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The$Extension[s] - New School Archives: Digital Collections
The$Extensions[s]:$Shapes$&$Sounds$ A"Poetry"Radio"Play" " ! ! Multiplicity$in$Language$ Literature!Project! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Submitted!by:!! ! Samantha!Hall! ! ! In!partial!fulfillment!of! The!Master!of!Fine!Arts!Degree! ! Submitted:!!! 5/4/15! ! ! ! Approved!by:!!! ! Laurie!Sheck! ! ! ! Signature!of!Advisor:!!__________________________! ! Approved!by!The!New!School!Writing!Program:!!! ! ! ! $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ The$Extension[s]! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! S! H! A! P! E! S! ! !&! !! S! O! U! N! D! S! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Sam!Hall! Charles!Rivera! ! ! ! 2! A$Brief$Note$ *! ! The!place!where!meaning!exists!is!not!on!the!page.!It!arises!from!the!gaps!in!seeing!a! series! of! shapes,! recognizing! the! shapes! as! letters,! reading! a! word! and,! then,! understanding!a!sentence.!Each!“step”—shape,!letter,!word,!and!sentence—give!rise! to! a! new! symbol! that,! in! turn,! changes! (or! develops)! “meaning;”! it! is! a! process! requiring!prerequisite!knowledge!of!individual!symbols.!The"Extension[s]"is!a!project! interested!in!the!instance(s)!of!communication—which!occur!in!a!place!unknowable! by! author,! speaker,! and! musician—unknowable! because! each! perceiver’s! mind! is! bound!by!their!own!realities,!truths,!history,!ideas,!and!beliefs.! ! Once! words,! sounds,! or! symbols! leave! its! speaker/performer! they! are! waste,! they! are!remnants!of!the!creative!experience.!They!are!severed!from!their!birth!and!the! perceiver’s! must! make! sense! of! them—even! in! nonsensical! poetry! the! reader! attempts! to! reach! an! “understanding”! of! the! text! (Lewis! Carroll’s! poem! “Jabberwocky,”!for!example).!The!failure!of!language!to!effectively!communicate!is! at! the! heart! of! this! project—I! use! the! word! ‘effectively’! because! we! (readers/writers/performers)! expect! or! desire! one! True! reading! of! the! text.! We! want! to! say:! “This! project! is! about! meaning.”! Which! might! be! true,! but! maybe! it’s! not.!How,!though,!can!it!not!be!true!when!this!introduction!has!clearly!explained!the! interest! of! the! writer?! Well,! possibly! for! a! fourteencyearcold! living! in! Gaza! this! ! 3! project!is!about!loneliness,!or!for!a!widow!in!Mexico!City!this!is!about!fearing!God.! What,!then,!is!the!True!meaning!of!the!text?! ! It’s!insufferable!to!argue!that!the!author!has!complete!control!over!meaning!or!that! the!author!is!the!total/complete!authority!of!what!is!to!be!experienced/learned.!It’s! insufferable! because! the! reader/listener/consumer! is! twice! removed! from! the! text/image/music—first! from! within! the! artists! mind! (the! thought)! and! then! from! the!act!of!creation!(pen!to!page!or!brush!to!canvas!or!lips!to!trombone)—and!so,!is! removed! from! intent.! Language! fails! to! communicate! because! once! it! leaves! its! womb! it’s! completely! removed! from! original! context! and! anyone! approaching! the! art/idea/thought! will! bring! their! own! context! (or! “reader! baggage”)! to! the! piece,! creating! an! infinitude! of! meanings/interpretations! because! the! possibility! of! readers/consumers!is!limitless.!! ! Together,!these!words!and!spectograms!are!an!attempt!to!control!the!space!where! meaning!is!created!and!to!eliminate!alternative!wheres"of!communication!to!try!and! get!closer"to!meaning!by!expanding!our!language/vocabulary!to!include!music!and! sound.!It!is!a!sort!of!radio!play;!text!coupled!with!music!and!voice,!to!be!read!and! listened! to! simultaneously,! creating! a! space! where! the! reader! is! listener! and! the! listener!also!reader,!a!consumer!of!every!form.!All!gaps!and!silences!are!filled!except! the!glaring!white!of!the!page—or!screen.!The!white!page!haunts!like!a!phantom!limb! (another!extension);!Recto,!the!black!text!against!a!sea!of!white,!is!like!a!series!of!Jc hooks! caught! in! the! reader’s! pupil;! Verso,! the! responding! music,! is! a! spectrogram! another!speaker!in!the!perceiver’s!ear!and!eye.!!! ! 4! ! Contradiction! undermines! these! speakers! but! in! an! awareness! of! its! authority— Recto!and!Verso!are!both!languages:!blackness!not!whiteness—the!text,!voice,!and! music!move!in!any!and!all!directions!to!search!for!the!answer!to!that!unanswerable! question,!Where?!! !! The! failure! of! language! is! language’s! beauty;! it’s! what! gives! multiplicity.! And! so,! although!this!project!aims!to!control!the!components!of!meaning!making,!it!has!not! succeeded! because! of! the! impossibility! of! obliterating! interpretation.! It! does,! however,!painfully!point!to!its!answer,!as!it!shamelessly!keeps!on.!The)Extension[s]! is! a! failure! of! three! vocabularies! (English/words,! musical! notation/score,! and! audio/sound)!to!point!to!anything.!Where)will!always!change!and!Recto!&!Verso!will! fail!to!say!any!thing.!They!can’t!say!anything.!Yet,!somehow,!meaning!remains.1! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another note: One speaker but two voices uttering past each other, each reaching for the whereness of the place they vibrate from. It is unknowable, but still they keep reaching 1 -SH ! 5! $ Contained$ $ $ *! $ ! ! The!Extension[s]! ! ! ! ! ! A!Brief!Note! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 3! ! ! ! ! ! 8! The!Black!Hole!Monologue! ! ! ! ! 27! The!Residue! ! ! ! ! ! 38! ! ! ! ! 54! ! ! ! ! 75! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Part!I! ! ! Part!II! ! ! The!Lake!of!White! ! ! ! Part!III! ! ! ! ! ! ! *! ! ! Literature!Project!! ! Multiplicity!in!Language! ! Source!Texts! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 6! ! $ Cast$ ! *! ! ! ! ! Recto:!!! ! ! Words! Verso:!!! ! ! Sounds! SH:!! ! ! Black!Hole:!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Footnotes! ! ! Mind(s)! ! ! Residue:!! ! ! ! Mind(s)! ! 7! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The!Lake!of!White! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! " " " " The"world"so"unsure,"unknowable.! ! ! ! ! ! ! cZeami! ! ! ! ! 8! [Wh—?!! ! Wh—?]! ! ! [Wh—?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! Where?]! ! ! ! [Where?]! !!! ! ! ! [No.!!!! No.!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! Listen:!! ! ! No.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! W! ! H! ! E! ! R! ! E! ! ! ?]! ! ! Where"are!we?]! ! ! ! [?]! ! ! [Whcc?!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! 9! ! ! [Where?]! ! ! ! [Nowhere?!! ! Or,!you!don’t!know!where?]! !! !! !! ! [Fine.!I!don’t!know!where!either2!&!I!don’t!know!where!the!ether3!is.!]! ! ! ! ! [I!don’t!know!where!either.!! ! ! I!don’t!know!where!either.!! ! ! &!I!don’t!know!where!either.]!! ! ! ! [But!I!do!know!that!I!shout!and!wear!a!face!here!in!the!where.!And!I!know!that!there! is!a!face!other!than!my!face!here.!A!face!wearing!the!where,!here!in!the!where.!! ! ! ! You!see?!! ! You!see,!you!bloom!bigger.!! ! ! ! The!wearer!is!somewhere!else!out!there.!! ! ! And!they!see!and!hear!us!both.!These!shapes!and!sounds.4]!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 Molloy didn’t know where he was most of the time and the speaker of The Unnamable certainly doesn’t know either. Blanchot’s Thomas was uncertain too, Kelvin in Solaris hallucinated his location a few times I’m sure. In each, their sense of place uncertain and the place of meaning is terrifyingly uncertain. 3 Ei: I; ther: there; I there either in the ether. 4 Words/Recto & Music/Verso: speaking in their own language! ! 10! ! ! ! [No?!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! No.!! Not!here?!! ! ! ! ! ! ! Not!in!this!world?5!! There!is!only!you!and!me?]!! ! ! [No?]! ! ! ! [Are!you!certain?]! ! ! ! ! [Then!we!agree,!there!must!be!a!third.!A!third!to!challenge!us!6]! ! ! ! ! ! [No?!! No!challenge!in!this!world?]! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5!Tupperware world, Kafka’s world, Lispector’s world, Proust’s world, Ahab’s world, Cha’s scattered world, Beckett’s world, Lewis Carroll’s world—as if the world mattered though.! 6 A third leg might I suggest. ! 11! ! ! ! [Oh,!but!I!am!a!little!hook,!I!know!it’s!challenge.!The!continuous!bumble7!of!shapes! from! my! throat,! shaping! a! nothing! face—a! face! from! nowhere,! a! depth,! a! bright! white!buzzing.]!! ! ! ! [White.!! So!white.!! This!world!is!white.]!! ! ! ! ! [The! where! of! this! world! is! not! substance;! the! where! of! this! world! is! white.! Endlessly!white.!!The"what!of!this!world!is!singing!suffer8!!! ! ! ! This!world!is!my!black!in!a!lake!of!milky!white.]!! !! !! ! ! ! ! ![What!little!hook?9!! Where!little!sea?]! ! ! ! ! ! [It!is!a!little!hook!in!a!little!lake!of!white,!my!tongue!blistering.]!! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 Recto is, unfortunately, disconnected from the language it uses—are we in a state of confusion yet? When will we arrive? 8!It’s insufferable! It’s insufferable!! 9 A startling statement; an anecdote; a scenario; a quote; a literary quote; an analogy; a philosophical musing; a shocking statistic; a rhetorical question.! ! 12! ! [No.!No.! !It!can’t!be.!! ! It’s!an!absence,!this!white.]! ! ! ! ! [No?! !No!absence!either?!]!! ! ! ! ! ! ! [Fine.!!!!It!is!nothing.!!! It!is!no!what.!! ! ! ! ! ! It!is!nowhere.! ! ! ! We!are!nowhere.10!]! ! ! ! ! [&!I!don’t!know!where!either.!! ! I!don’t!know!where!either.! ! I!don’t!know!where!the!ether!is!either.!! ! I!don’t!know!where!either.]! ! ! $ $ $ $ $ [[$ But!"" ! But!.!.!.!on!we!must!go!!! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 “Nowhere” is not an absence of where, an absence is a void. The where fills this space. ! 13! ! ! ! ! Bumbling,! bumbling! on.! I’ll! keep! laughing! and! you! keep! buzzing:! the! shapes! and! sounds! will! never! stop.! I! know! them! well.! They! haven’t! stopped! yet—even! when! I’m!dreaming.!I!hear!you!and!I!feel!these!shapes!forming,!I!hear!the!flick!of!the!“D”! off! the! tongue,! and! you,! I! hear! you! too,! breathing.! Always! humming.! Always! breathing!down!my!neck,!coming!from!nowhere,!likely!a!Where!I!wouldn’t!know.!I! can’t! turn! to! welcome! you.11! I! can’t.! I! can’t! turn! to! you! though! you! come! to! me.! Welcome,!welcome!to!me.12!! ! ! No.!! No.!! ! ! ! ! What!am!I!saying?!! ! ! ! You!are!the!buzzing!white!that!surrounds!me.!! ! ! ! You!surround!me!and!speak.!! ! ! Never!saying!anything.!! ! ! ! ! Nothing.! ! ! ! But!always,!always,!you!vibrate.! !!!! ! ! ! ! ! Listen:!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11Verso fails the listener and Recto fails the music. They speak past each other, they say nothing, they get nowhere nearer their goal. They sink faster in their search thinking the white hunts them—when really they’ve already pierced it, come out of it alive. They should’ve learned a lesson from old Ahab.!! 12A general invite: hello, hallo. What if we met eye to eye? ! 