From wpercy2 at ibiblio.org Sat Jul 30 18:46:17 2005 From: wpercy2 at ibiblio.org (Henry P. Mills) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:46:17 -0500 Subject: [percy-l] By way of introduction (Re-post) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Dear Percy-L, I am forwarding a message that had trouble getting through. Welcome to the list, Larry. We are glad to have you onboard. Regards, Henry ------ Forwarded Message > From: "Lawrence Rhu" > Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 11:16:19 -0400 > To: > Subject: By way of introduction > > I have just signed up for the Percy list and been encouraged to > introduce myself. Briefly, I read Walker Percy's early novels in the > 60s when I was in college, and they meant an enormous amount to me. I > continued reading his books as they came out; and, as a school teacher > and then a college professor, I have found occasional opportunites to > teach Percy. Recently, I completed a book project on the American > philosopher Stanley Cavell, who, I think, shares a noteworthy spiritual > kinship with Percy. For that reason, Percy (and The Moviegoer in > particular) became significant terms of comparison in writing that book. > That writing also made me eager to find further opportunities to think, > talk, teach, and write about Walker Percy. This list looks as though it > may be helpful in that search. > > Larry Rhu > > Lawrence F. Rhu > Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature > University of South Carolina > Columbia, SC 29208 > Tel: 803 777 0144 > Fax: 803 777 9064 > Email: rhul at sc.edu ------ End of Forwarded Message -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Lawrence Rhu" Subject: By way of introduction Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 11:16:19 -0400 Size: 1784 URL: From KMitch2626 at aol.com Sat Jul 30 19:58:24 2005 From: KMitch2626 at aol.com (KMitch2626 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 19:58:24 EDT Subject: [percy-l] dead Message-ID: <6a.5a72aecb.301d6e20@aol.com> wow, this list serv, once vibrant, has really died. i know people still read and teach Percy, but im wondering if the research on him has hit a dead end. is anyone out there doing any books, or articles on him nowadays? i know my own dissertation on Percy, Peirce, semiotics, and the self, hit a real dead end. ive always thought that we could use a new, updated, Lost in the Cosmos. I wonder if anyone else out there thinks that, or is trying to do that? just some random thoughts... Ken Mitchell -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From daveduty at austin.rr.com Sat Jul 30 20:11:05 2005 From: daveduty at austin.rr.com (Dave Duty) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 19:11:05 -0500 Subject: [percy-l] dead In-Reply-To: <6a.5a72aecb.301d6e20@aol.com> References: <6a.5a72aecb.301d6e20@aol.com> Message-ID: <42EC1719.5010200@austin.rr.com> Ken -- did you ever finish your dissertations and what was the topic -- Dave Duty, Austin KMitch2626 at aol.com wrote: > wow, > > this list serv, once vibrant, has really died. i know people still > read and teach Percy, but im wondering if the research on him has hit > a dead end. is anyone out there doing any books, or articles on him > nowadays? i know my own dissertation on Percy, Peirce, semiotics, and > the self, hit a real dead end. ive always thought that we could use a > new, updated, Lost in the Cosmos. I wonder if anyone else out there > thinks that, or is trying to do that? just some random thoughts... > > Ken Mitchell > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >-- >An archive of all list discussion is available at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ > >Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From padraig at well.com Sat Jul 30 20:34:21 2005 From: padraig at well.com (Patrick Lynch) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:34:21 -0700 Subject: [percy-l] dead In-Reply-To: <6a.5a72aecb.301d6e20@aol.com> References: <6a.5a72aecb.301d6e20@aol.com> Message-ID: <9D01C157-7D4E-40F5-9844-2B1341C45A90@well.com> I agree. I can't believe there are no lively discussions about Dr P left. I would love to write on him; are any schools allowing folk to write on his work? I see some interesting work to be done comparing his work to Pynchon or John Fowles or even Ian McEwan's latest, _Saturday_. Patrick On Jul 30, 2005, at 4:58 PM, KMitch2626 at aol.com wrote: > wow, > > this list serv, once vibrant, has really died. i know people still > read and teach Percy, but im wondering if the research on him has > hit a dead end. is anyone out there doing any books, or articles on > him nowadays? i know my own dissertation on Percy, Peirce, > semiotics, and the self, hit a real dead end. ive always thought > that we could use a new, updated, Lost in the Cosmos. I wonder if > anyone else out there thinks that, or is trying to do that? just > some random thoughts... > > Ken Mitchell > -- > An archive of all list discussion is available at http:// > lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chaslow53 at aol.com Sat Jul 30 22:29:15 2005 From: chaslow53 at aol.com (chaslow53 at aol.com) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 