Re: Introduction-"Glassy Essence"


Subject: Re: Introduction-"Glassy Essence"
From: James L Piat (piat@JUNO.COM)
Date: Wed Nov 17 1999 - 07:30:12 EST


Dear Will,

Thanks for the introduction. I'm a 58 yr old married grandpa living in
Atlanta working as a psychologist. I have a mixed Catholic and Jewish
background but never affiliated with either faith in any formal way. It
took me a very long time to get though undergraduate school but during
one of my lapses I just happened to read The Moviegoer and it always
stuck in my mind. (Most of my enduring intellectual interests were
stimulated outside of the formal educational system)When Ketner's A thief
of Peirce came out I heard about it just by chance, but didn't read it
until I joined the Peirce list because of my independent interest in
language. This is getting too long. The point is I have just recently
completed His Glassy Essence and agree it's a great book for anyone
interested in Peirce. Actually I enjoyed it a good deal on many levels
but it's hard for me to separate out my interest in Peirce. In fact I've
been thinking of trying to write my own review of it for Amazon.Com as
I'm not too crazy about the one they've got posted. You might want to
join the Peirce list if you haven't already been lurking over there.
There's hardly a day that goes by that some page or another from His
Glassy Essence doesn't shed some light on the discussions there.
Ketner's careful selection and arrangement of Peirce ideas in Peirce's
own words somehow does make Peirce much clearer. I understand your
Peirce for Dummies joke and think it certainly fits in my case, but I
also had a very strong sense that Ketner had a deep respect for the
reader as an independent thinker. I'm guessing you did too, but perhaps
not, and I like to hear your thoughts on this aspect. I know Ken is a
member of this list and I don't mean to speaking of him as a stranger,
but I'm trying to adopt some semblance of objectivity here. We could go
on about that, eh? I'm starting to gain an appreciation for the art of
selection and arrangement --not in the snootie sense of selectivity but
in the way a kid or any lover contemplates what he or she loves. I
suppose that's part of what you're doing in that bookstore. Will Parish
--that's a great name for one of Percy characters. Although all I've
read is The Moviegoer and most of his Non-fiction. It's not the thing in
itself but the view we take of it that I find endlessly fascinating.

Cheers,
Jim Piat

On Tue, 16 Nov 1999 22:15:34 PST William Parish <willparish@HOTMAIL.COM>
writes:
> Sorry to break up the thread.
>
> My Introduction:
>
> My name is Will Parish and I would like to introduce myself to the
> Percy-L.
> I have been observing this list for roughly two years now and enjoy
> it a
> great deal. I have chosen to be a silent observer (without a
> telescope)up to
> this point. Now, I lift my mask, and reveal that I am a 35 year old
> bachelor living in Dallas, Texas. I am currently a lapsed Catholic
> (was in
> Jesuit novitiate for a (very) brief period a couple of years back).
> Currently, I work in a used bookstore here in Dallas.
>
> I first learned of Dr. Percy while studying English Lit. at the
> University
> of Dallas and was hooked. I've read Moviegoer,Last Gentleman, Lost
> in the
> Cosmos, and both major Percy bios.
>
> My Question:
> Has anyone read Dr. Ketner's "His Glassy Essence",the
> 'autobiography' of
> CSP. I just started and have found it a great help in understanding
> Peirce.
> It is a great "Peirce for Dummies" book, which I feel that Percy
> would
> have enjoyed. Now if only someone would write a "Percy for
> Dummies"!I would
> appreciate anyone's comments about the book.
>
>
> Will Parish
>
>
> ______________________________________________________
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