Category Archives: Uncategorized

Blue by Gass

Posted on February 5, 2008 by Francois Lachance

To quote from On Being Blue: A Philosophical Inquiry by William Gass is to do an injustice to the text’s voluptuousness, the waves of its pages. However to point people to it is a type of reparation. Words are one-way … Continue reading →

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Sieve

Posted on February 4, 2008 by Francois Lachance

There is an arresting description in Zen-Brain Reflections by James H. Austin that calls to mind over a wide arc of reading about the “Siena Sieve” portrait of Queen Elizabeth I that serves as a frontispiece to Lowell Gallagher’s Medusa’s … Continue reading →

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Psychosomatics and Ancestors

Posted on February 3, 2008 by Francois Lachance

John Brunner Stand on Zanzibar. The novel’s fiction. This exchange between characters spills out beyond the confines of the fictional world. Some of it seems to ring true for the actual world. “[…] An old man — I suppose you’d … Continue reading →

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Visions of Fate

Posted on February 1, 2008 by Francois Lachance

Stephen Kuusisto in Planet of the Blind muses upon fate and gives it a vibrant texture. Fate it seems is made of thorns and blossoms and bones. As Corky [the guide dog] flings leaves and growls with satisfaction I contemplate … Continue reading →

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surface tautologies: landscapes in the imagination

Posted on January 31, 2008 by Francois Lachance

Eugene Benson in the introduction to Elaine Nardocchio’s Theatre and Politics in Modern Quebec quotes from a poem by Miriam Waddington: we look like a geography but just scratch us and we bleed history I wonder if it works in … Continue reading →

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Prescriptions and Atmospherics

Posted on January 30, 2008 by Francois Lachance

Brent Ledger, a columnist for Xtra! in the January 31, 2008, edition tackles the topic of “musical monotony” and the setting of tone. Music in a bar is not exactly the same as music at home or in the concert … Continue reading →

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Bridge Walking

Posted on January 29, 2008 by Francois Lachance

Stephen Kuusisto in Planet of the Blind has a stimulating description of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge has a civilized, old-fashioned promenade deck, with teak benches and intricate wrought iron lamps posts. This walkway is sensational, crossing the bridge … Continue reading →

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Sounds Like “Writer”

Posted on January 28, 2008 by Francois Lachance

A fictional Duke of Wellington in Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell has this to say about the handling of certain experts Keep him to his task, but shew no surprize at any thing he does. That, my lords, … Continue reading →

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Telling Typo

Posted on January 27, 2008 by Francois Lachance

In a previous post quoting from Inventing Kindergarten by Norman Brosterman, “act” appears for “art”. A chair might become numbers, numbers act, and art either or both. And so it appeared on day 122 (15.04.2007) under the rubric “More on … Continue reading →

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Gifts

Posted on January 26, 2008 by Francois Lachance

Inventing Kindergarten by Norman Brosterman is a beautiful book. Design complements content. Which is fitting in a book devoted to Froebel’s system. […] the ultimate lesson of kindergarten was straightforward: the world (nature), mathematics (knowledge), and art (beauty) were interchangeable, … Continue reading →

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