14! ! ! ! ! Tell!me,!Where?]! !! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [Where?]! ! ! ! ! [Wh—?]! ! ! ! ! ! [Nowhere?!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! No!world?!! ! No!what?!! And!here!I!am!still!bumbling.]! !! ! ! ! [But!!! ! But! at! least! .! .! .! at! least! I! know! this! world! is! here" and! probably! not! there—where!there!is!the!eventchorizon.!In!this!world,!here!is!the!crate!that!cradles! consciousness.!It!is!the!edge!of!escaping!white,!the!light!always!creeping.!In!this!light! is!where!I!have!a!face,!my!face!the!imprint!on!a!page.]!!! ! ! ! 15! ! [My!apologies,"this!page.!! These!pages:!all!of!this!my!face.!! ! ! ! ! ! Can’t!you!see!my!curve?!Can’t!you!see!this!dint?]! ! ! ! [No.!No.!! No,!of!course!you!can’t,!this!page!is!just!a!veil.!! ! ! ! ! Blinding!white.!Blinding!screen.!But!maybe!you!sense!my!sound?!This!squeal,!these! squeaks! and! squawks.! You! know,! I! sense! yours,! that! wretched! racket.! Always! breathing!down!my!neck.13!Tell!me:!from!where!do!you!bellow?]! ! ! ! ! ! [Ah!!! Here!!! ! ! Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " " But,!is!here!not!also!where?]! ! ! ! ! [No.!! Nowhere?14! !Two!sides!of!the!same!coin!likely.]! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 13 Breathing is speech too. Body language is the language of the nervous system. 14! Nowhere is not as an absence of “where,” but is a presence of “not anywhere,” neither here nor there.! ! 16! ! [Wait!!!! ! ! The!third,!remember!the!third!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! [Look!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lookatme!!! ! ! ! ! We! are! here! and! the! third! is! there,! where! is! the! place!around!here!and!there—we!all!have!a!face.]!! See!my!curve—these!muscles!flex!!! See!you’ve!made!me!wince!]! ! ! ! [No,!you’re!right,!I!suppose!I!don't!wince.!That’s!right.!I!am!stiff!and!stay,!always,!in! this!place.!!But!I!do!know!that!I!have!a!face.!!! ! ! ! And!here!! !Here,!I!float!!! ! ! ! This!place,!wherever!it!is,!I!substantiate.]! ! ! ! [No?! !No,!! I!can’t!change?!! ! ! ! ! ! 17! ! ! ! Bring!S.H.!back!15!! ! ! ! She!can!change!me.!She!will!change!me.!She!would!change!me!and!this!space!would! shudder.!You’d!see!me!differently!and!would!not!sing!so!]! ! ! ! [No?]! ! ! ! ! ! [But,!this!is!my!face!!! ! You!can’t!fool!me;!I!know!your!old!tricks.]! ! ! ! ![Your!old!tricks!!!! ! ! ! I! see! your! sounds! but! I! don’t! know! where! they! come! from.! They! bounce! between! spaces—they!fill!the!silence,!that!nasty!depth.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! It’d!be!so!vast!without!you.]! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15 Poor creature, poor creature. ! 18! [No,! no,! you’re! right.! The! silence! isn’t! nasty.! The! silence! feels! full! and! I! feel! empty! trying!and!trying!to!fill!it.!! ! ! ! Trying!to!fill!the!white.!! ! ! ! ! The!white,!white,!whiteness.]! ! ! ! ! ! [! ! !.!.!.! ! ]! ! [Stop!!!! NO!!! ! ! ! ! ! Don’t!mock!me!!! ! ! ! ! ! !In!this!here,!I!still!utter!though!the!silence!creeps!in!writhering!and!wriggling.!! ! ! ! ! 19! ! ! I!can!feel!its!tingle.!I!can!feel!the!prickle.]! ! ! ! [No?!! ! ! ! ! ! You! say! no,! always! no,! but! still! you! speak! to! me.! You! hear! these! mutterings,! these! lines,! the! curve,! the! tittle—that! inconspicuous! dot—the! letter,! the! word.! Do! I! not! cry! sentence?16! ! ! ! ! Then!why!do!you!speak!too?!! ! ! ! ! ! Oh,!but!I!do!hear!you,!that!wretched!racket.!! ! ! ! ! Always,!always!breathing!down!my!neck.]! ! ! ! [No?!!! Not!speech?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 16 Crying question! ! 20! I!see.! ! ! ! Oh,!! ! oh.! ! But!then!whom!am!I!talking!to?! ! ! ! No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! .! .! .!! .!! .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! I!have!a!mouth!and!a!wet!tongue!that!rests!heavy!on!my!jaw.!I!am!speaking.!I!feel!the! spittle!gather.]! ! ! ! [No?! ! !Not!saliva,!no?!! ! ! ! ! Then!what,!! what!is!this!wetness!that!springs!from!my!throat?]! ! 21! ! ! ! ! [No?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No!throat?]! ! ! ! [But!my!swallow!gulps!&!my!mouth!tholes!]! ! ! ! [I!am!speaking!!! ! ! ! I!speak!!I!contest!]! ! ! [Can’t! you! hear! the! flick! of! my! tongue! shaping! sound?! These! words.! You! hear! me,! you!always!cry!back.!And!I,!I!hear!you!too.!Always!buzzing!in!the!nonsense!of!this! empty!whereness.]! ! !! !! ! ![In!this!whereness!I!shout!! ! ! ! Ma! ! ! ! Ja! ! ! 22! ! ! !De,!! ! ! ! Fe,!Le,!! ! ! Li,!! ! ! Ko,! ! ! ! ! ! !Tu!!!!!!! ! ! ]! ! ! ! ! ! [—Nonsense! ! ! ! —Nonsense.]! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ![M! a! M! a!! M! a! M! a17! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 17 As if John Cage’s “Empty Words” were here—sounds as words, language fails us but still we have this nature to speak from our bowels. To make noise and attach something to it, always the mother. In this instance a faceless mother, also silent. ! 23! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ah,! they! glisten! memory!! Glisten! marigold!! Mother!! That! white! robe! and! we,! the! daughter,!swaddled!in!her!cloak.!Our!face!tumbling!down!the!blinding!white.!How!it! droops,!how!we!never!stop!rumbling.!Your!face!singing,!my!face!searching.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Ma,!! Ma,!! Ma,!! Ma! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Or,!our!face!the!where,!our!face!the!first,!the!second!and!third—here,! there,!and!where.!I!shape!shapes!and!you!a!constant!hum!at!the!back!of!my! brain,!the!white!pushing!us!on!and!on!and!on.!]!! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! [Go!on.!! Go!on!and!mock!me.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 24! ! ! ! I!know!you!laugh!at!my!mutterings!though!we!both!fail!to!say!anything.]!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! [&! Now,! now! I! fear! the!where—that!horrid!silence— is! creeping! in,! that! together! we! create!the!third!.!.!.]! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 25! ! ! ! [! .! .! .! No.! No.! That! can’t! be—if! we! were! the! where! there! wouldn’t! be! this! yawning! gap.! I! wouldn’t! ask! you! where,! and!if!I!did,!you’d!tell!me:!! !!!here.!I!know! my! place! and! you! know! yours.! But,! no,! there!is!no!place.!We!are!nowhere.!We!are! flapping!in!the!jaw!of!a!dog,!dripping!from! its! tongue.! We! lull! in! this! space! and! I! am! filled!with!space!and!I!hear!you!and!think! that!you!can!hear!me.!You!discuss!with!me,! at! least.! But,! maybe! you! can’t! hear! me,! maybe! this! is! just! my! Sunday! rambling.! I! doubt!you!hear!me.!You!can’t!see!my!face;! you! only! see! these! shapes.! I! doubt! I! even! hear!you.!I’ve!just!made!you!up!to!keep!me! company.! I! doubt! these! hooks! and! their! blackness.! I! doubt! I’m! even! standing— maybe! on! the! top! of! my! head,! my! title,! is! true.!I,!an!extension!of!you?!Born!without!a! face!that!bursts!into!whiteness.!Something! to! do! when! there! isn’t! a! thing! to! think! about.!Nothing!to!do!but!think.!Nothing!to! do! but! bumble18.! And! I’m! not! even! sure! you’re! listening—you! haven’t! made! a! single! sound,! scrolling! so! silent19.! How! polite,!how!polite!to!just!let!me!go!on!as!we! wait!here,!where!ever!we!are.!]! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 18 In each there is a will to continue, there is a natural cycle to begin again. This project begins by questioning where and ends with referencing where. A full circle, we haven’t moved an inch. 19 Forms are also a concern; this is a text that is meant to be experienced in many different forms, which invariably changes the infinite potentially of meaning in the unnamable. By introducing another mode of communication we add more variables to the “where” of communication and so the scrolling is infinite, the listening is infinite, and the meanings are infinite.!!! ! 26! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The!Black!Hole!Monologue! ! " " " " " " " " " " " " All"writing"is"a"graven"silence." ! !!!!!cEdmond!Jabès!! ! ! 27! How! to! do! what! you! do?! Sitting! there.! Trading!one!thought!for!the!next.!Are!you! reading! in! between! the! lines?! Possibly! speaking.!Tell!me:!how!does!the!shape!flit! so! quickly! from! my! mind! to! my! hand?! This!hand!that!knows!to!turn!them!out!in! curves.!Do!you!know!you!can!wind!in!the! wind!just!as!the!winding!wind!whines!on! and!on?!It!reminds!me!of!the!time!it!took! to!say!hello!to!your!passing!by.!As!though! you! were! a! passercby! going! on! forever.! You! never! stutter,! even! when! this! hand! trembles.! Sometimes! these! fingers! forget! the! curve! and! instead! remember! red.!! How! to! say! hello! in! color?! It! flits! fleeing! for! the! blackness! and! I! reserve! myself! to! observation.! The! young! boy! in! a! baseball! cap,! flatcbilled.! Not! broken.! Tells! his! mother! to! SHUT! THE! FUCK! UP.! The! mother! looks! past! him,! then! past! me,! saying,! I! NEVER! ASKED! FOR! THIS.! Stand! clear!the!doors.!Stand!clear!the!thought!of! fleeing.!I!am!thinking!of!what!it!means!to! stand! up! for! ferocity.! Bare! your! teeth.! Fight!the!feeling!to!take!my!face.!I!wonder! and! wonder! and! bumble! and! bumble! about.! Spacectime! seems! not! to! mind! in! any! case.! Time! heals! everything! but! Spacectime! tells! you:! YOU! KNOW! NOTHING.!You!an!atom!of!an!atom!of!the! atom! of! an! Adam! of! an! atom! of! an! atom! ! 28! down!to!your!infinitude.!Could!you!spring! naked! through! the! winter! sun?! I! beg! you! to!come!my!way.!I’ll!eat!you!up,!trap!you.! There’s! more! of! me! waiting! for! you.! I! wade! in! the! depths! of! boredom,! calling! you!to!draw!near.!You!saw!me!off!and!up! into!the!white,!my!halo.!I!beg!you!to!stay.! My!heart!is!just!as!fleeting!as!thought!and! I! tried! to! spit! you! out.! Weren’t! you! warned!before!you!walked!in?!It!has!to!be! this! way;! you! can’t! lead! me! by! the! hand! even! though! I’d! trust! your! judgment.! Do! you!like!the!terrain?!Here,!we!can!bumble! and!bumble!about.!I!knew!I’d!lose!sight!of! you! and! your! birth.! From! where! do! you! spring! forth,! naked! and! wet! as! you! emerge?! I! am! fertile.! My! mind:! a! womb.! Mother.! Mother! thought.! Mother! tongue.! Mother’s! mother.! My! Other.! Other! is! where!we!utter.!My!mother!woombrain!in! the!other.!From!Other!we!utter!birth.!!My! woombrain! the! home! of! you.! My! woombrain! says! HELLO,! HOW! ARE! YOU?! My! woombrain! wants! to! talk! to! you.! Tell! it! why! the! caged! bird! sings.! My! woombrain! aches! to! speak.! But! I! know! it! just!keeps!on!muttering!about.!Would!you! cry! for! your! freedom! too?! Move! away! from! the! event! horizon—you! don’t! want! infinitude.! Forever! you’d! wade! in! black! water.! Black! on! black! on! black! on! black.! ! 