22:29:15 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] dead In-Reply-To: <9D01C157-7D4E-40F5-9844-2B1341C45A90@well.com> References: <6a.5a72aecb.301d6e20@aol.com> <9D01C157-7D4E-40F5-9844-2B1341C45A90@well.com> Message-ID: <8C7638EC7AB41E9-15D8-3255@MBLK-M24.sysops.aol.com> Well, it is obviously true that the list is not as active as it once was. I think there are many of us (we exchange private e-mails from time to time, where you smarter folk can't catch us) who are fans of the novels and don't really have a great interest in the philosophy. I'm not sure what WP would have thought of us, but there it is. And even of those of us interested in the novels, there appear to be two groups. The academics are ever eager to trace sources and influences, but the "layfolk" are more interested in using the novels to help answer WP's "ordinary Thursday afternoon at 4:00" conundrum: how is it that we can spend the morning reading philosophy and history and theology and fiction and walk away from it with no idea at all of how we are to lead our lives after lunch? Two historical/literary thoughts present themselves here. * William Buckley is reported to have said that he read Moby Dick at 55 and it changed his life. I cannot vouch for that, either that he said it or that it changed his life. I speak here as one who edifies, not with authority. What I can say is that I read The Moviegoer at 52 and it changed my life. I am interested in an exchange of ideas, not necessarily restricted to that sort of reaction, of what the Percy novels mean in the individual lives of those who read and contemplate them. To the extent that the novels broaden our understanding of the "dark journey," they are valuable; they become even more valuable when we understand how they affect others as well. * John Henry Newman was the author of A Grammar of Assent, The Idea of a University and a thousand papers on points of Church history and doctrine so austere and obscure that we are staggered to this day to contemplate his output. Yet when he was made a Cardinal, he chose as his motto something that showed a side of him that none of us today would associate with him: Cor ad cor loquitur, the heart speaks to the heart. So, too, Walker Percy wrote novels whose message, whether in Binx's relationship with his mother or in Tom Moore's relationship with his second (Presbyterian!) wife or in Lancelot's pipe-clanking with is fellow inmate, could not be clearer: cor ad cor loquitur. I'm not saying that this should move us to sentimental essays based not on WP's novels but on sociological flights with only the remotest connection. I am just saying that there are a lot of us who read and treasure the novels because of their expression of what Binx experienced as "God's importunate grace" and discussions which are too philosophical or too technical are not going to grab us, because we are neither philosophers nor academics. That's why you don't hear from that group too very often. Damn, I guess I am intent on retaining my amateur status! Chuck Lowry Brooklyn, New York -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From KMitch2626 at aol.com Sun Jul 31 00:01:24 2005 From: KMitch2626 at aol.com (KMitch2626 at aol.com) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 00:01:24 EDT Subject: [percy-l] dead Message-ID: <42.6e366848.301da714@aol.com> Chuck, and others... i thinking your "amatuer" status is wonderful. its late, and ive had to much whisky, (no not bourbon, Percy's choice), but i was excited to see such quick responses to my little dead comment. so i thought at least a brief response was in order. yes, my interest in Percy probably fell into the "academic" category, but it didnt start that way. I was taken with your comments about what the hell to do on a wed. afternoon. In graduate school, i was working hard on formulating a theory of the self and using a lot of Peirce. But, what usually happened was after reading lots of philosophy and biology, I was always left with the existential problem of my self and how the hell to get through the rest of the day. A proffessor turned me onto Percy, and I started to realize that when i read literature, i learned more about my self then i ever learned from reading all my "academic" books. a bit of a revelation, and to add too it, i discovered Percy was interested in Peirce, and had tried to sketch out some philosophical picture of the self. I was certain i was "on to something." I thought if i worked enough of the 2 of them i could give some type of ontological picture of the self: one that explained why narrative and language make up what a self is. one that explained why reading a novel like the moviegoer actually told me more about a self then any philosophy i ever read. well, to make a long story short, i really dont think Percy ever really figured that out. I certainly couldnt. Reading a lot of Ketner's work on the two thinkers got me close, but i still couldnt put it all in philosophical terms. maybe thats appropriate! I abandoned my dissertation (which is kind of a shame since it would have helped others doing research on the 2). I also said goodbye to academia. I havnt read Percy in a few years. And I'm still trying to figure out