Carlo wrote:

>
>Wei. Thanks for refering me to your essay. I just printed it out and, to
>avoid customers, locked myself in the bathroom and began reading. I'll
>try to make this brief because again I'm being besieged.
>I haven't gotten far in your essay and I intend to give it a fair
>reading. But already I see problems. You begin with a number of familiar
>quotes from Pound and at the bottom of page one you interject "[Pound]
>really does himself as a victim."
>In American culture, especially
>literary culture Pound's stance toward forces far more powerful than he
>and the statements you cite would be deemed heroic, not the actions of a
>"victim".

It would, of course, be a matter of considerable controversy to what extent
Pound (or the moral exemplars in his Cantos) deserve the title "hero" in the
sense you mean, but I leave that as an open question for the moment.  I
believe your are essentially correct in your objection, in a very important
sense.

>Your interpretation is in some "literal" sense accurate but
>figuratively, poetically, misses a great theme in American
>literature--the courageous individual standing up against established
>power.

The question will ultimately be whether Pound becomes a courageous
individual standing up against established power, or if he merely allows his
  hatred of one established power to support an even worse "established
power".  Still you are right about my misuse, or narrow use of the term
"victim."

>The fact that the forces arrayed against Pound can squash him if
>he ever accrued enough power and support for his ideas is irrelevant.
>Pound's actions are not the actions of a "victim" but an expression of
>that American quality that anyone can take on forces immensely more
>power than they are, and certainly beyond their capacties to change.

Yes, you are essentially correct in arguing that Pound is not a victim, in
the most meaningful sense of the word.

I said that Pound's

"use of the word "they" in
the following passage to designate an undefined enemy
indicates that he really does see himself as a victim."

  What has capital done that I should hate Andy Mellon
  as a symbol or as reality? . . .
   I have grown, if not fat under the existing order,
  at least dangerously near it.  I have no personal grievance.
  They tried to break me and didn't or couldn't, at any
  rate, chance and destiny, etc., gave me a fairly good break.
  I was tough enough to escape or to stand the pressure.
  Personally.  Why then, have I blood lust?  (SP, 29).

Perhaps, I should say, that Pound sees himself as "personally aggrieved."
What strikes me about this passage is that Pound says he has "no personal
grievance", and then goes on to talk about the fact that "they did this . .
.  they did that . . . ."  "I was tough . . . " and so on.   He concludes
that he does have "blood lust", this in an explanation of why he became
interested in economics.  It seems very personal, (dare I say vengeful) . .
.  though I believe he may have had good reason to feel as he did toward
publishers, patrons of the arts (such as Melon) capitalists, and many other
people.  (This is not to say I sanction "blood lust", hatred, or revenge; I
simply say that I grant the state of mind to be "psychologically normal" as
a reaction to mistreatment).

>Right now, I am contact with the Concept artist, Henry Flynt, who has
>told me straight up that his intention is to bring down the sciences by
>exposing the flaws in current epistemology and presenting practical
>alternatives. I think Flynt's a genius so you gather from that what that
>says about me. But Flynt a victim? Never.

I appreciate what you are saying here.  It sounds like Flynt may very well
be a genius, and is at the very least an extremely remarkable fellow.  I
applaud his efforts, and wish him luck.


>And what's important is Flynt
>doesn't believe he's a victim any more than Pound did (or would). I
>don't want to argue every little point with you, because I think the
>problem is not in the detail.

Fair enough.  More than fair enough.

>Throwing a half dozen quotes from Pound
>when he's experiencing a bout of depression or frustration won't alter
>my notion either. Minute inspection of the material will not be resolved
>if one does not assess one's initial intentions and overall telos. And
>that goes for all of us. Gotta go mail some books. Carlo Parcelli
>

You are right.  I agree that individual bouts of depression (etc.) are not
relevant to this issue.

Regards,

Wei

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