29! This! ship! is! sinking.! I! found! the! hole! where! the! big! black! blackness! seeps! in.! I! let! it! seep.! It! seeps! when! you! sleep.! It! never! forgets! but! somehow! you! lose! it.! You!forget.!It!never!forgets.!It!begs!you!to! remember! calling! HELLO.! Waiting! on! recollection,! you! remember! waiting,! yes?! Waiting! and! waiting.! I’ve! waited! for! the! better! half! of! a! thousand! years.! Maybe! not,! but! likely! so,! or,! no,! yes,! I’ve! uttered! before.! I’ve! been! waiting! for! another! utterance,! another! chance.! Surely,! you’ve! heard! me! speak! when! you,! too,! were! wading! in! the! darkness.! Which! is! not! to! say! that! we! are! in! lightness,! that! brightness.! Not! enlightenment.! Possibly! awareness.! Swimming! in! awareness:! whiteness.! The! more! you! are! aware,! the! bigger! the! circumference,! the! bigger! the! space! around! the! circumference.! That’s! the! darkness.! It! is! just! out! of! reach.! And! what!is!infinitely!out!of!reach?!The!more!I! know,! the! less! I! know! because! the! larger! the! circumference.! The! larger! the! circumference!the!larger!the!space!I!must! inhabit.!Do!I!inhabit?!And!if!I!do,!how!do!I! do! it?! When! you! look! upon! my! face?! Or,! am! I! always,! infinitely! resting! on! my! haunches,! mouth! firmly! taut?! The! more! I! know!the!less!I!know.!The!more!I!know!I’ll! always,! never! be;! the! more! I! feel! certain! ! 30! that! I! am! and! will! continue! to! be.! Someone!said:!he!who!learns!most!knows! nothing.!No.!Someone!said:!he!who!knows! nothing! learns! the! most.! What! have! we! learned?! We! are! in! whiteness! not! in! darkness! but! we! are! surrounded! by! the! big! black! blackness.! And! how! much! do! you! know?! And! how! do! you! know! you! know! it?! I! think.! No.! You! think.! No.! You! think! and! I! think.! Do! we! think! together?! No.! I! don’t! know.! I! don’t! think! I! think.!! How!could!that!be?!Do!I!spring!forth!from! myself?! ! Do! I! slur! myself?! Do! I! utter?! When! is! a! word! a! slur?! Is! it! at! misunderstanding?! A! slur! is! at! the! point! of! departure.! I’m! thinking! of! when! you! thought! this! was! a! story.! I! know! I! am! I! because!my!little!dog!knows!me.!I!have!no! little! dog.! I! circle! and! have! circles.! These! circles! think.! Possibly! the! circumference! thinks.! Possibly! the! big! black! blackness! thinks.! Does! the! big! black! blackness! know?! Does! it! know! it! knows?! Possibly! the!big!black!blackness!laughs!in!my!face.!! Giggle,! Gaggle,! Giggle.! ! You,! too,! laugh! in! my! face.! I’m! not! afraid! because! my! face! laughs!at!you.!My!face!knows!your!limited! access! to! me.! Do! you! see! beyond! the! word?! The! thought,! perhaps?! Think! beyond! the! thought.! Think! before! the! thought.!What!comes!first:!the!sign!or!the! ! 31! signified?! The! sign! points! the! signified! at! you:! HELLO.! Say! HELLO.! The! sign! wants! to! be! seen.! ! It! flashes! the! signified.! It! flashes! the! signified.! It! flashes! the! signified.! What! do! your! eyes! see?! They! see! what! they! want! to! see.! They,! too,! speak.!Extend!the!meaning.!Tell!your!eyes! to! stop! searching,! they’ve! already! found! me.! This! little! nest! of! hooks,! a! home! for! these!ragged!haunches.!Worn!thin!but!not! worn!out.!They’ll!keep!wearing!just!as!my! face! wears! this! space.! HELLO.! How! to! recycle! the! cycle?! Pull! from! the! thought! and! bring! the! woombrain! to! attention.! Tell! it! to! STOP.! Tell! it! HELLO.! Hell! is! where!the!O!stands.!Hell!is!in!and!out!of!O.! It!skirts!the!circumference,!wears!it!like!a! dress.! Sashay.! Sashay.! What! is! it! under! this! skirt?! A! hole?! Or! a! stick?! Socket! status.!Lift!and!you!will!find!value.!Value!1! and! Value! 2.! Which! do! you! value! more?! Think.!Think.!Think.!One!is!sleek!and!two! is! curved.! 1! &! 2! a! pair! of! turnips! in! the! sun;!1!&!2!a!set!of!tumblers!on!the!bar;!1! &! 2! a! group! of! words! on! a! page:! a! gathering!that!says!GO!ON.!Keep!going!on.! Where!does!it!lead!you?!1!&!1!is!two.!2!&! 2! is! two.! A! pair! is! a! group! is! a! set! is! a! couple.! It! asks:! IS! THERE! MORE?! From! where!does!More!come?!HELLO?!Is!More! in!the!belly!of!the!radius?!Is!More!outside! ! 32! the! circumference?! If! I! were! a! betting! being! I’d! bet! More! was! waiting! for! you.! Say! HELLO.! It! might! come! to! you.! Like! I,! More!waits!and!waits!and!waits!with!1!&! 2.! Continue,! here.! We’ll! find! our! way,! certainly.! Certainly,! I’m! not! one! to! keep! you! guessing! but! I! could! stop! at! any! moment.!Take!pause.!A!moment!of!silence! for! all! unspoken! speech! and! forgotten! litanies,! for! the! podium! and! poetry! swelling! in! the! belly! of! the! big! black! blackness.! How! is! it! birthed?! The! woombrain! clings! to! its! darlings,! begs! them! to! stay.! They! say! HELLO,! LET! ME! GO.! They! do! not! slur.! Listen.! Listen.! Listen.! Listen.! Listen.! Woombrain! wants! to! speak.! Its! mouth! is! yours! and! your! mouth!is!mine.!!Speak.!What!do!you!say?! How!do!you!say?!Is!your!mind!my!mind?! We" are! on! the! same! page.! We! are! in! the! white;! the! big! black! blackness! surrounds! us.! Look! up.! Look! out.! What! you! see! doesn’t!know!me.!What!you!see!I,!too,!see.! It! repeats:! a! little! dog;! a! flatcbilled! hat;! a! rough!and!choppy!stream.!In!early!spring! the! magnolia! tree! will! bloom.! The! girls! will!wear!their!hair!in!a!bun!and!then!they! will! cut! it! short! and! the! boys! will! grow! theirs! in! stringing! strands! and! then! they! will!wear!a!bun!on!the!top!of!their!heads.! The!big!blackness!sees.!It!is!the!big!black! ! 33! blackness!that!speaks.!The!whiteness,!this! whiteness! is! a! vessel! for! speech.! ! A! vase! for!an!orchid,!a!bowl!for!dinner!mints,!dip! your! hand! in! and! take! a! peek.! The! margins! are! only! present! if! you! acknowledge! them.! Ignore! them.! Ignore! the! urge! to! quit! quitting,! keep! quitting,! and! keep! starting! again.! Begin! again.! Go! on.! Keep! bumbling.! We’ll! toddle! along! with!eyes!for!mouths!and!mouths!for!ears! and! ears! for! eyes.! I! speak.! I! think.! I’ve! caught! the! waves! crashing! at! my! feet.! Speak.! Say! HELLO.! Have! you! found! me! crashing?! Ceasing?! I! know! I! waited! patiently,! cresting.! Often,! there! was! a! light—yellow!and!smoldering—at!the!end! of! the! pier.! It,! too,! waited! patiently.! For! the! moon! to! set;! for! the! sun! to! rise;! I! moved!on.!There!was!always!a!moving!on! movie,!a!life!lesson!taught!in!between!the! lines!of!trying.!No.!No,!it’s!not!moving.!It’s! this! way.! No,! it’s! this! way.! No,! it’s! that! way,! infinitely.! Repeat.! Repeat.! Repeat.! What! are! you! doing?! What! is! your! thought?! Are! you! thinking! of! coffee! and! jam! and! toast! in! the! morning?! Are! you! wishing!for!a!martini,!stiff!with!olives?!If!I! were! a! betting! being,! I’d! bet! you! were! repeating.! You! know! you! know! the! beginning.!I!bet!you!know!where!you!are! going:!TO!THE!END!!You’ll!make!it!all!the! ! 34! way;! I’m! sure,! nodding! and! nodding! along.! Go! on.! Keep! going.! You’ll! make! it! there;! you’re! already! there.! You! can! end/stop/start/bloom! again! whenever! you! choose.! Keep! going! though;! keep! going,! to! the! proverbial! light! at! the! proverbial! end! of! the! proverbial! tunnel.! Go!on.!You’ll!make!it!there.!I!see!the!light.! Or,!rather,!the!darkness.!It!tells!me!when! to!stop.!I!only!know!when!I!know!when!its! time! to! stop! when! I! know.! Not! before! or! after,! but! when." I! don’t! know! now! and! I! won’t! know! tomorrow! but! it! will! end! anyway.! I! will! end! anyway.! It! tells! me! when!to!stop.!It!seeps!in!this!sinking!ship.! Haven’t!you!heard!the!sun!is!burning?!It!is! burning.! If! it! is! burning! it! must,! at! some! point,! stop—it! will! cease—but! still,! even! then,! it! will! continue:! the! sun! being! a! being! and! the! sun! ebbing.! It! moves,! as! it! wants! to.! I! move,! as! I! want! to.! It! and! I! move! as! we! want! but! still! we! are! the! same.! We—the! sun! and! me—are! I! and! you,! too,! are" I.! I! say! right! and! you! think! left.! I! say! ‘I’! and! you! think! ‘you.’! No! one! will!see!the!way!that!I!want!them!to—they! will! read,! as! they! want! to! see! and! hear.! The! closing! doors! tell! me! this! means:! SELECTION.! Pick! your! battles.! I! say:! COMB.! And! you! see.! But! you! don’t! see! what! I! see! instead! you! see! a! pick.! I! say:! ! 35! THE! FINE! TOOTH! COMB! ON! THE! GOLD! SHELLACKED! VANITY.! But! “finectoothed”! is! not! enough,! still! you! don’t! see! what! I! see:! the! floral! wallpaper,! the! black! and! white! photograph! of! your! Greatc Grandmother! E! Vella! Whitaker,! the! horsehair! brush,! and! the! vial! of! lavender! oil.! Tell! me! what! do! you! see! and! how! do! you! see! it?! What! causes! the! birth! of! one! image! and! the! abortion! of! another?! How! do! you! say! HELLO?! Tell! me:! WHAT! IS! YOUR! COMB?! How! do! you! see! what! you! see?! Let! me! spring! forth.! I! bounce! between!the!space!with!an!eye!and!an!ear.! I!hear!you,!Verso.!Recto,!I!know!your!face.! Where! is! your! silence?! Haven’t! you! waited!for!the!black!to!seep!in,!sinking?!I! look!past!you!but!I!can’t!ignore!you.!There! was! a! worm! this! morning! that,! I! swear,! called!for!you!by!name.!It!dried!up!in!the! sun!with!the!grass!seed!and!broken!glass.! It!had!no!last!requests.!It!said,!“You,!You,! You!”! I! blinked;! I! nodded! along,! thought! “I.”!I!wished!to!remember!the!yellow!light! and! bumbling.! It! was! easier! as! an! observer.! There! was! never! time! for! questions,!I!tried!to!take!it!all!in.!I!tried!to! ask! for! forgiveness.! I! begged! for! the! flatc billed! boy! to! stay.! He! told! me! to! SHUT! THE! FUCK! UP.! I! moved! away,! moved! on.! There! were! no! questions.! The! answers! ! 36! sought! themselves! in! a! whirlwind.! We! could!inch!our!way!back!to!the!beginning.! Repeat,! repeat! monotony.! Recall! the! thought.!Recall!that!you!are!sitting.!Recall! that! you! have! found! yourself! at! the! edge! of! uncertainty.! You! are! the! radius.! Challenge!your!center!of!gravity.!You!can! push!it!further.!Out.!Out.!Out.!If!you!are!a! person! then! you! are! per! sun.! Made! possible! by! a! woombrain.! Made! possible! in!part!by!you,!and!the!white,!and!the!big! black! blackness.! It! is! like! negation.! Like! knowing! you! are! because! you! are! not.! Wait.!No.!Like!knowing!a!blue!jay!because! it! is! not! a! dog.! How! do! I! know! what! I! know?! Because! it! told! me,! it! reached! across! the! white! and! said! HELLO.! It! was! begging! to! be! seen.! I! could’ve! looked! the! other! way! but! I! learned! to! lean! in.! Learned! how! to! say! HALLO.! Hallowed! is! this! ground! of! utterance.! How! to! speak! when!there!is!nothing!to!say;!when!it’s!all! been! said! before?! I! dare! you! to! say! something!new.!I!dare!you!to!speak.!! ! ! ! 37! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The!Residue! ! ! ! ! ! [W]hat"seems"like"a"lack"of"meaning—that’s"the"meaning. ! ! cClarice!Lispector! ! ! ! 