My thoughts have been with Kenner and Terrell this past week, and I
feel keenly the weight of my unexpressed sorrow at learning earlier this
year of the death of Akiko Miyake. Each approached Pound so differently;
each allowed us to see the intricate weave of their own thought.
I have a question about Terrell's method of teaching and one of his
avenues of approach for introducing the Cantos in his book "Ideas in
Reaction." Here he offers comparisons to the parables of Christ, refers
to Pound's use of Zeus as a metaphor for the Christ spirit, and offers
Paul's letters in the Corinthians as a way of understanding Pound's use
of the terms God and love. His references regarding religion and gods in
the "Companion" were informational, his references in "Ideas in
Reaction" were suggestive. Was the latter a way of helping students
engage with a book that embraces polytheism, or a reflection of
Terrell's own reception of the Cantos? Was Terrell a devout Christian?
If so, what was his relationship to Pound's polytheism?
And can anyone comment on Pound's relationship to Christianity in his
last decade(s)? ( I am trying to recall a certain paper I saw in the
Beinecke Pound collection from Pound's late years and vaguely remember
that the writing was either marked for, or appeared to be for, a(n
Easter?) service at one of the churches in Venice. Have others come
across writing that resembles this description?)
I do remember Olga's comments about Pound's funeral service in S.
Giorgio:  from the interior of the church, the large doors were opened
for the funeral barque, offering those inside the church a direct line
of vision to the figure of Fortuna atop the customs house across the
water--Fortuna, who alone of the pagan gods had survived much of
Christianity. (At Guido's death in Pound's Cavalcanti opera, appears
Fortuna to conclude the third act).
Sincerely,
Margaret Fisher

>Date:    Mon, 1 Dec 2003 20:24:09 -0500
>From:    David Griffith <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: Death Of Carroll F. Terrell
>
>Anyone who loves the Cantos owes Terrell an incalculable debt. for the
>Companion.  I -- being that rarity, the non-academic Pound enthusiast --only
>discovered the existence of the Companion a few years ago when I found it in
>a bookstore; and I realized as soon as I opened it that this was the volume I
>had longed for ever since I was first captivated and mystified by the Cantos
>as an undergraduate some 3 decades ago.
>
>I regret that I never tried to contact him to express my appreciation for
>this work, which so greatly enlarged my understanding and appreciation of
>Pound's masterpiece.  Thanks to him for many a "precise definition."
>
>------------------------------
>
>End of EPOUND-L Digest - 29 Nov 2003 to 1 Dec 2003 (#2003-168)
>**************************************************************
>
>
>
>