Tuesday, October 30, 2007

. . . Continuing w/ the cartoon-age



Michaelis is at his best articulating the appeal of "Peanuts" through the decades. In the 1950s it struck a chord with people feeling guilty over their vague discontent amid historic postwar prosperity (Linus watching a leaf fall: "Nobody's happy where they are"). In the 1960s it expressed the struggle of young people reaching for inchoate freedoms and pondering the meaning of existence (Snoopy, wondering why he was put on Earth: "I haven't got the slightest idea"). More than anything, "Peanuts" upended the belief that childhood is a time of innocence and happiness, for a child's pain is more acute than an adult's. "Charlie Brown reminded people … of what it was to be vulnerable, to be small and alone in the universe, to be human," writes Michaelis, "—both little and big at the same time."

-- From Sharon Begley's review of David Michaelis' "Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography,"

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Mesostic III (Ulysses edition)



. . . But first, here are a couple of pictures of Ettore Schmitz (A.K.A. Italo Svevo) an Italian businessman/author and friend James Joyces' in Trieste, who he used somewhat as a model for his character Leopold Bloom. That's how I always picture Bloom to look.






. . . And here's a mesostic of the 4th episode (Calypso) of Ulysses w/ an index spine from a phrase in the 15th episode (Circe).








liKed
gIblet
stuffeD
muttoN
gavE
faintlY

mOved
breakFast


But
gentLe
mOrning
cOals

Mr


Prr.
scRatch
heAd.
curiouslY,


Form.
tO
heR

bUtton
flaShing

milK
saId.--
unDerstand
thaN
wE
mockinglY.


Of

Filled

warmBubbled
miLk

On
slOwly
tiMes

cliP
afteR.
lAp.
kidneY


Fried
pOrk
sauceR

tongUes

So

creaKy
staIrcase
pauseD
somethiNg
brEad
softlY

gOing
breakFast? a


Brass
jingLed.
thOse
frOm
i'M


Proud
bRains
mAke
propertY

oFfice
secOndhand
pictuRes.

mUtely:
plaSto's

quicKly

Inside
heaDband.
safe.oN
thE
daY

clOthes

Feel


Black
refLects
gO

Of
warMth.


Prefers
yesteRday's
loAves

You


Feel
yOung.
eaRly

sUn,

Steal


Keep

It

Day
techNically.
comE
citY


Old

Faces


By.
crossLegged
smOking
cOiled

Might


Pillars:
scRoll

A
skY.


From
dOorway.
heR

langUage.

Strings

liKe

It
reaD:
iN
thE
larrY


O'rourke's.

Flabby


Bar
m'auLey's
dOwn
pOsition.
traMline

uP
oveR
cAnvassing
mY

oFf
tO
scRewed


Up.
what'S

o'rourKe?
russIans,
they'D
oNly
bE
saY

wOrd:

Funeral

aBout
freshLy
thrOugh
dOorway:--

Mr

uP

Redheaded

And
theY


Findlaters

Or
geneRal

pUzzle
croSs


Kelomen

Inishboffin.
halteD
stariNg
thE
bY.

unsOlved:

Fade.


Breathed
tranquiLly

Of
cOoked
iteMs

sliP
heR
hAnd?
dennY's

wiFe

Oldish.
paiR

saUsages

Snipped

liKe
heIfer.he
moDel
kiNnereth
thE

Young

thOse

Fall


Breeders

Litter,

On

One,
priMe

threePence
foR
cAtch
slowlY,


First
mOrning.
huRry


Up,

Shines.

weaK
wIthin

Duty
iN

Eccles
laY,

intO

Fire


Better
waLked
dOrset
cOmpany.
iMmense


Pay
maRks

And
theY

oF
yOu
cheapeR:

yoU

Sending


. . . And all of this Ulyssesmeshness is in celebration of my having just read it again completely (not an hour ago).