what the hell to do with myself on an ordinary afternoon. I drink way too much. I am an incessant "womanizer" now that i am divorced after 12 years of marriage. My therapist just told me she cant help me and i need to see someone else. And my father just died unexpectedly last week. I wish just picking up a Percy novel would be like a magic pill for me right now. But i think that is asking way to much of our admired physician/novelist. Well, this is just existential babble. so ill end it for now. But I have to say that is nice to see a few Percy messages in my email bottle. lets keep talking, ken -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wpercy2 at ibiblio.org Sun Jul 31 00:12:09 2005 From: wpercy2 at ibiblio.org (Henry P. Mills) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 23:12:09 -0500 Subject: [percy-l] dead In-Reply-To: <8C7638EC7AB41E9-15D8-3255@MBLK-M24.sysops.aol.com> Message-ID: Thanks for the more than enjoyable edification, Chuck. We could use more of it. I will take this as a good moment to say Percy-L the communication channel is decidedly not dead, nor will it be anytime soon. It runs very stably and soundly through the digital machineries of UNC and will remain active as long as I have the presence and ability to sit at the keyboard. So whether or not there is actually any Percy ?chatter? at any given point, the potential for intersubjective connection still remains as a constant for the, at present, 117 members subscribed. One may also always return to past discussions when on a search for Percy by visiting the list?s archives at , if not find and re-invigorate subjects there to new life by returning them to new discussion. All things held constant, therefore, Percy-L is not dead, nor will it be as long as 2 remain members, and we are a far piece from there. Regards, Henry Mills PS-Just as a little trivia, can anyone say when Percy-L was launched? > From: chaslow53 at aol.com > Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" > > Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 22:29:15 -0400 > To: percy-l at lists.ibiblio.org > Subject: Re: [percy-l] dead > > > Well, it is obviously true that the list is not as active as it once was. I > think there are many of us (we exchange private e-mails from time to time, > where you smarter folk can't catch us) who are fans of the novels and don't > really have a great interest in the philosophy. I'm not sure what WP would > have thought of us, but there it is. > > And even of those of us interested in the novels, there appear to be two > groups. The academics are ever eager to trace sources and influences, but the > "layfolk" are more interested in using the novels to help answer WP's > "ordinary Thursday afternoon at 4:00" conundrum: how is it that we can spend > the morning reading philosophy and history and theology and fiction and walk > away from it with no idea at all of how we are to lead our lives after lunch? > > Two historical/literary thoughts present themselves here. > > * William Buckley is reported to have said that he read Moby Dick at 55 and it > changed his life. I cannot vouch for that, either that he said it or that it > changed his life. I speak here as one who edifies, not with authority. What > I can say is that I read The Moviegoer at 52 and it changed my life. I am > interested in an exchange of ideas, not necessarily restricted to that sort of > reaction, of what the Percy novels mean in the individual lives of those who > read and contemplate them. To the extent that the novels broaden our > understanding of the "dark journey," they are valuable; they become even more > valuable when we understand how they affect others as well. > > * John Henry Newman was the author of A Grammar of Assent, The Idea of a > University and a thousand papers on points of Church history and doctrine so > austere and obscure that we are staggered to this day to contemplate his > output. Yet when he was made a Cardinal, he chose as his motto something that > showed a side of him that none of us today would associate with him: Cor ad > cor loquitur, the heart speaks to the heart. So, too, Walker Percy wrote > novels whose message, whether in Binx's relationship with his mother or in Tom > Moore's relationship with his second (Presbyterian!) wife or in Lancelot's > pipe-clanking with is fellow inmate, could not be clearer: cor ad cor > loquitur. > > I'm not saying that this should move us to sentimental essays based not on > WP's novels but on sociological flights with only the remotest connection. I > am just saying that there are a lot of us who read and treasure the novels > because of their expression of what Binx experienced as "God's importunate > grace" and discussions which are too philosophical or too technical are not > going to grab us, because we are neither philosophers nor academics. That's > why you don't hear from that group too very often. > > Damn, I guess I am intent on retaining my amateur status! > > Chuck Lowry > Brooklyn, New York > > > -- > An archive of all list discussion is available at > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From wpercy2 at ibiblio.org Sun Jul 31 00:34:26 2005 From: wpercy2 at ibiblio.org (Henry