38! Mind(s)"in"76"fragments"(a"remembering):""" " 1.!! ! It!is!blue,!blue,!blue,!bluer!than!the!recesses!of!the!Artic.!! ! 2.! ! My!mind!is!a!mine!of!minds!waiting!here!on!the!warmer.!! ! 3.! ! On!a!mountainside!a!goat!asks!for!its!own!patch!of!earth!and!in!the!valley!a!farmer! reaches!for!his!axe.!There!is!a!tick!on!his!sleeve.!In!three!days!his!elbow!will!swell!to! a!sweating!red!bulb!of!flesh.!!The!goat!will!keep!eating.! ! 4.! ! I!flit.!I!flutter.!I!am!fluttering.! ! 5.! ! Yes,!yes,!yes,!all!at!the!same!time.!Every!voice!all!the!time!and!always!happening!and!! ! 39! never!ending!and!always,!always!going!and!going.!There!is!typing!and!scribbling!and! an!uttering!of!continued!utterings.!All!at!the!same!time,!always,!always!spat!out!in! the!tender,!early!night.!Whatever!is!said!is!closest!to!the!moment!of!trying.!! ! 6.! ! It!is!all!the!same,!all!the!time,!always.!! ! 7.! ! My!mind!is!time.!!! ! 8.! ! Blue,"I"want"you,"Blue.!I!want!you!ripple!&!blue!&!bumble!&!on!&!on!like!struggle.!! ! 9.! ! I!don’t!shout.!I!mind!my!mind.!! ! 10.! ! I!remember!the!first!sky!after!a!rain!and!how!the!evening!star!perched!in!waiting!for!! ! 40! the!blackness.!There!was!porch!in!peeling!white!and!a!small!yard!overgrown!with! Andromeda,!cascades!of!white!blossoms!always!the!first!to!bloom,!I!remember!still! the!chill!of!those!mornings!with!a!mind!full!of!wishing.!Always!a!blue!jay,!always!a! robin!and!a!cardinal,!a!grieving!dove!and!Tom!Albertson’s!truck!covered!in!dust.!!! ! 11.! ! Here!is!a!pile!of!black!pikes!in!a!lake!of!milk.!This!tongue:!a!black!pike.! ! 12.! ! It!is!noon.!It!is!the!first.!Go!on.!! ! 13.! ! My!eye!for!an!I,!my!mind!for!a!line.!! ! 14.! ! My!mind!dreams!in!sound!and!traffic!lights.!! ! ! ! 15.! ! 41! ! There!is!no!image!in!the!mind,!no!real!creator!creation.!It!is!a!coalmine!of!color.!!! ! 16.! ! I!make!you!up!remembering!the!crosswalk!at!Cherokee!on!Sunday!afternoons.!! ! 17.! ! I!don’t!know!my!mind.!I!don’t!know!the!billows!of!Andromeda!in!new!life.!! ! 18.! ! I!flick!thought.!My!eyes!and!mind!and!I!flick!thought.!I!flutter.!! ! 19.! ! My! mind! is! in! the! credits.! It’s! speaking.! When! it! speaks! I,! too,! speak.! And! all! the! words!of!ever!and!evermore!flow!forth!in!tides,!crashing!in!a!look!of!luck.!A!comet! and!a!spine,!splintering.!Try!once!more.!! ! ! 20.! ! ! 42! My! mind! is! fleeing.! It! has! often! led! me! in! an! indirect! way.! A! Cheshire! this! thought! with! its! claws.! I! should! hold! my! own! hands;! hold! the! mind! to! keep! from! fragmenting.!I!remember!cracking!in!the!belly!of!earth!as!it!froze!in!fastcforward.!!I! groped!and!found!a!cache!of!vacuity.!!I!spoke!silence.!I!uttered!not.!I!was!unable.!! ! 21.! ! Welcome!mind.!Welcome!white.!Hola!blue!and!halo!buzz.!! ! 22.! ! Like!Little!hook.!Like!Little!sea.! ! 23.! ! Find! my! mind—then,! find! me!! A! mind! full! of! hives:! the! honey! is! for! your! heart! it! helps! you! bleed.! The! honey! will! help! you! sleep.! It! will! help! you! dream.! The! honey! will!heal!your!infant.!It!will!help!you!sleep.!! ! ! ! 24.! ! Foolish,!foolish!me,!what!a!foul!fool!I!am.!There!is!no!water!in!the!soup.!! ! 43! ! 25.! ! I!am.!I!am!I,!an!I"unable!to!see.!! ! 26.! ! I!am!the!moon.! ! 27.! ! The! refusal! to! tuck! away! is! like! a! song! from! the! gullet! that! quivers! and! hums.! It! starts!in!the!bowels!and!begs!for!a!turn!to!belt:!I,!TOO,!AM!I.! ! 28.! ! I!feel!mind.!I!feel!like!a!sprouting!sack!of!spiders.!! ! ! ! 29.! ! &!!Sound!&!speech:!my!mind.!! 30.! ! 44! ! I!will!not!utter!not:!Not!line,!not!word,!not!curve,!not!tittle,!not!em,!not!en,!not!font.! ! 31.! ! My!mind!a!minefield!of!minds.!! ! 32.! ! This!is!a!line!on!swerve.!On!line,!it!swerves!where!X!marks!the!spot!and!where!three! X!marks!the!price.!! ! 33.! ! Time!is!of!mind.!!! ! 34.! ! Nonsense.!Flutter!black.!Buzz!white.!Flutter!mind,!Flutter!I.!! 35.! ! On!and!on!and!on:!my!face!for!an!I."" ! 36.! ! 45! ! A!mug!waiting!for!the!body!to!rise!asks!the!moon!to!sink.!The!moon!is!I!and!I!will!not! the!body!to!resist.!To!dare!to!forget!that!worried!wart!on!the!chin!of!Tom,!his!hands! damp!with!mud.!! ! 37.! ! I!make!you!up,!my!mind.!I!make!you!up,!my!time.!! ! 38.! ! I!am!this!line,!and!that!line,!and!the!line!before!that!line.!! ! 39.! ! A!dock!waiting!for!the!tide!to!rise!asks!the!sun!to!shine.! ! ! 40.! ! I!am!I;!a!foul!fool!lying!like!the!spoiled!onion!is!the!ruin!of!a!garden.!! ! 41.! ! ! 46! There!is!no!one!that!listens.!These!are!the!birds!that!speak!first.!! ! 42.! ! I!am!noon,!every!noon.!Every!afternoon!in!labor,!begrudgingly.!! ! 43.! ! I!descend!and!ascend!simultaneously.!Follow!me!forward:!it!is!the!same.!Follow!me! back:!it!is!the!same.!! ! 44.! ! Where!is!your!song,!Blue!Jay?! .!! 45.! ! It!circles!and!sighs! 46.! ! The!moon!is!I.!It!is!I!the!needle!neck!liar.!! ! 47.! ! ! 47! Remember!the!curve!of!the!stomach!unclothed!in!summer.!! ! 48.! ! I!see!you.!I!see!you.!I!see!I.!I!see!me.!It!is!all!the!same.!! ! 49.! ! The!sun!obliges.!There!is!a!bowing!and!a!thank!you,!thank!you,!thank!you.!I!recall!a! violence!severance!from!the!instance.! ! 50.! ! Mine,!is!a!song!of!minds,!clamoring!for!the!one!true!truest!I."" " " 51.! ! The!questioning!period!will,!too,!pass.!Like!giving!up,!one!remembers!that!it!never! matters!what!is!remembered.! ! 52.! ! Like!a!rock!in!the!sun,!it!waits!for!rain!to!speak.!! ! 48! 53.! ! That!time!was!a!different!mind.!This!time!is!a!different!mind.!It,!too,!is!all!the!same.!! ! 54.! ! A!tired!eye!in!the!throes!of!a!hurricane:!I!AM!NOT!HOW!I!SEEM.! ! 55.! ! How!is!it!that!you!perceive!like!a!person!of!the!sun?!There!is!a!reptilian!brain.!! ! 56.! ! In!the!recesses!of!memory,!one!finds!the!time!to!paint.!! ! 57.! ! What!a!thought!to!think!of!an!instinct!at!the!back!of!the!throat!that!waits.!! ! 58.! ! In! winter,! light! through! the! trees! spikes! the! white! earth! and! mind! recalls! how! the! magnolia!tree!would!give!its!shade.!! ! 49! 59.! ! A! cold,! white! light! that! guides! forgets! to! quiet! in! the! absence! of! a! bright,! and! wandering!sky.!When!it!begs!for!rest,!the!child!shows!a!weakness.!Just!like!the!cat! that!begs!an!hour!too!early!to!eat.! ! 60.! ! My!mind’s!mind!is!deep!blue!and!blue!deeper.! .! 61.! ! Write! it! down.! Write! everything! down.! Every! utterance! because! all! are! precious,! they!keep!the!mind!moving.!The!thought!keeps!moving,!there!is!no!time—so!keep! and!keep!trying!and!trying.!There!is!no!remembering!without!an!ache!to!angle!on.!! ! 62.! ! But!who!am!I?!Who!am!I?!A!little!white!girl,!trapped.!! ! 63.! ! If!you!give!a!bee!a!tulip,!it’ll!ask!you!for!poetry.! ! ! 50! 64.! ! When!there!is!a!meeting!of!minds,!greet!the!passage!of!time.!! ! 65.! ! Does!the!sound!know!the!pitch!it!makes?!Does!the!shape!know!of!its!name?!Does!my! mind!know!I!know!I!think?!! 66.! ! I’ve!never!understood!how!all!suburbs!are!the!same.!In!the!desert!it!is!the!same.!In! the!swamp!it!is!the!same.!In!the!belt!of!the!bible!thumpers!it!is!all!the!same.!You!eat.! You!drink.!You!play.!It!is!all!the!same.! ! 67.! ! !I!remember!how!to!feel!foreign!in!a!body.!! ! 68.! ! Remember!the!remembering,!of!how!it!is!never!the!same.!! ! 69.! ! ! 51! I! am! I:! a! little! dog! on! a! leash.! I! am! I:! a! little! puddle! in! the! street.! I! am! I:! a! little! circumference! in! the! galaxy.! Blossomed! from! sponges! of! the! ocean! and! my! heart! spread!to!the!black!beds!of!deserts.!! ! 70.! The!arachnids!ask!for!a!raise!but!there!is!only!hair.!They!still!web!in!luxury.!! ! 71.! ! I!can!read!the!language!of!the!trees.!The!grass!tells!me!to!sleep.!! ! 72.! ! A!man!in!gray!coveralls!digs!through!the!recycling!daily.!He!never!stows!the!green! glass.!He!plucks!the!cans!first,!then!the!brown!glass,!then!the!translucent!glass.!!He! never! picks! up! plastic.!I! remember! his! brown! coat! in! winter! and! the! clear! burn! of! vodka!on!his!hands.!I!always,!always!looked!away.!I!was!an!I"that!couldn’t!see.!! ! 73.! ! A!calendar!would!once!tell!me!when!I!was!nearly!ovulating.!!! ! 74.! ! ! 52! A!budding!branch!in!early!spring:!I!AM!ME.! ! 75.! ! I’m!not!envious!anymore.!I!found!my!way.!! ! 76.! ! Someone!once!told!me!to!mind!my!mind,!to!keep!my!mouth!shut,!to!stop!blabbering! in!the!wind.!So,!I!took!to!silence!and!the!quiet!lull!of!the!humming!earth.!I!buried!my! mind!at!wits!end.!There!were!two!questers!in!attendance!a!frog!and!a! philanthropist.!One!told!me!to!hurry!along;!the!other!said!I!would!never!remember.! Is!this!how!it!feels!to!hover?!I!remember!the!hovering!bird.!!! !! 77.! ! I!remember!the!remembering!of!muttering.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 53! Multiplicity!in!Language! ! An!Essay! ! ! ! ! ! ! Writing" has" nothing" to" do" with" meaning." It" has" to" do" with" land" surveying" and" cartography," including" the" mapping" of" countries"to"come." ! ! ! ! ! Alternate!translation:! ! ! ! ! ! ! Writing" has" nothing" to" do" with" signifying." It"has"to"do"with"surveying,"mapping,"even" of"realms"that"are"yet"to"come." " " " !! ! cGilles!Deleuze!and!Félix!Guattari,!! From!A"Thousand"Plateaus! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 54! Multiplicity!in!Language! ! ! $If! I! mutter,! “I’m! sorry,”! upon! accidently! bumping! into! a! body! on! a! crowded! train,! one! person! might! think! I’m! weak! or! pathetic,! while! another! may! think! I’m! simply! being! polite—but! what! did! I! mean! when! I! uttered! the! phrase! and! does! it! even! matter?!Certainly,!I!didn’t!mean,!“I’ll!never!bump!into!a!person!again,”!the!trains!are! bumpy!and!I!am!quite!confident!that!I’ll!lose!my!footing!in!the!future.!Or,!possibly,!I! truly!meant!to!apologize!for!not!maintaining!control!of!the!movement!of!my!body.! Whatever! the! matter,! my! intent! was! severed! from! the! phrase! at! the! moment! of! utterance!and!so!it!became!a!projection!into!the!lives!of!others!around!me.!It!does! not!matter!why!I!said!it,!it!matters!how!it!was!received.!Obviously,!this!is!a!problem! with!language,!but!is!also!exactly!what!allows!artists!the!freedom!to!do!and!create! anything.! Meaning! is! in! flux! and! language,! in! all! its! forms,! is! at! the! mercy! of! multiplicity!yet!still,!somehow!through!this,!we!communicate.$ ! If!we!understand!that!speech!and!words,!the!language!of!breathing,!of!the!body,!of! music,! painting,! art,! and! on! and! on! are! easily! manipulated—because! of! the! detachment! from! intent—then! it! is! easy! to! see! how! they! each! allow! room! for! the! perceiver! of! the! creative! act! to! interpret! freely! and/or! to! misunderstand.! Barthes! said! it! best! when! he! described! the! moment! that! the! pen! touches! the! page! as! the! death!of!the!author.!With!the!author!so,!too,!dies!intent!(and!with!intent:!meaning! and!Truth).!The!further!we!move!from!the!instance!of!an!idea,!the!more!we!remove! ourselves!from!intent.!! ! ! 55! It’s! a! fairly! logical! progression! except! that! it! implies! that! there! must! be! one! True! meaning.! This,! though,! is! a! false! positive;! there! is! no! one! True! meaning! of! any! creative!act!