To: Tim Romano Thanks for the replies to my comments on Pound, Confucianism, and the Apocalyptic. I agree with you that Pound was a sort of syncretist, rather than a strict Confucian, though I believe he was more of a Confucian, philosophically, for most of his life, than he was the adherent of any other philosophy. The sheer weight of references to Confucius--- in all his prose and poetic writings--- far outweighs his commitments to any western religio-philosophical school. He was more committed to Confucius than he was to Douglas, or Eleusis, or even to Mussolini. Of course, the emphasis varied, but it was reasonably consistent until the collapse. Incidentally, I am not arguing that the collapse of the Confucian canon caused the Pound's views to crumble. My view is that the same political, social, and historical circumstances which made it impossible for 20th century Confucians to maintain their strong committment to the integrity of Confucian texts and Confucian philosphy, were the SAME circumstances which made it impossible for Pound to maintain his commitment to Confucius, Confucianism, and Confucian texts til the end of his life. In other words, the contradictions inherent in the texts which Confucians sought to crystallize--- and preserve in a perfect and unquestionable form--- reflect certain social contradictions present in Chinese society. The contradictions and inconsistencies in Confucian texts, which stemmed from those social contradictions, were also transfered into Pound's texts. Three things fall apart: Chinese society (which is based on Confucian thought), the Confucian dogma, which sustains that society, and the texts themselves, which lose all cohesion, and virtually all their power. Pound's strong commitment to Confucius renders him vulnerable. He cannot put together what all the thinkers in China have spent over two hundred years disassemblling and tearing down. As to your point about the possibility of an impending nuclear apocalypse taking a heavy toll on Pound, I think that is extremely plausible, and deserves more serious attention. As I say, I am not sure how much weight to give it. You may be absolutely correct in suggesting that it is very significant. You are certainly right to say that Pound was a syncretist, and that he could readily combine the elements of various religions. I would like to say much more about that later, for it is a subject which interests me. You mention the middle period of Pound's life, as the one in which he is most Confucian. I agree with that, though I would say that his interests in the concrete activity of fascism, his commitments to imperialism (the "Italian Empire"), and to racialist theories merged with and overtook his Confucianism. Pound's study of Chinese history and Confucianism was used to confirm and substantiate his developing beliefs in Mussolini, in the New Italian Imperium, and in the racial superiority of the Italian, the German, and the Sino-Japanese race. If you are interested in this issue, you can view a detailed article I have written on the subject. I just posted it online yesterday. http://www.geocities.com/weienlin/raceandempire.html Regards, Wei ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com