Tim,
Irony is often well-served by deliberate ambiguity (as in puns,
etc.), and I don't see why sincere self-assessment need be
undermined by irony. On the contrary, irony prevents true
sincerity from self-seriousness, from maudlin self-indulgence,
as effectively employed in work by John Donne, Dylan Thomas, et al.
For me, the discovery of this particular layer of irony in the
passage rescues it, for me, from the tone of mere preachment, as in C. 45,
which is not my favorite tone in EP's work.
==Dan
At 11:58 AM 8/24/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Dan,
>I've been think about what seems to me to be a contradiction or an
>incongruity-- how could Pound be deliberately ambiguous here -- meaning two
>things at once-- if one of those things involves _sincere_ self-assessment?
>Doesn't the duplicity and irony undermine the integrity of the contrition?
>But what if we were to take this Zweifaltigkeit (half black, half white) as
>a kind of structural _counterpoint_ (Lawes, Jenkins)? Sincere
>self-appraisal counterposed with the ironic statement, addressed to
>"Paquin", that the (army's) green casque has outdone his elegance.
>
>Tim Romano
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Daniel Pearlman" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 3:32 PM
>Subject: Re: green casques
>
>
>> Tim,
>>
>> As you'll see by my last message, I'm getting sold for various
>> reasons on this duality possibility myself--as an *intentional*
>> use of ambiguity on EP's part.
>>
>> ==Dan
>>
>> At 02:53 PM 8/23/00 -0400, you wrote:
>> >Burt,
>> >It's clear that the green casque is readily associated with other
>elements
>> >from the green (i.e. natural) world in the Pisan Cantos, such as an
>insect's
>> >beautiful case, not made by man. I was fairly well convinced that Dan's
>> >myrmidon theory was overshooting the target, but now, I'm not so sure.
>> >There seem to be _two_ green worlds, and two planes of meaning here ---
>> >again, the Elizabethan masque's meta-commentary upon the dramatic
>action,
>> >and the magpie's duality, may shed some light on how the ambiguities of
>this
>> >passage operate.
>> > Tim Romano
>> >
>> >
>> >----- Original Message -----
>> >From: "Burt Hatlen" <[log in to unmask]>
>> >To: <[log in to unmask]>
>> >Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 11:56 AM
>> >Subject: green casques
>> >
>> >
>> >> I haven't been following the "green casques" thread very closely, and
>> >> I've erased a good many messages, so someone may have made this point
>> >> already. But the association of the green casques with army helmets
>> >> seems to me totally wrong. I have always associated the "Paquin"
>> >> passage with the final lines of Canto LXXX, five pages previous:
>> >>
>> >> as the young lizard extends his leopard spots
>> >> along the grass-blade seeking the green midge half an ant-size
>> >> [then five lines about London]
>> >> and if her green elegance
>> >> remains on this side of my rain ditch
>> >> puss lizard will lunch on some other T-bone
>> >>
>> >> sunset grand couturier.
>> >>
>> >> We have here an association of "green" with "elegance," and Paquin was
>> >> in fact a couturier. A midge is a small fly, and its closed wings might
>> >> look like a "casque." But I also think that Carroll Terrell is correct
>> >> in association the green casque with the cocoon from which the wasp
>> >> emerges, in Canto LXXXIII.
>> >>
>> >> Burt Hatlen
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> HOME:
>> Dan Pearlman
>> 102 Blackstone Blvd. #5
>> Providence, RI 02906
>> Tel.: 401 453-3027
>> email: [log in to unmask]
>> Fax: (253) 681-8518
>> http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/clf/
>>
>> OFFICE
>> Department of English
>> University of Rhode Island
>> Kingston, RI 02881
>> Tel.: 401 874-4659
>>
>>
>
HOME:
Dan Pearlman
102 Blackstone Blvd. #5
Providence, RI 02906
Tel.: 401 453-3027
email: [log in to unmask]
Fax: (253) 681-8518
http://www.uri.edu/artsci/english/clf/
OFFICE
Department of English
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, RI 02881
Tel.: 401 874-4659
|