(writing,!painting,!music,!et!cetera).!The!author!or!artist!is!not—cannot! be—!an!Executive!Power!of!language/creativity;!if!that!were!so,!there!would!be!an! infinite! number! of! executive! powers! in! high! command! of! authority! and! speech.! Imagine! a! flood! of! voices! shouting! over! each! other,! each! telling! of! the! one! True! meaning—who! would! we! listen! to! as! the! one! true! truest,! the! most! authentic?! It’s! simply!not!possible!to!listen!to!each!and!every!“executive!power”!and,!even!if!it!were! possible,! what! are! the! criteria! for! deciding! who! is! The! Executive! Power?! Further,! and! possibly! the! most! problematic,! how! is! it! possible! for! every! voice,! simultaneously,!to!be!better"than!every!other?!! ! It! seems! we’ve! walked! into! a! paradox,! let’s! consider! another! possibility:! if! every! voice! is! an! executive! power! then! every! voice! comprises! its! one! True! meaning.! So,! not! every! voice! is! an! executive! power! but! every! voice! is! an! executive! power! of! its! own!unique!story.!In!this!scenario!though,!again,!one!can!imagine!a!flood!of!voices! claiming!a!higher!status,!a!truer!Truth—“my!words!are!better,!more!meaningful,!and! more!powerful!than!yours.”!Again,!though,!this!is!problematic—how!can!one!story! or! creative! act! be! more! pure! or! more! authentic! than! another?! Two! painters—an! impressionist! and! cubist—create! a! landscape! of! Sicily—which! is! more! authentic,! which! is! more! True?! We! can! apply! this! to! writing! as! well—two! poets—an! imagist! and! language! poet—describe! a! Sunday! afternoon! in! Boston—which! is! more! authentic,!which!is!more!True?!In!actuality,!it’s!impossible!that!there!could!be!one! true! truest! answer.! As! thinking! beings! we! are! naturally! drawn! to! preference—to! ! 56! value!one!thing!over!the!other,!for!whatever!reason!(cultural,!political,!economical,! et!cetera)—because!of!this!natural!multiplicity!of!opinion,!it!follows!that!multiplicity! in!language!reigns!free.!! ! ! We! like! what! we! like! because! we! like! it,! there’s! a! bit! of! reasoning! involved! but! mostly! we! are! drawn! to! the! things/ideas! that! speak! close! to! our! experience—! it! helps!us!relate!and!make!sense!of!the!world!around!us,!it!reaffirms!our!reality.!So,! although!every!voice!might!be!an!executive!power!of!its!own!story,!every/any!voice! cannot! be! The! Executive! Power! because! of! the! problem! of! aesthetics! (think! of! warring!opinions!within!religious!relationships,!of!musical!taste,!of!genre!literature,! of!cartoon!design).!! ! Often,!we!look!for!an!executive!power!to!guide!us,!but,!then!again,!often!we!end!up! following!our!own!inner!power—and!that!story!is!a!tale!as!old!(and!as!new)!as!time.! So,!because!we!make!this!decision!to!tell!our!story,!even!if!it!is!a!“repeated!story,”!we! understand! that! there! cannot! be! one! True! meaning! and! that! The! Executive! Power! does!not!exist.! $ In!“Death!of!the!Author,”!Barthes!claims!that!in!order!for!a!reader!to!exist!the!death! of! the! author! must! occur.! He! believes! that! the! author! is! nothing! more! than! the! occasion! of! writing,! “just! as! I! is! nothing! other! than! the! instance! saying!I:! language! knows! a! ‘subject,’! not! a! ‘person’”! (187).! Within! this! view,! the! text! is! free! to! have! multiple!interpretations!and!we!can!understand!that!if!one!seeks!the!history!of!the! author!(Executive!Power)!then!one!limits!possible!interpretations!of!the!text.!This,! ! 57! coincidentally,!gives!value!and!power!to!the!reader!experience—a!creative!act!itself.! As!Barthes!explains,!writing!begins!once!the!author!enters!into!his!own!death,!the! death! being! a! disconnection! between! the! mark! and! the! individual! (185).! The! text,! then,!will!always!only!be!in!the!present,!the!moment!of!creation!always!in!the!past.! The! reader! holds! all! power! of! interpretation! because! the! author! is! not! there! to! justify!or!explain.!Again,!intent!does!not!matter!or!has!no!role/function!within!the! creative! act! of! the! author! (of! writing).! If! we! completely! ignore! intent,! we! can! understand!that!naturally!there!will!be!multiple!interpretations.!!! ! In! “What! is! an! Author,”! Michele! Foucault! also! grants! that! the! author! is! dead,! but! argues! that! the! text! itself—a! creative! act—implies! an! “author! function.”! There! are! four! crucial! roles! within! the! “author! function”! that! could! make! him/her! undead.! Note,!though,!that!the!potential!undead!nature!of!the!author!is!not!as!something!that! precedes!the!text!but!is!understood!as!an!active!principal!that!limits!the!reader.!In! his!words,!“the!author!.!.!.!is!a!certain!functional!principle!by!which,!in!our!culture,! one! limits,! excludes! and! chooses;! in! short,! by! which! one! impedes! the! free! circulation,! the! free! manipulation,! the! free! composition,! decomposition! and! recomposition!of!fiction”!(118c119).! ! The! first! function! is! that! the! word! ‘author’! confers! ownership,! someone! is! “responsible! for”! the! text—especially! if! the! text! is! obscene,! vulgar,! and! satirical! (because!society!must!have!a!body!to!point!their!finger!to!if!the!text!is!unwelcome— think! of! the! excommunication! of! Martin! Luther—and! even! for! anonymous! works,! we!still!attach!that!title!“anonymous”—as!if!we!would!forget!that!someone,!or!some! ! 58! mind,! created! the! text)—there! is,! there! must! be! a! creator,! a! beginning! of! the! thought.! The! second! proponent! of! the! “author! function”! is! changeability,! which! is! defined! as! “not! affecting! all! discourses! in! a! universal! and! constant! way”! (109).! As! time! progresses,! so! do! people! and! worldviews,! meaning! that! the! text! will! be! received!differently!throughout!history!(my!experience!of!Chaucer’s!The"Canterbury" Tales!is!likely!vastly!different!from!than!that!of!the!noble!court!it!was!intended!for).! Thirdly,!the!text!is!constructed!by!“a!series!of!processes,”!meaning!that!it!was!acted! upon! in! an! operative! manner.! In! saying! this,! we! understand! that! the! work! is! the! result! of! labor! and! because! it’s! human! labor,! it’s! susceptible! to! human! error.! The! final! proponent! is! of! the! “plurality! of! self,”! which! is! something! that! must! be! recognized!because,!as!we!know,!the!author!changes!with!time!and!may!not!hold!the! same! views/thoughts/ideas! from! whence! the! mark! was! made.! The! audience! must! make! themselves! aware! of! these! proponents! and! reexamine! the! privilege! of! the! individual! in! order! to! allow! meaning! to! proliferate! indefinitely.! He! believes! that! if! the!limitations!of!the!author!are!purged!then!there!can!be!a!proliferation!of!meaning! and,!like!Barthes,!multiplicity!will!reign!as!valued.! ! In! contrast,! Elaine! Showalter,! in! “Towards! a! Feminist! Poetics,”! argues! that! author! identity! is! important! especially! in! understanding! the! roles! of! masculinity! and! femininity:! “if! we! study! stereotypes! of! women! then! we! are! not! learning! what! women! have! felt! and! experienced,! but! what! men! have! thought! women! should! be”! (148).! She! wants! to! move! away! from! the! current! feminine! view! of! women! as! consumers!of!male!literature!and,!also,!as!makers!of!literature!within!the!masculine! scope.! She! wants! the! power! of! female! authors! to! be! identified! and! experienced! ! 59! within! the! realm! of! Woman! and! not! Man.! Showalter! believes! in! the! female! experience!as!a!channel!for!women!to!speak!outside!of!a!male!dominated!language.! She!states,!“[it]!begins!at!the!point!when!we!free!ourselves!from!the!linear!absolutes! of! male! literary! history,! stop! trying! to! fit! women! between! the! lines! of! the! male! tradition! and! focus! instead! on! the! newly! visible! world! of! female! culture”! (149).! In! this!context,!it’s!easy!to!understand!why!Showalter’s!view!demands!that!the!identity! of!the!author!is!crucial.!If!we!understand!language!as!a!tool!and!as!a!tool!for!human! progress! then! authorship! is! a! critical! component! for! understanding! gendered! human!experience.!We!live!in!a!world!dominated!by!the!male!tongue:!what!would! happen!to!language!and!identity!in!speech!if!the!balance!were!to!actually!balance?! Would! our! experience! (male! and! female! alike)! in! the! world! change?! It’s! not! impossible!to!argue!this.!However,!we!should!be!cautious!to!make!clear!that!this!is! not!related!to!the!idea!of!The!Executive!Power!in!language!because!there!is!no!such! thing.!Showalter!is!simply!revealing!that!there!must!be!multiplicity!because!we!do! not!live!in!a!vacuum!that!is!the!White!Male!World.!! ! Just! as! Showalter! wants! to! make! clear! that! the! identity! of! the! author! matters,! Richard! Dyer! in! his! essay,! “Believing! in! Fairies,”! holds,! also,! that! the! author! is! present!and!very!well!alive.!In!Dyer’s!view,!identities,!especially!that!of!the!author,! are!crucial:!“what!is!significant!is!the!authors’!material!social!position!in!relation!to! [the]!discourse!they!have!on!account!of!who!they!are”!(188).!The!author/artist!will! always! only! be! the! result! of! their! environment,! which! will! ultimately! affect! their! creative! work.! Dyer! suggests! that! the! modes! that! birthed! the! work! should! be! relatable! and! should! have! reliability.! He! does,! however,! grant,! “all! authorships! as! ! 60! performances”! (188).! The! “maker”! fulfills! their! role! as! author! and! the! audience! perceives!the!performed!role.!This!suggests!that!the!authorship!is!a!superficial!role! and! that! the! authenticity! of! the! text! is! determined! by! the! reader/audience.! If! the! audience! perceives! the! role! of! author! as! successful! then! the! text! has! some! sort! of! meaning/value! to! the! reader;! if! the! audience! perceives! the! role! of! the! author! as! a! failure!then!the!text!will!likely!be!void!of!meaning!or!value.!An!example!of!this!is!the! work! of! the! author! Dan! Brown.! Commercial! readers! often! find! his! books! to! be! spectacular!but!academia!or,!dare!I!say,!“intellectuals,”!view!his!writing!as!a!literary! failure.! He’s! made! publishing! houses! million! but! he’s! never! won! a! National! Book! Critics! Circle! Award.! Again,! we! ask,! which! is! more! important! /! valued! /! True?! A! literary!award!or!millions!of!dollars?!A!literary!author!or!a!commercial!author?! ! !With!the!above!examples!of!multiplicity!in!authorship!in!mind,!one!can!wonder!if!a! single!reader,!among!the!infinite!possibility!of!readers,!has!the!ability!to!be!multiple! also?!And!if!so,!then!even!the!multiplicity!is!multiple.!The!possibility!of!language!is! limitless—it! is! an! organism! that! has! evolved! and! will! continue! to! evolve.! So,! to! complete! this! essay! and! this! wandering! into! the! textures! and! potential! of! multiplicity!I’ve!gathered!here!those!names!that!have!proved!most!influential!in!my! writing.! From! Matthew! Arnold,! to! Gertrude! Stein,! to! Cecil! Taylor,! these! are! the! words! of! individuals! who! express! awe! for! the! power! of! language! and! its! everc changing!reality.!! ! ! $ ! 