"I argued for a purity that exists in language as representation..." --Spring Ulmer, The Age of Virtual Reproduction
What is the purity of representation? Why does literature (or any art) move us? Is it because we're not ready for unfiltered reality/Truth? Is it because we understand through representation? We grasp our purpose and ourselves through what we represent and what represents us?
Perhaps this is why I'm so narrowly focused on generational connections and family?
I liked pieces of Spring Ulmer's collection; I really like some--and the rest I shrugged over. Writing in fragments can work, but not when you use them as an excuse to ignore transitions, strong connections, and flow. Part of the reasons she wrote the book (I think) was to convey a series of important messages. She conveyed, but didn't actually communicate. Disappointing. I had hoped for more.
When we drove to Kuna a few weeks ago, we listened to Cheaper By the Dozen. I forgot how delightful it is. Wesley recommended it to me when I was 17 and I eagerly read it so I could have something to talk to him about without tripping over my pauses and commas. He loves a good story (as do I), but he's convinced that he will never "get" poetry or poetic language (he claims this is because of his logical mind). But I don't know how we can escape poetics--thinking in it is just as logical for me. Representation as multi-layered, all genre?
According to the Bible, we are made in the image of God; are we then creatures of representation--just seeking an original? I don't know if I'm prepared to fathom that origin. But it's something I always think about: even when I'm not aware of thinking.
My thesis title, related to this, is "Evidences of Inheritance (Essays on Closeness)." I think it works, the middle sounds of "evidences" and "inheritance" are a bit too similar, but it captures what I'm trying to do. Represent, that is.
your thoughts on representation are intriguing. I wonder if you've considered either Lacan and his concept of "lack" or Baudrillard and his concept of the simulacra in relation to your studies. Probably a stretch, either of these things, but just throwing it out there for what it's worth.
ReplyDelete