To add: By the time S. B. writes "Molloy", he's read Descartes 1st hand,
and, like his grandfather Swift, takes him to task. Descartes statement in
the FIRST MEDITATION, that 'it is possible that God has wished that I should
be deceived every time I add two or three or count the sides of a square, or
form some judgment even simpler, if anything simpler could be imagined,' is
a staggeringly weak ploy. When he gets into "Molloy" S.B. shows how this
literal statement is both symptomatic and symbolic: symptomatic of the
system's failure to approach 'truth,' and symbolic of S.B.'s transformation
of the 'Discourse' into philosophical myth. Utterance minus content.
Nightmare clothed in dark laughter.
Gerald Schwartz
> Yes, and S. B.'s "Whoroscope" was based on Adrien Baillet's late 17th
> century life of Descartes, many lines lifted from it in fact. So there's a
> remove here, I believe, in the way S.B. read Descartes, his life and work.
> Perhaps, something similar to a reading of Einstein based on the
> Glass/Wilson collab.
>
> Best,
> Gerald
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Anny Ballardini" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2002 1:25 PM
> Subject: Re: Beckett & Descartes
>
>
> > I remember quoting that "whoroscope" for Joyce... ohi ohi,
> > thanks Gabriel and Michael,
> >
> > > Far as I recall, Beckett's "Whoroscope" expresses some mild
disagreement
> > > with Descartes'.
> > >
> > > At 10:08 AM 10/23/2002 -0700, you wrote:
> > > >Don;t know why Beckett hated him, but the neurologist Antonio
Damasio's
> > > >Descartes' Error is a wonderful explanation of why Descartes was
wrong
> > > >asbout the nature of reason. Interestingly, one of the factors is
> > implied
> > > >in your characterization "one-way blood vessels"--the brain is
> constantly
> > > >bathed in a hormonal bath, blood-borne and internally generated.
> > > >
> > > >On Wednesday, Oct 23, 2002, at 01:02PM, Anny Ballardini
> > > ><[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >Hi List,
> > > > >
> > > > >A student failed her exam because she could not answer the
following
> > > > >question:
> > > > >?Why did Beckett hate Descartes??
> > > > >is there anybody who has some documentation available at the
moment?
> > > > >
> > > > >I have a personal answer since I don?t like him myself, that
striking
> > > > >rationality could terrify many, I used to call him the one of the
> > one-way
> > > > >blood vessels..., but I guess her teacher would not consider it a
> > proper
> > > > >remark.
> > > > >
> > > > >Thank you, Anny
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> > > Gabriel Gudding
> > > Assistant Professor
> > > Department of English
> > > Illinois State University
> > > Normal, IL 61790
> > > office 309.438.5284
> > > home 309.828.8377
> > >
> > > http://www.pitt.edu/~press/2002/gudding.html
> > >
> >
>
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