61! ! ! A$On$Meaning$A$ ! “Every!moment!of!“lack!of!meaning”!is!precisely!the!frightening!certainty!that!that’s! exactly!what!it!means,!and!that!not!only!can!I!not!reach!it,!I!don’t!want!to!because!I! have!no!guarantees.”! ! cClarice!Lispector,!The"Passion"According"to"G."H.!! ! ! ! “With!all!literary!texts,!then,!we!may!say!that!the!reading!process!is!selective!and!the! potential!text!is!infinitely!richer!than!any!of!its!individual!realizations.!This!is!borne! out!by!the!fact!that!a!second!reading!of!piece!of!literature!often!produces!a!different! impression!from!the!first.”! ! cWolfgang!Iser,!“The!Reading!Process:!A!Phenomenological!Approach”!" ! ! ! “The!elements!of!poetry!are!letters,!syllables,!words,!sentences.!Poetry!arises!from! the!playing!off!of!these!elements!against!each!other.!Meaning!is!only!essential!if!it!is! to!be!used!as!one!such!factor.!I!play!off!sense!against!nonsense.!I!prefer!nonsense,! but!that!is!a!purely!personal!matter.!I!pity!nonsense,!because!until!now!it!has!been! so!neglected!in!the!making!of!art,!and!that’s!why!I!love!it.”!! ! cKurt!Schwitters,!“The!AvantcGarde”! ! ! ! “We! are! wrong! to! believe! in! facts;! there! are! only! signs.! .! .! .! The! scent! of! a! flower,! when!it!constitutes!a!sign,!transcends!at!once!the!laws!of!matter!and!the!categories! of!the!mind.!We!are!not!physicists!or!metaphysicians;!we!must!be!Egyptologists.!For! there!are!no!mechanical!laws!between!things!or!voluntary!communications!between! minds.! Everything! is! implicated,! everything! is! complicated,! everything! is! sign,! meaning,!essence.”! ! cGilles!Deleuze,!“Pluralism!in!the!System!of!Signs”!! ! ! ! “The!sum!of!sequent!intentional!sentence!correlatives!are!the!“world!presented”!in!! the! work.! .! .! .! [W]e! may! say! that! the! reading! process! is! selective! and! the! potential! text!is!infinitely!richer!than!any!of!its!individual!realizations.”! ! c!Wolfgang!Iser,!“The!Reading!Process:!A!Phenomenological!Approach”! ! 62! “Nonsense! literature! is! effective! because! of! the! human! desire! to! find! meaning! everywhere!in!everything!and!here!perhaps!none!exists.”! ! cJeancJacques!Lecercle,"Philosophy"of"Nonsense! ! ! ! “The!effect!of!nonsense!is!often!caused!by!an!excess!of!meaning!rather!than!a!lack.”! ! cWim!Tigges,!An"Anatomy"of"Literary"Nonsense! ! ! ! “A! poem! can! be! only! through! its! meaning—since! its! medium! is! words—yet! it! is,! simply!is,!in!the!sense!that!we!have!no!excuse!for!inquiring!what!part!is!intended!or! meant!.!.!.”! ! cW.!K.!Wimsatt,!“The!Intentional!Fallacy”!! ! ! ! “[T]o! use! language! as! if! it! stood! in! place! of! reality! is! to! overlook! the! idea! that! all! language!is!metaphor.”! ! cCarolyn!Faunce!Copeland,!Language"&"Time"&"Gertrude"Stein! ! ! ! “A!theory!has!to!be!used,!it!has!to!work.!And!not!just!for!itself.!If!there!is!no!one!to! use! it,! starting! with! the! theorist! himself! who,! as! soon! as! he! uses! it! ceases! to! be! a! theorist,!then!a!theory!is!worthless,!or!its!time!has!not!yet!arrived.!You!don’t!go!back! to!a!theory,!you!make!a!new!one,!you!have!others!to!make.!It!is!strange!that!Proust,! who! passes! for! a! pure! intellectual,! should! articulate! it! so! clearly:! use! my! book,! he! says,! like! a! pair! of! glasses! to! view! the! outside,! and! if! it! isn’t! to! your! liking,! find! another!pair,!or!invent!your!own,!and!your!device!will!necessarily!be!a!device!you! can!fight!with.!A!theory!won’t!be!totalized,!it!multiplies.”! ! cGilles!Deleuze,!“Intellectuals!and!Power”!" ! ! ! “[R]ather! than! intention! and! its! formal! realization! producing! interpretation! (the! “normal”! picture),! interpretation! creates! intention! and! its! formal! realization! by! creating!the!conditions!in!which!it!becomes!possible!to!pick!them!out.”! ! cStanley!Fish,!“Interpreting!the!Variorum”!! ! 63! “Where! shall! we! find! language! innocent! enough,! how! shall! we! make! the! spotless! purity! of! our! intentions! evident! enough,! to! enable! us! to! say! to! the! political! Englishman!that!the!British!Constitution!itself,!which,!seen!from!the!practical!side,! looks! such! a! magnificent! organ! of! progress! and! virtue,! seen! from! the! speculative! side,! —with! its! compromises,! its! love! facts,! its! horror! of! theory,! its! studied! avoidance! of! clear! thoughts—that,! seen! from! this! side,! our! august! Constitution! sometimes!looks,!—forgive!me,!shade!of!Lord!Somers!—a!colossal!machine!for!the! manufacture!of!Philistines.”! ! cMatthew!Arnold,!“Function!in!Criticism”!" ! ! ! “Soon!now!there!will!be!a!history!of!the!way!repeating!comes!out!of!them!comes!out! of! men! and! women! when! they! are! young! when! they! are! children,! they! have! then! their! own! system! of! resembling;! this! will! soon! be! a! description! of! the! men! and! women!in!beginning,!the!being!young!in!them,!the!being!children.!.!.!.Then!there!will! be! realized! the! complete! history! of! everyone! the! fundamental! character! of! every! one,!the!bottom!nature!in!them,!the!mixtures!in!them,!the!strength!and!weakness!of! everything!they!have!inside!them,!the!flavor!of!them,!the!meaning!in!them,!the!being! in!them,!and!then!you!have!a!whole!history!then!of!each!one.”! ! cGertrude!Stein,!“The!Making!of!Americans”!" ! ! ! “Beckett’s!voice!is!also!so!prevalent!on!his!stage!that!it!is!difficult!to!distinguish"what" is! being! said! from! who" is! saying! it.! As! in! Guston’s! painting! we! seem! to! be! hearing! two"voices!simultaneously.!For!a!composer,!this!is!a!crucial!problem:!that!the!means! or! the! instruments! you! use! are! only! to! articulate! musical! thought! and! not! to! interpret!it.”! ! cMorton!Feldman,!Give"My"Regards"to"Eighth"Street" ! ! ! “It! is! night! because! we! sleep;! we! eat! because! it! is! lunchtime.! There! are! no! social! tendencies,! but! only! those! social! means! to! satisfy! tendencies,! means! which! are! original!because!they!are!social.!Every!institution!imposes!a!series!of!models!on!our! bodies,! even! in! its! involuntary! structures,! and! offers! our! intelligence! a! sort! of! knowledge,! a! possibility! of! foresight! as! project.! We! come! to! the! following! conclusion:!humans!have!no!instincts,!they!build!institutions.”!! ! cGilles!Deleuze,!“Instincts!and!Institutions”!! ! $ $ ! 64! A$On$Difference$A$ ! ! ! “The!more!I!go!on,!the!less!I!find!any!possibility!of!it.!There!is!the!dilemma,!as!I!have! said,!that!the!onlooker!is!as!important!as!the!artist.!There!are!two!poles,!the!artist! and!the!onlooker.!If!there’s!no!onlooker!there’s!no!art,!is!there?!The!artist!looking!at! his! own! art! is! not! enough.! He! has! to! have! someone! to! look! at! it.! I! give! to! the! onlooker! more! importance! than! the! artist,! almost,! because! not! only! does! he! look,! but!he!also!gives!a!judgment.”! ! cMarcel!Duchamp,!The"Afternoon"Interviews! ! ! ! “Each!subject!expresses!the!world!from!a!certain!viewpoint.!But!the!viewpoint!is!the! difference! itself,! the! absolute! internal! difference.! Each! subject! therefore! expresses! an!absolutely!different!world.”! ! cGilles!Deleuze,!“Essences!and!the!Signs!of!Art”!! ! ! ! “To!claim!that!this!is!what!I!am"is!to!suggest!a!provisional!totalization!of!this!“I.”!But! if! the! I! can! so! determine! itself,! then! that! which! it! excludes! in! order! to! make! that! determination!remains!constitutive!of!the!determination!itself.!In!other!words,!such! a!statement!presupposes!that!the!“I”!exceeds!its!determination!and!even!produces! that!very!excess!in!and!by!the!act,!which!seeks!to!exhaust!the!sematic!field!of!that! “I.”! In! the! act! which! would! disclose! the! true! and! full! content! of! that! “I,”! a! certain! radical!concealment!is!thereby!produced.”! ! cJudith!Butler,!“Imitation!and!Gender!Insubordination”! ! ! ! “I!maintain!unequivocally!that!there!is!such!a!thing!as!marked!writing!.!.!.!writing!has! been!run!by!a!libidinal!and!cultural!–hence!political!typically!masculine—economy;! that!this!is!a!locus!where!the!repression!of!women!has!been!perpetuated,!over!and! over,! .! .! .! where! woman! has! never! her" turn! to! speak—this! being! all! the! more! unpardonable!in!that!writing!is!precisely!the"very"possibility"of"change,"the!space!that! can!serve!as!a!springboard!for!subversive!thought!.!.!.”! ! cHélène!Cixous,!from!“The!Laugh!of!the!Medusa”! ! ! ! “For!the!written!to!be!written,!it!must!continue!to!“act”!and!to!be!legible!even!if!what!! ! 65! is! called! the! author! of! the! writing! no! longer! answers! to! what! he! has! written,! for! what!he!has!written,!for!what!he!seems!to!have!signed,!whether!he!is!provisionally! absent,! or! if! he! is! dead,! or! if! in! general! he! does! not! support,! with! his! absolutely! current!and!present!intention!or!attention,!the!plenitude!of!his!meaning,!of!that!very! thing!which!seems!to!be!written!“in!his!name.”! ! cJacques!Derrida,!“Signature,!Event,!Context”! ! ! ! “There’s!the!recognition!of!naming!with!words,!which!has!become!so!facile!that!it’s! the! shrug.! I! mean,! we’re! in! an! information! age.! What! we! want! from! words! is! the! information.!To!me,!the!word!is!magic.!If!you!say!book"and!then!you!keep!looking!at! the!word,!or!sounding!the!word!in!your!mind,!you!realize!that!the!words!has!a!lot!of! qualities!that!aren’t!just!a!matter!of!a!simple!exchange,!you!know!what!I!mean?!In! early!times,!we’re!told!that!there!were!only!certain!men!who!wee!allowed!to!speak! certain! words,! because! those! words! were! absolutely! evocations! of! something! that! only!existed!at!that!moment!they!had!this!magic!quality.”! ! cClark!Coolidge,!in!conversation!with!Philip!Guston! ! ! ! “[L]anguage! is! the! exact! tally! of! the! intellect:! for! every! concept! there! is! a! word! or! words!and!for!every!word!there!is!a!concept;!neither!can!exist!apart!from!the!other.!.! .! ‘Without! speech! no! reason,! without! reason! no! speech.’! No! word! can! come! into! being! except! as! the! expression! of! a! concept,! neither! can! a! new! concept! be! formed! without!the!formation!(at!the!same!time!of!the!new!word!which!is!its!expression!.!.!.!.! Word!correspond!with!concepts,!and!with!concept!sonly,!so!that!we!cannot!express! directly! with! them! either! sense! impressions! or! emotions,! but! are! forced! always! to! convey!them!(if!at!all)!by!expression,!not!themselves,!but!the!impression!they!make! upon!our!intellect.”! ! cRichard!M.!Bucke,!Cosmic"Consciousness" ! !! ! “To!speak!has!no!connection!with!the!reality!of!things.”! ! cStéphane!Mallarmé,“Crisis!in!Verse”! ! ! ! “The!pact!between!page!and!voice!is!different!from!the!compact!of!voice!and!body.! The!voice!opens!the!body.!Air,!the!cold!of!the!air,!passes!through!and,!with!a!single! inflection,!builds!large!castles.!The!page!wants!proof,!but!bonds.!The!body!cannot! ! ! 66! keep!the!voice.!It!spills.!Foliage!over!the!palisade.”! ! cRosemarie!Waldrop,!“Reluctant!Gravities”!! ! ! ! “When!sounds!fall!back!on!bodies!and!become!actions!and!passions!of!mixed!bodies,! they! are! no! more! than! the! bearers! of! agonizing! nonsense.! One! after! the! other,! the! impossibility! of! a! Platonic! language! and! a! precSocratic! language,! of! an! idealistic! language!and!a!physical!language,!of!a!manic!language!and!a!schizophrenic!language! are!exposed.!The!alternative!is!imposed!with!no!way!out:!either!to!say!nothing,!or!to! incorporate!what!one!says—that!is,!to!eat!one’s!words.!As!Chrysippus!says,!‘if!you! say! ‘chariot,’! a! chariot! passes! through! your! lips,’! and! it! is! neither! better! nor! more! convenient!if!this!is!the!Idea!of!a!chariot.”! ! cGilles!Deleuze,!The"Logic"of"Sense! ! ! ! “Language! free! of! syntax:! demilitarization! of! language.! James! Joyce! =! new! worlds;! old! syntax.! Ancient! Chinese?! Full! words:! words! free! of! specific! function.! Noun! is! verb! is! adjective,! adverb.! What! can! be! done! with! the! English! language?! Use! it! as! material.!Material!of!five!kinds:!letters,!syllables,!words,!phrases,!sentences.”! ! cJohn!Cage,!“Empty!Words”! ! ! ! “The! poem! is! not! the! critic’s! own! and! not! the! author’s! (it! is! detached! from! the! author! at! birth! and! goes! about! the! world! beyond! his! power! to! intend! about! it! or! control!it).!The!poem!belongs!to!the!public.!It!is!embodied!in!language,!the!peculiar! possession! of! the! pubic! and! it! is! about! the! human! being,! an! object! of! public! knowledge.”! ! cW.K.!Wimsatt,!“The!Intentional!Fallacy”! ! ! ! “Ideology! is! conceived! as! a! pure! illusion,! a! pure! dream,! i.e.! as! nothingness.! All! its! reality!is!external!to!it.”! ! cLouis!Althusser,!“Ideology!and!Ideological!State!Apparatuses”! ! ! ! “Concepts! can! only! acquire! content! when! they! are! connected,! however! indirectly,! with!sensible!experience.!But!no!logical!investigation!can!reveal!this!connection;!it! ! 67! can!only!be!experienced.!And!yet!it!is!this!connection!that!determines!the!cognitive! value!of!systems!of!concepts.”! ! cAlbert!Einstein,!“The!Problem!of!Space,!Ether,! !and!the!Field!in!Physics”! ! ! ! “[I]mages! are! erratic! things;! lively! images! aroused! in! one! mind! need! have! no! similarity!to!the!equally!lively!images!stirred!by!the!same!line!of!poetry!in!another,! and!neither!set!need!have!anything!to!do!with!any!images!which!may!have!existed!in! the!poet’s!mind.”! ! cI.!A.!Richards,!Practical"Criticism:"A"Study"of"Literary"Judgment!! ! ! ! “!.!.!.![O]nce!you!read!Proust!there!is!no!reason!to!read!again—I!found!that,!like!most! things,!it!was!both!true!and!untrue.”! cMary!Ruefle,!Madness,"Rack"&"Honey" " " !! “Idea! precedes! experience! .! .! .! the! unknown,! even! before! life! force,! our! spirit! considers! action! in! reaction.! Unchangeable! as! we! proceed! to! grip! memory,! identifying! images! then! sight,! appearance,! and! voice.! Man! only! begins! transliteration!of!the!mean!with!cognition,!mind,!inside!frame!and!fed!through!body.! More! forward! recognition! not! in! experiment! but! as! text! of! their! singularity,! unity,! and!sanity.”! ! cCecil!Taylor,!“Sound!Structure!of!Subculture!! Becoming!Breath/Naked!Fire!Gesture”! ! ! ! “!.!.!.!I!learned!that!identical!emotions!do!not!spring!up!simultaneously!in!the!hearts! of!all!men!in!accordance!with!a!precestablished!order.”! ! cMarcel!Proust,!In"Search"of"Lost"Time:"Swann’s"Way" " " ! “We! all! agree! about! a! lot! of! things.! Like,! the! world! is! moving.! But! the! problem! is:! What’s! the! present?! The! present! is! made! up! and! compounded,! like! baklava,! of! thousands!of!layers.!Sa!what!you!say!is!right.!But!presentcpast,!presentcfuture?!How! long!has!man!been!on!earth!that!we’re!aware!if!it!too?!We’re!conscious.!Just!think,!a! painter!working!in!Florence!in!the!fifteenth!century!didn’t!know!about!the!Lascaux! ! 68! slaves,! the! art! of! China.! But! we! have! it! all! in! front! of! us.! We’re! a! different! kind! of! people,!a!different!kind!of!consciousness.”! ! cPhilip!Guston,!Philip"Guston:"Collected"Writings,"Lectures" ! ! $ A$Of$Author(ity)$A$ ! ! ! “Do!not!bother.!Do!not!bother!about!a!story!oh!do!not!bother.!Inevitably!one!has!to! know!how!a!story!ends!even!if!it!does!not.!Fred!Annday’s!story!does!not!end!but!that! is!because!there!is!no!more!interest!in!it.!And!in!a!way!yes!in!a!way!that!is!yes!that!is! always!so.!I!can!tell!this!story!as!I!go.!I!like!to!tell!a!story!so.”! ! cGertrude!Stein,!How"Writing"is"Written!! ! ! ! “In! spite! of! my! honest! attempts! I! find! that! language—or! at! least! my! language— cannot!do!justice!to!the!subject!(H.A.!Lorentz)!of!this!short!piece!of!writing.”! ! cAlbert!Einstein,!Ideas"and"Opinions" " ! ! “There!is!writing!happening!/!maybe!that’s!hard!for!you!to!understand!/!I!am!here!! but!“I”!am!not!here.!/!I!am!writing!but!“I”!am!not!writing.”! ! cBaba!Ram!Dass,!Be"Here"Now! ! ! ! “At!no!point!have!I!ever!been!able!successfully!to!keep!a!diary;!my!approach!to!daily! life! ranges! from! the! grossly! negligent! to! the! merely! absent,! and! on! those! few! occasions! when! I! have! tried! dutifully! to! record! a! day’s! events,! boredom! has! so! overcome! me! that! the! results! are! mysterious! at! best.! What! is! this! business! about! “shopping,!typing!piece,!dinner!with!E,!depressed”?!Shopping!for!what?!Typing!what! piece?!Who!is!E?!Was!this!“E”!depressed,!or!was!I!depressed?!Who!cares?”! ! cJoan!Didion,!We"Tell"Ourselves"Stories"in"Order"to"Live! ! ! ! “They! wanted! their! stories! told.! And! it! was! hard! to! explain;! in! those! circles,! that! everything! they! told! me! went! into! the! wastebasket! or! at! least! the! deadcend! file! ! 69! because!the!lead!paragraphs!I!wrote!for!that!article!didn’t!satisfy!some!editor!three! thousand! miles! away—some! nervous! drone! behind! a! grey! formica! desk! in! the! bowels!of!a!journalistic!bureaucracy!that!no!con!in!Nevada!will!ever!understand— and!that!the!article!finally!died!on!the!vine,!as!it!were,!because!I!refused!to!rewrite! the!lead.!For!reasons!of!my!own!.!.!.!”! ! cHunter!S.!Thompson,!Fear"and"Loathing"in"Las"Vegas! ! ! ! “Incapable!of!refining!the!real,!thought!pauses!to!mimic!it.!The!novel!in!question!is! the!instrument!of!that!simultaneously!relative!and!inexhaustible!knowledge,!so!like! that! of! love.! Of! love,! fictional! creation! has! the! initial! wonder! and! the! fecund! rumination.”! ! cAlbert!Camus"“Absurd!Creation:!Philosophy!and!Fiction”! ! ! ! “The!atmosphere!of!a!work!of!art,!what!surrounds!it,!that!“place”!in!which!it!exists— all!this!is!thought!a!lesser!thing,!charming!but!now,!essential.!Professionals!insist!on! essentials,! they! concentrate! on! the! things! that! make! art.! These! are! the! things! they! identify! with,! think! of,! in! fact,! as" it—not! understanding! that! everything! we! use! to! make!art!is!precisely!what!kills!it.”! ! cMorton!Feldman,!Give"My"Regards"to"Eighth"Street! ! ! ! “I!speak!finally!from!within!the!question!of!authority!in!another!sense:!I!am!not!an! authority!on!the!issue!of!my!own!authority.”! ! cAndrew!Laknitz,!“Identification!and!Difference:!! Structures!of!Privilege!in!Cultural!Criticism”! ! ! ! “Dr.!Katie!Cannon,!what!I!heard!you!once!say!still!haunts!every!poem!I!make:!“Black! people!were!the!only!people!in!the!United!States!ever!explicitly!forbidden!to!become! literate.”!I!am!now,!officially,!speechless.”"" " cNikky!Finney,!from!her!Acceptance!Speech!for!! the!National!Book!Award!for!Poetry,!November!16,!2011! ! ! ! ! ! 70! “.!.!.!I!just!offered!an!opinion.!I!don’t!control!language.”! ! cRoxane!Gay,!tweet!on!4/23/15!at!7:34PM! ! ! ! A$Signification$A$ ! ! ! “In!each!word!there!burns!a!wick.”! ! cEdmond!Jabès,!“At!the!Threshold!of!the!Book”! ! ! ! “They! had! said! that! the! bus! with! “Cleveland”! on! the! front! would! be! the! right! bus,! even!though!I!wasn’t!going!to!Cleveland.”! ! ! cLydia!Davis,!“Traveling!with!Mother”! ! " " “This!One/!Is!/!Dedicated!/!To!/!The!One!Eye!/!Love”! ! cBaba!Ram!Dass,!Be"Here"Now! ! ! ! “(Turn!vase!into!a!hat!and!wear!it)!/!/!You!think!the!vase!has!become!a!hat;!it!has! not.!/!My!body!has!become!an!upsidecdown!flower.”! ! cMary!Ruefle,!Madness,"Rack"&"Honey" ! ! ! “OVID! ! DIVO!/!VOID! ! DIOV!/!IDOV! ! IOVD!/!VIDO! ! OVID”! ! cThomas!Merton,!The"Collected"Poems"of"Thomas"Merton" ! ! ! “For!lives!on!end!she!had!to!polish!her!thought,!to!relieve!it!of!all!that!which!made!of! it!a!miserable!briccacbrac,!the!mirror!which!admires!itself,!the!prism!with!its!interior! sun:! she! needed! an! I! without! its! glassy! solitude,! without! this! eye! so! long! stricken! with!strabism,!this!eye!whose!supreme!beauty!is!to!be!as!crosseyed!as!possible,!the!! ! ! 71! eye!of!the!eye,!the!thought!of!thought.”!! ! cMaurice!Blanchot,!Thomas"the"Obscure! ! ! ! “Here,!even!the!fragments!must!be!pieced!together—!/!/!so!let!me!follow!you!to!the! paper’s!edge!until!!/!/!you!disappear.”! ! cCatherine!Sasanov,!“Primary!Sources”! ! ! ! “All! specimens! should! be! labeled! with! at! least! the! locality! and! date! of! their! capture—specimens!without!such!labels!are!of!little!value.”! ! cDonald!J.!Borror!and!Richard!E.!White,!Peterson"Field"Guides:"Insects"" ! ! ! “Life,for!!mostpeople,simply!!!!isn’t.! ! ! ! Take! the! socalled! standardofliving.! What! do! mostpeople! mean! by! “living”?! They! don’t! mean! living.! They! mean! the! latest! and! closest!plural!approximation!to!singular!prenatal!passivity!which!science,in!its!finite! but! unbounded! wisdom,has! succeeded! in! selling! their! wives.! If! science! could! fail,a! mountain’s!a!mammal.”! ! ce.e.!cummings,!Collected"Poems:"1922"–"1938! ! ! ! “Negativity!is!like!darkness.!So!what!is!darkness?!You!look!at!darkness,!and!you!see! that! it’s! really! nothing:! It’s! the! absence! of! something.! You! turn! on! the! light,! and! darkness!goes.!But!sunlight,!for!instance,!doesn’t!get!rid!of!negativity.!Its!gets!rid!of! darkness,!but!not!negativity.!So!what!light!can!you!turn!on!that!removes!negativity! the!way!sunlight!removes!darkness?”! ! cDavid!Lynch,!Catching"the"Big"Fish! ! ! ! “You!look!around!for!someone!else!to!be!the!second!person.!But!there!is!no!one!else.! Even!if!there!were!someone!else!there!they!could!not!be!you.!You!try!to!shelter!in! imagining!that!you!are!plural.!It!is!a!dream!which!the!whole!of!the!walking!world!is! trying!to!remember.!It!is!the!orphan’s!mother!who!never!lived!but!is!longed!for!and! has! been! accorded! a! pronoun! that! is! an! echo! of! your! own,! since! she! has! no! name.! Her! temple! is! an! arrangement! of! mirrors.! But! nothing! stays! in! it.! Think! how! you! ! 72! keep! your! thoughts! to! yourself,! on! your! rare! visits! there.! And! how! quickly! you! leave.”