P. Mills) Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 23:34:26 -0500 Subject: [percy-l] Percy-L Trivia In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Answer: what became Percy-L started as a hypermail archive launched in early August, 1995. Discussion was formalized into Percy-L one year later in August, 1996. http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy/mail-archives.html holds all the archived messages if you?re interested in a bit of semiotic archeology. If you were a member back then, I hope you will write me and let me know. Happy 10th, Percy-L! Henry Mills > From: "Henry P. Mills" > Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" > > Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 23:12:09 -0500 > To: percy-l > Subject: Re: [percy-l] dead > > > Thanks for the more than enjoyable edification, Chuck. We could use more of > it. I will take this as a good moment to say Percy-L the communication > channel is decidedly not dead, nor will it be anytime soon. It runs very > stably and soundly through the digital machineries of UNC and will remain > active as long as I have the presence and ability to sit at the keyboard. So > whether or not there is actually any Percy ?chatter? at any given point, the > potential for intersubjective connection still remains as a constant for the, > at present, 117 members subscribed. One may also always return to past > discussions when on a search for Percy by visiting the list?s archives at > , if not find and re-invigorate > subjects there to new life by returning them to new discussion. All things > held constant, therefore, Percy-L is not dead, nor will it be as long as 2 > remain members, and we are a far piece from there. > > Regards, > Henry Mills > > PS-Just as a little trivia, can anyone say when Percy-L was launched? > > > > > >> From: chaslow53 at aol.com >> Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" >> >> Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 22:29:15 -0400 >> To: percy-l at lists.ibiblio.org >> Subject: Re: [percy-l] dead >> >> >> Well, it is obviously true that the list is not as active as it once was. I >> think there are many of us (we exchange private e-mails from time to time, >> where you smarter folk can't catch us) who are fans of the novels and don't >> really have a great interest in the philosophy. I'm not sure what WP would >> have thought of us, but there it is. >> >> And even of those of us interested in the novels, there appear to be two >> groups. The academics are ever eager to trace sources and influences, but >> the "layfolk" are more interested in using the novels to help answer WP's >> "ordinary Thursday afternoon at 4:00" conundrum: how is it that we can spend >> the morning reading philosophy and history and theology and fiction and walk >> away from it with no idea at all of how we are to lead our lives after lunch? >> >> Two historical/literary thoughts present themselves here. >> >> * William Buckley is reported to have said that he read Moby Dick at 55 and >> it changed his life. I cannot vouch for that, either that he said it or that >> it changed his life. I speak here as one who edifies, not with authority. >> What I can say is that I read The Moviegoer at 52 and it changed my life. I >> am interested in an exchange of ideas, not necessarily restricted to that >> sort of reaction, of what the Percy novels mean in the individual lives of >> those who read and contemplate them. To the extent that the novels broaden >> our understanding of the "dark journey," they are valuable; they become even >> more valuable when we understand how they affect others as well. >> >> * John Henry Newman was the author of A Grammar of Assent, The Idea of a >> University and a thousand papers on points of Church history and doctrine so >> austere and obscure that we are staggered to this day to contemplate his >> output. Yet when he was made a Cardinal, he chose as his motto something >> that showed a side of him that none of us today would associate with him: Cor >> ad cor loquitur, the heart speaks to the heart. So, too, Walker Percy wrote >> novels whose message, whether in Binx's relationship with his mother or in >> Tom Moore's relationship with his second (Presbyterian!) wife or in >> Lancelot's pipe-clanking with is fellow inmate, could not be clearer: cor ad >> cor loquitur. >> >> I'm not saying that this should move us to sentimental essays based not on >> WP's novels but on sociological flights with only the remotest connection. I >> am just saying that there are a lot of us who read and treasure the novels >> because of their expression of what Binx experienced as "God's importunate >> grace" and discussions which are too philosophical or too technical are not >> going to grab us, because we are neither philosophers nor academics. That's >> why you don't hear from that group too very often. >> >> Damn, I guess I am intent on retaining my amateur status! >> >> Chuck Lowry >> Brooklyn, New York >> >> >> -- >> An archive of all list discussion is available at >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ >> >> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy >> >> >> >> > -- > An archive of all list discussion is available at > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mjs83 at georgetown.edu Sun Jul 31 01:45:41 2005 From: mjs83 at georgetown.edu (Matthew James Sitman) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 01:45:41 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] Introduction Message-ID: I recently joined Percy-L and after glancing through the archives found it was customary to provide a short introduction. Currently I am a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in the Dept. of Government at Georgetown University, where my major field of study is political theory. I came to Percy through the work of Peter Lawler, particularly his book Aliens in America: The Strange Truth About Our Souls. After reading more of Dr. Lawler's writings (and hearing him speak on a few occasions) and seeing Percy show up time after time, I decided to explore Percy for myself. By the end of this summer I should finish my first reading of all of Percy's fiction, though I started with and have given significant time to his non-fiction work. Percy has already become an important figure in my intellectual development and I am looking forward to the discussions this group has to offer. As I am 23 years old I am especially interested in learning from those who have been thinking longer than I about what Percy has to teach we denizens of the 21st century. Best, Matt Sitman mjs83 at georgetown.edu From wpercy2 at ibiblio.org Sun Jul 31 11:58:07 2005 From: wpercy2 at ibiblio.org (Henry P. Mills) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 10:58:07 -0500 Subject: [percy-l] thanks and hello (Fwd for Larry Rhu) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: From: "Lawrence Rhu" From: "Lawrence Rhu" > Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 11:16:19 -0400 > To: > Subject: By way of introduction > > I have just signed up for the Percy list and been encouraged to > introduce myself. Briefly, I read Walker Percy's early novels in the > 60s when I was in college, and they meant an enormous amount to me. I > continued reading his books as they came out; and, as a school teacher > and then a college professor, I have found occasional opportunites to > teach Percy. Recently, I completed a book project on the American > philosopher Stanley Cavell, who, I think, shares a noteworthy spiritual > kinship with Percy. For that reason, Percy (and The Moviegoer in > particular) became significant terms of comparison in writing that book. > That writing also made me eager to find further opportunities to think, > talk, teach, and write about Walker Percy. This list looks as though it > may be helpful in that search. > > Larry Rhu > > Lawrence F. Rhu > Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature > University of South Carolina > Columbia, SC 29208 > Tel: 803 777 0144 > Fax: 803 777 9064 > Email: rhul at sc.edu -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: "Lawrence Rhu" Subject: Re: thanks and hello Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 10:49:10 -0400 Size: 3292 URL: From JHForest at cs.com Sun Jul 31 12:20:00 2005 From: JHForest at cs.com (JHForest at cs.com) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 12:20:00 EDT Subject: [percy-l] re Introduction Message-ID: <1a9.3c33861b.301e5430@cs.com> Hello, Matt. Nice to read your self-introduction. The Percy List is not in a busy mode at the moment, but from time to time the e-conversation springs to life. Have you a favorite Percy book? Jim Forest (a member of the WP List living in Holland) * * * >> I recently joined Percy-L and after glancing through the archives found it was customary to provide a short introduction. >> Currently I am a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in the Dept. of Government at Georgetown University, where my major field of study is political theory. I came to Percy through the work of Peter Lawler, particularly his book Aliens in America: The Strange Truth About Our Souls. After reading more of Dr. Lawler's writings (and hearing him speak on a few occasions) and seeing Percy show up time after time, I decided to explore Percy for myself. >> By the end of this summer I should finish my first reading of all of Percy's fiction, though I started with and have given significant time to his non-fiction work. >> Percy has already become an important figure in my intellectual development and I am looking forward to the discussions this group has to offer. As I am 23 years old I am especially interested in learning from those who have been thinking longer than I about what Percy has to teach we denizens of the 21st century. >> Best, >> Matt Sitman >> mjs83 at georgetown.edu * * * Jim & Nancy Forest Kanisstraat 5 / 1811 GJ Alkmaar / The Netherlands Jim's e-mail: jhforest at cs.com (alternative address: jhforest at gmail.com) Nancy's e-mail: forestflier at cs.com (alternative address: forestflier at gmail.com) Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org Jim & Nancy Forest web site: http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/ photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/ * * * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From padraig at well.com Sun Jul 31 12:28:47 2005 From: padraig