attacking a sermon, but hadn't published it. Erdman wouldn't let go of it for about a page and a half.
"...why should not Blake try the effect of a small pamphlet - or seize his furious harp? The question reverberates endlessly through The Four Zoas. (277-278)
Erdman also points out that Thomas Paine did published his response to this same sermon, and although he doesn't state it overtly, his implication is clear: he is accusing Blake of cowardice.
Well. Maybe that's so. But there's certainly not enough information given here to substantiate that claim...and it seems to me that it's just another example of a "biographer" going out of his way to be disrespectful to his subject.
Between the lack of cohesive organization (Erdman doesn't seem capable of sticking with his chosen subject for long...so that while reading this book has been interesting, it's also been like having a conversation with someone suffering from severe OCD...whilst imbibing several pots of coffee) and these pot shots at Blake, I'm getting ready to be through with Erdman.
I'm also puzzled. I just looked up his biography on Wikipedia, and they identify him as the author of five books...four of which are about Blake & His works. This guy isn't just biting the hand that feeds him ...he's making a four course meal of the whole fuckin' arm.
So at this point...and with nine days remaining on this part of the DDR journey...I think I can confidently say, Fuck David V. Erdman.
Day 15 (DDRD 1,403): September 4, 2021
Read to page 300.
When I read this line--
"...a spiritual digest of the unsuccessful peace negotiations of 1796 and 1797...."
--I realized what my biggest problem with this book is.
Essentially, Erdman is summarizing the plot of Blake's poems--which means he is stripping out most of the "poetic" material (though he does go back to kick a few pots and pans around afterwards), then connecting the plot of the poems to historical events. I suppose that this kind of thing could be interesting to some extent...but I'd have to say that for me, Blake's "usefulness" as a poet extends far beyond his ability to transform history into myth...and that seems to be what Erdman values most in Blake.
So there's that.
Day 16 (DDRD 1,404): September 5, 2021
Read to page 320.
Day 17 (DDRD 1,405): September 6, 2021
Read to page 340. So just a little more than one hundred pages to go now. And at some point I'll whittle down that "little more," so I'm looking at five more days before I'm moving on, moving on.
Meanwhile...there's this from The Four Zoas: Night the Ninth:
I don't know that it's a particularly unique or even profound thought, but it struck me. It evoked the same feeling that Wordsworth did (for me) in "Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey, On Revisiting the Banks of the Wye during a Tour. July 13, 1798":
"...all which we behold / Is full of blessings."
At first it seems absurd, of course. When we look around the world, it is not long before we perceive immense suffering, astonishing stupidity, rampant disregard for others, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. To such an extent that it is easy to conclude that life is nothing but suffering and that evil has been unloosed upon this world. But this Blake and this Wordsworth suggest that that conclusion is, in essence, stupidity talking. It's a failure to perceive that The Eternal lurks behind all of this. It suggests to me the image of a man...say a man named Nick Fury (since I just watched Spider-Man: Far From Home) sitting in a holographic chamber. He sees himself as sitting on a beach...when it actuality he is sitting in a space station. (The difference here being that the beach = the world filled with evil and suffering.) Taking that a step farther, the reason that Nick sees the beach is because he chose to witness that scenario. And perhaps that's exactly what we do. We chose to see the illusion of evil. Why would be do such a thing? Well...why would we take a perfectly fine grass field, cover it with chalk lines, and then put twenty-two grown ass men on it and have them run around hitting each other for an hour? The cynical interpretation (the stupid one) would be because we are bored and need to find ways to while away the hours. Another way of looking at it would be that by constructing this false scenario, by creating am essentially false conflict, we allow ourselves the opportunity to do wondrous things: one-handed catches in the end zone, for instance. Bringing it all back around, perhaps the Wise look on this world and see beyond the illusion of Evil and Conflict, see the Eternal will is Real rather than the Temporary which is Illusion. And when you see the Eternal, you realize that all which we behold is full of blessings.
End of sermon.
Also today, I read for the first time about something called Pitt's Brown Bread 🍞 Bill. Here's most of what Wikipedia has to say on this subject:
"The Making of Bread, etc. Act 1800 (41 Geo. III c. 16), also known as the Brown Bread Act or the Poison Act, was a British Act of Parliament that prohibited millers from producing any flour other than wholemeal flour. The act was introduced as one of a series of measures to deal with a severe food shortage, caused at least partly by the poor wheat harvest of 1799. Labourers and their families at that time lived very largely on bread, the price of which could account for more than half of their weekly wages.[1] The act proved to be very unpopular, and impossible to enforce.[2] So concerned was the government by the civil unrest that resulted, the act was repealed after less than two months." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_of_Bread,_etc._Act_1800)
Erdman noted that the reason for the Act was to make the bread unpalatable, therefore insuring that less bread would be consumed, thus solving the food shortage problem so far as bread was concerned. I don't really trust Erdman, so I had a look around to see if what he was saying was true, and I found this:
"Whole wheat flour adds a nutty flavor, firmer texture and rich brown color to those baked goods. Although most health-conscious home cooks might prefer to substitute whole wheat flour for all of the white flour in yeast and quick bread recipes, a 100% whole wheat product will yield disappointing results. Yeast and quick breads rely on gluten for their rise, texture and structure. Whole wheat flour does not develop gluten as well as white flour because it contains fewer gluten-forming proteins…plus, the bran in whole wheat flour can cut the delicate strands of gluten during kneading or mixing. So breads made only with whole wheat flour generally do not rise as high and are heavier and denser in texture. If you are converting some of your own recipes, start by substituting 25-50% whole wheat flour for the white flour." (https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/wheat-flour/)
So I guess he got it on this one.
