Sunday Literary-ism
By the time most people finish writing a book about something, they usually think the subject is pretty important. Judge Posner is the only person I know of who wrote a whole book about a multidisciplinary field of study, only to conclude that there was no special value in combining the two subjects. Such a book is his 1998 _Law and Literature_.
I basically agree with Posner on this. I think it’s sometimes fun to write about law and literature, but I don’t think it’s very important. However, I do think law and literature share an impulse to give order/shape/structure to human experience. (I realize a lot of other endeavors share that impulse—I’m just saying it’s something the two have in common.)
Wallace Stevens was a lawyer, a businessman, and a fairly significant American poet, at least according to people who view poetry as an academic field. His writing is abstract, but beautiful in its own weird and inscrutable way. One of my favorites (albeit one of his weirdest) is The Idea of Order at Key West. The key part is the last five lines. Here is a chunk from the beginning:
She sang beyond the genius of the sea.
The water never formed to mind or voice,
Like a body wholly body, fluttering
Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion
Made constant cry, caused constantly a cry,
That was not ours although we understood,
Inhuman, of the veritable ocean.
And a chunk from the end. You’re not supposed to know who Ramon Fernandez is. Stevens liked to throw ordinary person- and place-names into his poems.
Ramon Fernandez, tell me, if you know,
Why, when the singing ended and we turned
Toward the town, tell why the glassy lights,
The lights in the fishing boats at anchor there,
As the night descended, tilting in the air,
Mastered the night and portioned out the sea,
Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles,
Arranging, deepening, enchanting night.
Oh! Blessed rage for order, pale Ramon,
The maker's rage to order words of the sea,
Words of the fragrant portals, dimly-starred,
And of ourselves and of our origins,
In ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds.
Read the whole thing.
I basically agree with Posner on this. I think it’s sometimes fun to write about law and literature, but I don’t think it’s very important. However, I do think law and literature share an impulse to give order/shape/structure to human experience. (I realize a lot of other endeavors share that impulse—I’m just saying it’s something the two have in common.)
Wallace Stevens was a lawyer, a businessman, and a fairly significant American poet, at least according to people who view poetry as an academic field. His writing is abstract, but beautiful in its own weird and inscrutable way. One of my favorites (albeit one of his weirdest) is The Idea of Order at Key West. The key part is the last five lines. Here is a chunk from the beginning:
She sang beyond the genius of the sea.
The water never formed to mind or voice,
Like a body wholly body, fluttering
Its empty sleeves; and yet its mimic motion
Made constant cry, caused constantly a cry,
That was not ours although we understood,
Inhuman, of the veritable ocean.
And a chunk from the end. You’re not supposed to know who Ramon Fernandez is. Stevens liked to throw ordinary person- and place-names into his poems.
Ramon Fernandez, tell me, if you know,
Why, when the singing ended and we turned
Toward the town, tell why the glassy lights,
The lights in the fishing boats at anchor there,
As the night descended, tilting in the air,
Mastered the night and portioned out the sea,
Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles,
Arranging, deepening, enchanting night.
Oh! Blessed rage for order, pale Ramon,
The maker's rage to order words of the sea,
Words of the fragrant portals, dimly-starred,
And of ourselves and of our origins,
In ghostlier demarcations, keener sounds.
Read the whole thing.
posted by Isaac Zaur at 8:27 PM
5 Comments:
Does Trustafarian read poetry?
He should. It embiggens the smallest man.
This comment has been removed by the author.
It just occurred to me that the Stevens poem owes something to this much earlier poem by G.M. Hopkins.
In case anyone cares.
As Russian is a more flexible language than English, Russians prefer poetry that rhymes. I've had many an argument with Armen about this.
I know Armen just loves poetry that doesn't rhyme. That's why he hates Pushkin and Rudyard Kipling. I dedicate the following poem to Armen:
I call it "HR 3763 SEC. 1107. Retaliation Against Informants."
Whoever knowingly, with the intent to retaliate, takes
Any action harmful to any person, including interference
With the lawful employment or livelihood of any person,
For providing to a law enforcement officer any truthful information
Relating to the commission
Or possible commission of any
Federal Offense,
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 10 years,
Or both..
Armen can read this poem to Trustafarian if Trustafarian ever comes after Armen for outing him.
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