at well.com (Patrick Lynch) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 09:28:47 -0700 Subject: [percy-l] thanks and hello (Fwd for Larry Rhu) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4AC86F96-C2F3-41D4-AFD3-BFACC64F8C32@well.com> On Jul 31, 2005, at 8:58 AM, Henry P. Mills wrote: > The 6/23 Connection show about The Moviegoer > was also interesting to hear. I Would anyone be kind enough to detail what this author meant by the reference to this show? I may have missed an e-mail. Patrick -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From scipio2 at gmx.de Sun Jul 31 15:03:43 2005 From: scipio2 at gmx.de (Matthias Staab) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 21:03:43 +0200 Subject: [percy-l] Percy-L Trivia In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Percy-L TriviaHenry, 10 years are a really long time... I just checked the archives to notice that I joined in Mid-September 1995. Looking back on these ten years, I notice that through Walker Percy and through the list, I discovered a number of other writers, first of all Flannery O'Connor who was and is even less known in Germany where I live than Dr Percy. I made friends with some of you co-list members - bonds which are still lively today. With others, contact is more virtual. E.g. coming across the name of Jim Forest during the reading of Paul Elie's book I feel like hearing about an old acquaintance! To you, Henry, my sincerest thanks for enabling all this through the years, and to all of you co-Percyites where ever you are, my best transatlantic regards! Matthias Staab scipio2 at gmx.de ---------------------------------------------- Life is a mystery, love is a delight. Therefore, I take it as axiomatic that one should settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and the infinite delight. In fact, I demand it. I refuse to settle for anything less. (Walker Percy) -----Urspr?ngliche Nachricht----- Von: percy-l-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:percy-l-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org]Im Auftrag von Henry P. Mills Gesendet: Sonntag, 31. Juli 2005 06:34 An: percy-l Betreff: [percy-l] Percy-L Trivia Answer: what became Percy-L started as a hypermail archive launched in early August, 1995. Discussion was formalized into Percy-L one year later in August, 1996. http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy/mail-archives.html holds all the archived messages if you?re interested in a bit of semiotic archeology. If you were a member back then, I hope you will write me and let me know. Happy 10th, Percy-L! Henry Mills From: "Henry P. Mills" Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 23:12:09 -0500 To: percy-l Subject: Re: [percy-l] dead Thanks for the more than enjoyable edification, Chuck. We could use more of it. I will take this as a good moment to say Percy-L the communication channel is decidedly not dead, nor will it be anytime soon. It runs very stably and soundly through the digital machineries of UNC and will remain active as long as I have the presence and ability to sit at the keyboard. So whether or not there is actually any Percy ?chatter? at any given point, the potential for intersubjective connection still remains as a constant for the, at present, 117 members subscribed. One may also always return to past discussions when on a search for Percy by visiting the list?s archives at , if not find and re-invigorate subjects there to new life by returning them to new discussion. All things held constant, therefore, Percy-L is not dead, nor will it be as long as 2 remain members, and we are a far piece from there. Regards, Henry Mills PS-Just as a little trivia, can anyone say when Percy-L was launched? From: chaslow53 at aol.com Reply-To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2005 22:29:15 -0400 To: percy-l at lists.ibiblio.org Subject: Re: [percy-l] dead Well, it is obviously true that the list is not as active as it once was. I think there are many of us (we exchange private e-mails from time to time, where you smarter folk can't catch us) who are fans of the novels and don't really have a great interest in the philosophy. I'm not sure what WP would have thought of us, but there it is. And even of those of us interested in the novels, there appear to be two groups. The academics are ever eager to trace sources and influences, but the "layfolk" are more interested in using the novels to help answer WP's "ordinary Thursday afternoon at 4:00" conundrum: how is it that we can spend the morning reading philosophy and history and theology and fiction and walk away from it with no idea at all of how we are to lead our lives after lunch? Two historical/literary thoughts present themselves here. * William Buckley is reported to have said that he read Moby Dick at 55 and it changed his life. I cannot vouch for that, either that he said it or that it changed his life. I speak here as one who edifies, not with authority. What I can say is that I read The Moviegoer at 52 and it changed my life. I am interested in an exchange of ideas, not necessarily restricted to that sort of reaction, of what the Percy novels mean in the individual lives of those who read and contemplate