So Cambridge has given me 4 texts to read before the start of term: (1) Odyssey Book 19; (2) Lysias 1; (3) Aeneid Book 9; and (4) Cicero's Pro Lege Manilia. I have of course been working diligently to translate them all these past two weeks, but today, my attention was devoted entirely to Paul Auster's trilling New York Trilogy, which I highly recommend. Lesson to be learned: don't study in a bookstore where you are more than likely to be tempted to read the surrounding books. I'm sorry to say that it was actually the cover (by Art Spiegelman!) that first caught my attention.
I know that one mustn't judge a book by its cover, but I've just always been drawn to those pulp magazine-style illustrations. Every time I see one, I start thinking about Thomas Allen, who photographs cut-outs of pulp fiction covers. What's really intriguing about his work is his use of lighting and his tongue-in-cheek arrangement of the pop-ups. You can check out more of his artwork at http://www.foleygallery.com/artists/artist_ins.php3?artist=
These are just some of my favorites.
Back to The New York Trilogy. I'm still reading, but in "The City of Glass," I was completely entranced by Auster's numerous references and reinterpretations of them, including the stories of the Tower of Babel and Humpty Dumpty. Perhaps most interesting of all was the discussion on Don Quixote, and, by extension, the actual dangers and motivations of the imagination. Auster basically concluded that Don Quixote was conducting an experiment of his own on the extent to which people would tolerate the outrageous. The answer: to any extent as long as it continued to amuse them. And this, I think, offers a very nice parallel to Quinn . . . and even myself! It's got me thinking on what fantasies I've fabricated, into what delusions I've engineered my own 'windmills.'
Am I setting myself up for a fall by continuing to pursue the Classics? Who knows. All I can say is that the Classics more than amuses me, and at this point, I can't imagine doing anything else. This very story has also reaffirmed my interest in literature and literary devices, particularly allusions. A friend of mine thinks that the use of allusions, cliches, and the like are an indication of a person's inability to think originally. Well, we're screwed if that's so, seeing as how knowledgeability is universally a sign of wisdom and one's capabilities. I like to think such references are meant to serve as, or at least encourage, commentaries and reinterpretations. This in itself is a popular topic in the Classics, where ancient authors are constantly adopting their predecessors' phrases or referencing their works. But to what purpose? Is it plagiarism, showing-off, a sign of respect, or an attempt to add value to a tradition? Well, I'll have an entire year abroad to draw my own conclusions.
I guess this blog will be good for something.