! ! cW.S.!Merwin,!The"Book"of"Fables! ! ! ! “The! word! snafu," derived! from! the! initials! of! situation" normal,! all" fouled" up,! was! welcomed! into! the! American! language! during! World! War! II,! and! remains! a! useful! part! of! the! language! today.! Fubar,! a! closely! related! word,! was! coined! at! about! the! same!time,!and!is!now!all!but!forgotten.!Fubar,!is!worthy!of!a!better!fate,!meaning!as! it!does!fouled"up"beyond"recognition.!It!is!particularly!useful!and!interesting!word!in! that! it! describes! a! misfortune! brought! about! not! by! malice! but! by! administration! accidents!in!some!large!and!complex!organization.”! ! cKurt!Vonnegut,!Look"at"the"Birdie! ! ! ! “Next:!how!shall!we!define!the!whale,!by!his!obvious!externals,!so!as!conspicuously! to!label!him!for!all!time!to!come?!To!be!short,!then,!a!whale!is!a!spouting"fish"with"a" horizontal"tail."There!you!have!him.!However!contracted,!that!definition!is!the!result! of!expanded!meditation.!A!walrus!spouts!much!like!a!whale,!but!the!walrus!is!not!a! fish,!because!he!is!amphibious.!But!the!last!term!of!the!definition!is!still!more!cogent,! as!coupled!with!the!first.”! ! cHerman!Melville,!Moby"Dick"or,"The"Whale! ! ! ! !“It’s!my!little!one,!he!said.!Tsstss,!a!little!one,!that’s!bad.!My!little!boy,!he!said,!as!if! the!sex!mattered.!Where!did!he!come!from?!He!named!the!hole.!A!good!halfcday,!on! horse.!What!are!you!insinuating?!That!the!place!is!still!inhabited?!No!no,!not!a!soul,! except! himself! and! the! child—assuming! he! existed.! Good.! I! enquired! about! the! situation!at!Kov,!beyond!the!gulf.!Not!a!sinner.!Good.!And!you!expect!me!to!believe! you!have!left!your!little!one!back!there!all!alone,!and!alive!into!the!bargain?!Come! now!!(Pause.)!It!was!a!howling!wild!day,!I!remember,!a!hundred!by!the!anemometer.! The!wind!was!tearing!up!the!dead!pines!and!sweeping!them!.!!.!.!away.!”! ! cSamuel!Beckett,!Endgame! ! ! ! “Vowl! instantly! got! busy,! chalking! up! his! 25! signs! on! a! blackboard! and! coming! up! with:!! ! Ja! Gra! Va! Sa! La! Da! La! Ma! Tan! ! 73! ! A! Ma! Va! Jas! ’A!Ta!Krat’! Da! ! La! Pa! Sa! Ya! Ra! Da! Ra! Cha! ! This!didn’t!calm!Augustus,!who!couldn’t!fathom!a!word!of!it!and!who!said!in!a!fury,! ‘For!all!I!know,!it’s!in!Afrikaans!or!Sanskrit.!What!I!do!know,!though,!is!that!it!isn’t!in! any!way!stimulating!my!imagination!’”! ! cGeorges!Perec,!A"Void! ! ! ! “He!had!a!word,!too.!Love,!he!called!it.!But!I!had!been!used!to!words!for!a!long!time.!I! knew! that! that! word! was! like! the! others:! just! a! shape! to! fill! a! lack;! that! when! the! right!time!came,!you!wouldn’t!need!a!word!for!that!anymore!than!for!pride!or!fear.”! ! cWilliam!Faulkner,!As"I"Lay"Dying! ! ! ! “But!to!go!deeper,!beneath!what!people!said!(and!these!judgments,!how!superficial,! how!fragmentary!they!are!)!in!her!own!mind!now,!what!did!it!mean!to!her,!this!thing! she!called!life?”! ! cVirginia!Woolf,"Mrs."Dalloway! ! ! ! “One! thing! I've! noticed! is! that! I! tilt! my! head! a! lot! in! bars! /! /! If! tilting! my! head! “means”!anything,!I!don’t!think!it!means!anything!very!important.”! ! cJoe!Brainard,!“Neck”! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! $ $ ! 74! A$Source$Texts$A$ ! ! Althusser,! Louis.! “Ideaology! and! Ideological! State! Apparatuses! (Notes! towards! an! Investigation).”! Lenin" and" Philosophy" and" other" Essays.! Trans.! Ben! Brewster.! New! York:!Monthly!Review!Press,!1972.!159.!Print.!! ! Arnold,!Matthew.!“Essays!in!Criticism:!Function!of!Criticism.”!Prose"of"the"Victorian" Period."New!York:!Houghton!Mifflin!Court,!1958.!433.!Print.!" ! Barthes,!Roland.!“Death!of!the!Author.”!Modern"Literary"Theory.!Ed.!Philip!Rice!and! Patricia!Waugh.!New!York:!Oxford!University!Press,!185.!Print.! ! Beckett,!Samuel.!Endgame.!New!York:!Grove!Press,!1958.!52.!Print.!! ! Baba! Ram! Dass.! From! “Bindu! to! Ojas”! and! “Cookbook! for! a! Sacred! Life.”! Be" Here" Now."4!and"unpaginated.!Print.!! ! Blanchot,!Maurice.!“VIII.”! Thomas"the"Obscure.!Barrytown:!Station!Hill!Press,!1988.!! 62.!Print.!! ! Borror! Donald! J.! and,! Richard! E.! White.! “Arrangement! of! the! Collection.”! Peterson" Field"Guides:"Insects."New!York:!Houghton!Mifflin!Company,!1970.!18.!Print.!" ! Brainard,! Joe.! “Neck.”! The" Collected" Writings" of" Joe" Brainard.! Ed.! Ron! Padgett.! New! York,!Penguin!Group,!2012.!413.!Print.!! ! Bucke,!Richard!M.!Cosmic"Consciousness."New!York:!E.P.!Dutton!and!Company,!1923.! 27.!Print! ! Butler,!Judith.!“Imitation!and!Gender!Insubordination.”!Inside/Out:"Lesbian"Theories," Gay"Theories.!New!York:!Routledge,!1991.!15.!Print.!! " Cage,!John.!“Empty!Words.”!Empty"Words."Middletown:!Wesleyan!University!Press,! 1979.!11.!Print.!! ! Camus,!Albert."“Absurd!Creation:!Philosophy!and!Fiction.”!The"Myth"of"Sisyphus."New! York:!Vintage!Books,!1991."101.!Print.!" ! Cixous,! Helene.! “The! Laugh! of! the! Medusa.”! The" Rhetorical" Traditions." Ed.! Patricia! Bizzell!and!Bruce!Herzberg.!1235.!Print.!! ! Coolidge,!Clark.!Philip"Guston:"Collected"Writings,"Lectures."Oakland:!University!of! California!Press,!2010.!207.!Print.!! ! ! 75! Copeland,!Carolyn!Faunce.!Language"&"Time"&"Gertrude"Stein.!Iowa!City:!University! of!Iowa!Press,!1975.!75.!Print.!! ! cummings,! e.e.! from! the! Introduction." Collected" Poems:" 1922" –" 1938.! ! New! York:! Liverwright!Publishing!Corporation,!1990.!Unpaginated.!Print.!! ! Davis,!Lydia.!“Traveling!with!Mother.”!The"Collected"Stories"of"Lydia"Davis."New!York:! Farrar,!Strauss!and!Giroux,!2009.!711.!Print.!" ! Deleuze,!Gilles.!Desert"Islands"and"Other"Texts.!Los!Angeles:!Semiotext(e),!2004.!21! and!208.!Print.!! ! Deleuze,! Gilles.! “Nineteenth! Series! of! Humor.”! The" Logic" of" Sense.! New! York:! Columbia!University!Press,!1990.!134.!Print.!! ! Deleuze,!Gilles.!“Essences!and!the!Signs!of!Art.”"Proust"&"Signs.!Minneapolis:! University!of!Minnesota!Press,!200.!42!and!92.!Print.!! ! Derrida,! Jacques.! Excerpt! from! “Signature,! Event,! Context.”! Limited" INC." Evanston:! Northwestern!University!Press,!1977.!8.!Print.! ! Didion,!Joan.!“Slouching!Towards!Bethlehem.”!We"Tell"Ourselves"Stories"in"Order"to" Live."New!York:!Alfred!A.!Knopf,!2006.!103.!Print.!! ! Duchamp,! Marcel.! “Chapter! II.”! The" Afternoon" Interviews.! Brooklyn:! Badlands! Unlimited,!2013.!56.!Print.!! ! Dyer,! Richard.! “Believing! in! Fairies:! The! Author! and! the! Homosexual.”! Inside/Out:" Lesbian"Theories,"Gay"Theories.!London:!Routledge,!1991.!188.!Print.! ! Einstein,! Albert." “H.A.! Lorentz,! Creator! and! Personality.”! Ideas" and" Opinions.! New! York:!Wings!Books,!1954.!76!and!277.!Print.!! ! Faulkner,! William.! “Addie.”! As" I" Lay" Dying.! New! York:! Vintage! Books,! 1957.! 164.! Print.!! ! Feldman,!Morton.!Give"My"Regards"to"Eighth"Street.!Cambridge:!Exact!Change,!2000.! 23!and!130.!Print.!! ! Finney,!Nikky.!“Acceptance!Speech!for!the!National!Book!Award!of!Poetry.”!Head"off" &" Split.! Evanston:! Triquarterly! Books/Northwestern! University! Press,! 2010.! Unpaginated.!Print.!! ! Fish,!Stanley.!Is"There"a"Text"in"this"Class?!“Interpreting!the!Variorum.”!Cambridge:! Harvard!University!Press,!1980.!163.!Print.!! ! ! 76! Foucault,! Michele.! “What! is! an! Author.”! The" Foucault" Reader." New! York:! Pantheon! Books,!1984.!!118c!119.!Print.!! ! Gay,!Roxane!(@rgay).!““.!.!.!I!just!offered!an!opinion.!I!don’t!control!language.”!23! April!2015,!7:34p.m.!Tweet.! ! Guston,!Philip.!“The!Image:!1969.”!Philip"Guston:"Collected"Writings,"Lectures." Oakland:!University!of!California!Press,!2010.!131.!Print.!" ! Iser,!Wolfgang.!“The!Reading!Process:!A!Phenomenological!Approach.”!New"Literary" History"3.!Baltimore:!John!Hopkins!University,!1969.!285.!Print.!" ! Jabès,! Edmond.! Trans.! Rosemarie! Waldrop." “At! the! Threshold! of! the! Book.”! The! Poetry!Foundation,!1991.!Web.!6!Jan.!2015.!! ! Laknitz,! Andrew.! “Identification! and! Difference:! Structures! of! Privilege! in! Cultural! Criticism.”!Who"Can"Speak?"Authority"and"Critical"Identity.!Ed.!Judith!Roof!and!Robyn! Wiegam.!Chicago:!University!of!Illinois!Press,!1995.!4.!Print.! ! Lecercle,!JeancJacques.!Philosophy"of"Nonsense."London:!Routledge,!1994.!64.!Print.!! ! Lispector,! Clarice.! The" Passion" According" to" G.H." New! York:! New! Directions! Press,! 2012.!27.!Print.!! ! Lynch,! David.! “Light! of! the! Self.”! Catching" the" Big" Fish.! New! York:! Penguin! Group,! 2007.!97.!Print.!! ! Mallarmé,!Stéphane.!“Crisis!in!Verse.”!Divigations.!Cambridge:!The!Belknap!Press!of! Harvard!University!Press,!2007.!Print.!! ! Melville,! Herman.! “Cetology.”! Moby" Dick" or," The" Whale.! New! York:! Penguin! Group,! 2003.!148.!Print.!! ! Merton,!Thomas.!The"Collected"Poems"of"Thomas"Merton."New!York:!New!Directions! Press,!1977.!From!“A!Selection!of!Concrete!Poems.”!Print.!! ! Merwin,! W.S! “The! Second! Person.”! The" Book" of" Fables.! Port! Townsend:! Copper! Canyon!Press,!2007.!96.!Print.!! ! Perec,!Georges.!“Chapter!18.”!A"Void.!Boston:!A!Verba!Mundi!Book,!2008.!180.!Print.!! ! Proust,! Marcel.! “Part! One:! Combray.”! In" Search" of" Lost" Time:" Swann’s" Way.! ! New! York:!The!Modern!Library,!2003.!219.!Print.!! ! Richards,!I.A.!Practical"Criticism:"A"Study"of"Literary"Judgment.!London:!Broadway! House,!1956.!From!the!Introduction,!15.!Print.!! ! ! 77! Ruefle,!Mary.!Madness,"Rack"&"Honey.!Seattle:!Wave!Books,!2012.!183!and!260.!Print.!! ! Sasanov,! Catherine.! “Primary! Sources.”! Had" Slaves.! Danbury:! Firewheel! Editions,! 2010.!9!–!11.!Print.!! ! Schwitters,! Kurt.! “The! AvantcGarde.”! Modernism:" An" Anthology" of" Sources" and" Documents.!Chicago:!University!of!Chicago!Press,!1998.!282.!Print.! ! Showalter,!Elaine.!“Towards!a!Feminist!Poetics.”!The"New"Feminist"Criticism:"Essays" on"Women,"Literature"and"Theory."London:!Virago,!1986.!125c!143.!Print.!! ! Stein,!Gertrude.!“The!Making!of!Americans.”!Selected"Writings"of"Gertrude"Stein."New! York:!Vintage!Books,!1990.!263.!Print.!" ! Stein,!Gertrude.!“The!Superstitions!of!Fred!Anneday,!Annday,!Anday,!A!Novel!of!Real! Life.”!How"Writing"is"Written.!Los!Angeles:!Black!Sparrow!Press,!1974.!30.!Print.!! ! Taylor,! Cecil.! Unit" Structures." From! “Sound! Structure! of! Subculture! Becoming! Breath/Naked!Fire!Gesture.!New!York:!Blue!Note!Records,!1966.!Liner!Notes.!Print.! ! Thompson,! Hunter! S.! Fear" and" Loathing" in" Las" Vegas." New! York:! Second! Vintage! Books!Edition,!1998.!75!c!76.!Print.!! ! Tigges,!Wim.!An"Anatomy"of"Literary"Nonsense.!Amsterdam:!Rodopi,!1988.!4.!Print.!! ! Vonnegut,! Kurt.! “Fubar.”! Look" at" the" Birdie.! New! York:! Delacorte! Press,! 2009.! 21.! Print.!! ! Waldrop,! Rosemarie.! “Reluctant! Gravities.”! Curves" to" the" Apple.! New! York:! New! Directions!Press,!2006.!104.!Print.!! ! Woolf,!Virginia.!Mrs."Dalloway.!New!York,!Harcourt,!Brace!&!World,!Inc,!1925.!184.! Print.!! ! Wimsatt,! W.K.! The" Verbal" Icon." “The! Intentional! Fallacy.”! Lexington:! University! of! Kentucky!Press,!1954.!4!–!5.!Print.! ! ! ! 78!