them. To the extent that the novels broaden our understanding of the "dark journey," they are valuable; they become even more valuable when we understand how they affect others as well. * John Henry Newman was the author of A Grammar of Assent, The Idea of a University and a thousand papers on points of Church history and doctrine so austere and obscure that we are staggered to this day to contemplate his output. Yet when he was made a Cardinal, he chose as his motto something that showed a side of him that none of us today would associate with him: Cor ad cor loquitur, the heart speaks to the heart. So, too, Walker Percy wrote novels whose message, whether in Binx's relationship with his mother or in Tom Moore's relationship with his second (Presbyterian!) wife or in Lancelot's pipe-clanking with is fellow inmate, could not be clearer: cor ad cor loquitur. I'm not saying that this should move us to sentimental essays based not on WP's novels but on sociological flights with only the remotest connection. I am just saying that there are a lot of us who read and treasure the novels because of their expression of what Binx experienced as "God's importunate grace" and discussions which are too philosophical or too technical are not going to grab us, because we are neither philosophers nor academics. That's why you don't hear from that group too very often. Damn, I guess I am intent on retaining my amateur status! Chuck Lowry Brooklyn, New York -- An archive of all list discussion is available at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy -- An archive of all list discussion is available at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kfw at ntelos.net Sun Jul 31 19:30:50 2005 From: kfw at ntelos.net (Ken Wilson) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 19:30:50 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] thanks and hello (Fwd for Larry Rhu) References: <4AC86F96-C2F3-41D4-AFD3-BFACC64F8C32@well.com> Message-ID: <0f5c01c59627$e85c4820$953e0cd8@servant> I missed it too, so my thanks to Henry. You can hear the show from this page: http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2005/06/20050623_b_main.asp Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: Patrick Lynch To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 12:28 PM Subject: Re: [percy-l] thanks and hello (Fwd for Larry Rhu) On Jul 31, 2005, at 8:58 AM, Henry P. Mills wrote: The 6/23 Connection show about The Moviegoer was also interesting to hear. I Would anyone be kind enough to detail what this author meant by the reference to this show? I may have missed an e-mail. Patrick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- An archive of all list discussion is available at http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chaslow53 at aol.com Sun Jul 31 19:39:22 2005 From: chaslow53 at aol.com (chaslow53 at aol.com) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 19:39:22 -0400 Subject: [percy-l] Some Thoughts on The Moviegoer Message-ID: <8C7644036965AFA-A90-105D4@MBLK-M38.sysops.aol.com> I shall see to it, by making you all read the thoughts set out below, that no one ever again complains about inactivity on this list! As I mentioned in a previous posting, I first read The Movieoer at the age of fifty-two (I have shoes and neckties older than some people on this list), and it changed my life. Without going into any detail about how it changed my life--as Justice Rhenquist fanously said, that's for me to know and you to find out--I have spent quite a lot of time thinking about the book, and I would be grateful for any reactions, either to the list or privately, about the views I am formulating but which are far from complete. I'm not sure that novels, good ones anyway, have a message that is intended by the author and more or less automatically picked up by astute readers. One of the interesting things about literature, in fact, is how authors change their minds about their own books over the years and how readers can come to startlingly different conclusions about books. With those prefatory remarks, I have come to see an element in The Moviegoer that is clearer and clearer to me with each rereading. There is a strong message in the book about happiness: it is in most cases impossible to grasp, both as a concept and as a reality. Further, it is largely irrelevant. To be alert, engaged, aware, these states of being are more important, and more real, than to be happy. And finally, there is only the most accidental relationship between our plans and actions and what we hope will be our happines. Let us take Kate as our first example. Binx, by the end of the book, is pleased to marry her, even though they both realize that there is virtually no chance that she will ever attain a measure of happiness, and even in daily life she will be a constant and inevitable burden to Binx. Not only is Binx's mother not a candidate for happiness, it is specifically disavowed on her behalf. She employs all her resources, including religion, in the "canny management of the shocks of life." Aunt Emily is so wrapped up in her Stoic philosophy, with its "lost cause-Southern" tint, that she positively embraces failure in its historic