Day 18 (DDRD 1,406): September 7, 2021
Read to page 364.
Speaking of William Pitt, check this out: "The 'only way to prove a sincere and enlightened regard to the interests and well-being of the poor' was to guard them from 'false and dangerous expectations' of enough to eat." (341)
Um...what?
Somewhere along the way today, Erdman made reference to "Sir Artegall and the Iron Man" by John Hamilton Mortimer. He had me at Iron Man.
And on the side, look at what I just picked up from the library:
$50's worth of Blake, and well worth the price...but it's even nicer to get to look at it for free. My plan is to knock back Jerusalem before the week is out...to coincide (or precede if possible) finishing Blake: Prophet Against Empire. On five. Ready...break!
Day 19 (DDRD 1,407): September 8, 2021
Read to page 380.
Took my book over to #1🌞's house for babysitting duty--since Savannah always has an hour (+) nap during my shift. Got about half of the day's reading done, then put the book on a little table beside the sofa when Savannah got up from her nap. She was extremely interested in the book, so I thought I'd let her page through it.
Bad idea.
Ah, well. We all express our love for William Blake in different ways, I suppose.
Day 20 (DDRD 1,408): September 9, 2021
Read to page 400. Just three days to go at the current pace, and I have to say that I'll be glad. On the one hand, I have gained some insight into Blake's work from reading this, but I am very much put off by Erdman's writing. I wish that I had chosen another book about Blake's work...and I strongly encourage anyone Out There to do so if they are interested in boning up on Blake.
P.S. That nice big book of Blake I got from the library? It does a fantastic job of showing the 100 Plates that make up Jerusalem...but it doesn't include the text separately, and though I'm sorry to admit it, there is just no way I'm going to get through all of that stuff in the handwritten format. It's definitely legible, but there's still a decoding process going on...and it's dense material anyway...and I've only got a couple of days to knock it back if I want to get it in before Alan Moore's Jerusalem (which is my goal). So I took yet another look around on the internets...and lo and behold, found exactly what I was looking for on Wikisource. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Jerusalem._The_Emanation_of_the_Giant_Albion to be exact. It has the plates, but it also has the typewritten (well, "typewritten") text right beneath it. And that--not money--is what I want.
News as it happens.
Day 21 (DDRD 1,409): September 10, 2021
Read to page 420.
Day 22 (DDRD 1,410): September 11, 2021
Was going to write something about 9/11, but it's too much for me. Just going to stick to the books. Not for lack of caring, I assure you.
Read to page 440. Looks like tomorrow will be the last cookie roundup, then. Funny how when I get to this point in any of my DDR books I think, "Well, I'm not actually ready for this to be over." Even in this case, wherein the book wasn't one I enjoyed a whole hell of a lot.
That said, here are some things I enjoyed from Today's Twenty:
I learned a new word: desiderate. I needed Merriam-Webster's help on this one:
desiderate
verb
de·sid·er·ate | \ di-ˈsi-də-ˌrāt , -ˈzi- \
: to entertain or express a wish to have or attain
Good word.
There was also this:
"Blake was never in doubt about the goal: Jerusalem must be built." (436)
Which isn't exactly profound, I know, but it settled into place in my mind like the foundation stone for Jerusalem. Which I think (hope) will help me as I go into Moore's Jerusalem. And Blake's as well, assuming I have the firepower to get through it in the next day. (I'm currently on Plate 4 of 100, so it doesn't seem likely. I suppose I can always read it after I start the Moore novel, but that seems like missing the train, y'know?
I put my book down on my lap to search for the definition of desiderate, and Jet saw an opportunity:
P.S. Speaking of William Blake's Jerusalem...I started in on it in earnest this morning...and when I stopped, I'd only read 9 plates. Of 100. One of those plates (Plate 7) had 754 words. They don't, but if every plate had that much, this would be novel length. And it's not what I'd call easy reading by any means. (Which is not to say that it's not enjoyable, because it is.)
But I'm thinking that my idea that I could knock this out between today and tomorrow is way over-optimistic.
Plan B?
Day 23 (DDRD 1,411): September 12, 2021
Read to page 503. As in The End.
"The finale of Jerusalem is...a hymn to the spiritual regeneration of man and nature." (447)
Well...I wish that this had been a better book. It gave me some background to go into Moore's Jerusalem, but I feel that I could use a bit more. And I'd have to say that I would not recommend this book if you're looking for some insight into William Blake.
But I'm not going to wait, tomorrow I begin Moore's book.
Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it, chile.
DDR Day 1000 to Day 2000:
(1) Leviathan 63 days, 729 pages
(2) Stalingrad 27 days, 982 pages
(3) Life and Fate 26 days, 880 pages
(4) The Second World War 34 + 32 + 40 + 43 + 31 + 32 days = 212 days, 4,379 pages
Sub-Total: 6,970 pages...more than 1/2 of my first 1,000 DDR days total, btw
