I just wanted to say that Djuna Barnes, the author of that James Joyce interview, is a great and sadly neglected writer. You can find her other interviews in the collection "Interviews".
Thanks for the post. posted by creasy boy at 8:09 AM on September 13, 2007
This is fucking awesome. In particular, I am delighted to hear about Joyce's vest -- "the most delightful waistcoat it has ever been my happiness to see. Purple with alternate doe and dog heads."
This is a pretty slick post. posted by Greg Nog at 8:27 AM on September 13, 2007
This is pretty cool. The articles on lynching, particularly from the Congressional Digest in 1922 over the debates over the Dyer anti-lynching bill, are really fascinating. Apparently if you Federally prohibit lynching then "the people" won't take it upon themselves to prevent lynching because they'll expect the Feds to do it. Who knew? posted by OmieWise at 8:28 AM on September 13, 2007
Wow. Bookmarked, and thanks for the post. posted by languagehat at 9:10 AM on September 13, 2007
Sweet. posted by caddis at 9:37 AM on September 13, 2007
The article on Krazy Kat is very cool. I hadn't seen any sort of intellectual consideration of comics prior to the 1970's before. That it's for Krazy Kat is not suprising. posted by doctor_negative at 10:53 AM on September 13, 2007
I was going to comment on Joyce's fashion sense too! Seriously, a purple waistcoat covered in alternating doe and dog heads? Huuurrgh. Maybe his underwear had clowns on it.
Not only is the waistcoat ridiculously overornate, the description of it is as well. "[T]he dogs [were] no more ferocious or on the scent than any good animal who adheres to his master through the seven cycles of change." What in the world? The only reference Google gives for "the seven cycles of change" is this very interview. After a bit of searching, I ended up finding this article. Maybe this isn't what Barnes is referring to -- these are are better described as "cycles of seven" than "seven cycles" -- but it's my best guess. If I'm right, the reference is to some obscure philosophy of the Austrian "anthroposophist" Rudolph Steiner. It's not even mentioned in Steiner's rather long wikipedia article. That is a long way to go for a description of some dogs on an ugly waistcoat! posted by painquale at 1:10 PM on September 13, 2007
fabulous stuff--thanks! posted by amberglow at 1:31 PM on September 13, 2007
The Krazy Kat mention on the front pge caught my eye, but there is so much great stuff here - thanks for the tip. I love being able to read some articles about a few things I'm into without the historical revisionism. Like the dada article while it was happening. posted by Slack-a-gogo at 10:26 PM on September 13, 2007
Thanks for the post.
posted by creasy boy at 8:09 AM on September 13, 2007