dimension. Binx himself sets the terms of his search in such a way that happines cannot possibly be the result. Instead, it is an engaged awareness that is his goal. <> The two difficulties to be dealt with before declaring this attitude to be comprehensive are Uncle Jules (He is an exemplary Catholic, but it is hard to know why he takes the trouble. For the world he lives in, the City of Man, is so pleasant that the City of God must hold little in store for him.) and Mercer. All things considered, I wonder if we can say that WP hides an important clue for us in an off-hand thought by Binx on his way home from the Gulf with Sharon: Joy and sadness come by turns, I know now. Beauty and bravery make you sad, and victory breaks your heart. But life goes on, and on we go... I plan on expanding these thoughts into a full-blown essay one day, but any thoughts, criticisms (I have a wife and two daughters, aged twenty-one and seventeen, so do not think that you can say anything to offend me) or suggestions you have are welcome. Chuck Lowry Brooklyn, New York -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dabeck at iupui.edu Sun Jul 31 23:32:59 2005 From: dabeck at iupui.edu (dabeck at iupui.edu) Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 22:32:59 -0500 Subject: [percy-l] thanks and hello (Fwd for Larry Rhu) In-Reply-To: <0f5c01c59627$e85c4820$953e0cd8@servant> References: <4AC86F96-C2F3-41D4-AFD3-BFACC64F8C32@well.com> <0f5c01c59627$e85c4820$953e0cd8@servant> Message-ID: <1122867179.42ed97ebd0d8a@webmail.iu.edu> Two quick observations: one, it is good to see the list alive and kicking; second, is there any listserv that has more people named "Ken" than the Percy one? Seriously, I'm glad the discussion is up and going again. As long as people wonder how to survive an ordinary Wed afternoon, the list shall survive. But I think a false dichotomy has arisen, between the "layperson" and the "academic." I teach at I.U. at Indpls and maybe I'm an academic (maybe not). I did my grad work on Percy's connection to Kierkegaard and Marcel (as most of you know). But the reason I was interested in Percy in an academic way is because he "hit" me in an existential way. As a young man (a category that has now extended to 40+), I found that Percy attempted to answer the questions asked by other "moderns" (i.e. Vonnegut, Heller. Mailer, Pynchon, etc.). In fact, after reading Percy, I considered the others as "pretenders", more interested in asking quesions or making the reader ask questions (which was fine and good) but not providing or, worse, even attempting or expecting to provide any answers. Moreover, their works seem to imply that no answer existed. But I found that Percy's fiction wrestled with the BIG questions in an authentic way, much in the way that Dostoevsky did (I'm sure Percy would smile in appreciation). So, I entitled my thesis "Attaining Selfhood: A Kierkegaardian-Marcellian Synthesis of the Works of Walker Percy." It sits on the library shelf here at IU (Indpls). Only my students pull it down, in hopes of scoring points when they write their papers on a Percy novel (usually Lancelot). But my point is that, at no time, during my research and writing did I consider "furthering" the study of Percy. All I was trying to do was a) get my degree, and, most importantly, b) try to make it through an ordinary Wed afternoon. I agreed with Percy (or his characters): Everydayness is the enemy. Now, how do I overcome the enemy? I'm not sure if I've succeeded in any of the above. Like Ken (one of the Kens), I drink too much and look for ways to "soften" the existential experience head-on. But I know that, for me, Percy provides an interesting-- no, inspiring--worldview, especially, if one assumes that God has entered the material world and continues to make Himself known to us through our everyday experiences. When I consider this perspective, I feel more inspired to teach and to make it through the "ordinary" day. After all, if Percy is correct, then God might be right under our noses, if we just take the time to notice. Thus, maybe there is no such thing as an "ordinary day." So, whether from an academic or layperson (or fish or fowl), those are some random thoughts to keep the ball in tbe air. -David Quoting Ken Wilson : > I missed it too, so my thanks to Henry. You can hear the show from this page: > > > http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2005/06/20050623_b_main.asp > > Ken > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Patrick Lynch > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion > Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2005 12:28 PM > Subject: Re: [percy-l] thanks and hello (Fwd for Larry Rhu) > > > > > On Jul 31, 2005, at 8:58 AM, Henry P. Mills wrote: > > > The 6/23 Connection show about The Moviegoer > > was also interesting to hear. I > > > Would anyone be kind enough to detail what this author meant by the > reference to this show? I may have missed an e-mail. > Patrick > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- - > > > -- > An archive of all list discussion is available at > http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/ > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy >