|
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
|
Anonymous
Unregistered
|
There was an article in my local paper today about San Jose State Univ's "Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest", wherein hopeful contestants proffer the worst of their worst. The "winning" entries can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2001.htm, and include such gems as this: "Virgule gazed across the vast, cold, steel expanse past his inquisitor to witness the full consequence of his previous decision - feral, withered children, in tattered, filthy garments, toiled mindlessly at his command in a single chamber which reeked of oil and burning animal flesh - his time had come to deliver the final instruction; "Yes! I would like fries with that.""and this, which some of you who're inclined to think of these things as being funny might find enjoyable: "Luigi knew deep down in the pits of his four stomachs that he and his fellow bovines on the island could no longer rely on the meager rations of electricity doled out to them by Farmer Pietro to stay warm, and he sought to convince the herd that the heat generated by a few hours of singing would give them the independence they sought, saying simply, "One day mooing heats our isle; I can beat Pete's supply--get some more hay!""
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Caradea: What a masochist one must be to voluntarily read prose honestly represented as "the worst".
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
Is the "Bad Hemingway" contest still in existence? I have an idea for it.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Ah, yes, it's that time again! Thanks for the reminder, er, caradea!  As *everyone knows, dear old Bulwer-Lytton is the one who actually® wrote "It was a dark and stormy night..."
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
I knew nothing of Bulwer-Lytton, and so read an article about him on Internet. I ran into word for which I could not find dictionary definition.
Bulwer found fertile
material in the dialectic of egoism and idealism. The tension between the two suggests what Aleister Crowley, the prophet of
Magick and thelema, and admirer of Lytton’s work, said of the conflict between his own Beast personality and his utopian,
Shelleyan side, though in his case it might all reduce to egoism. He remarks on Zanoni’s sacrifice in language that time has not softened into respectability.
On Internet I found some sites that mentioned it, but no concise definition.
" Law of Thelema. Most especially, this means a deeper understanding of oneself and of one's True Will. "
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
a deeper understanding of oneself and of one's True WillThought that was Thelema & Louise 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,065 |
Thelema is the Greek for will (as in willpower) and was a central plank of Crowley's magickal (he insisted on the k) system. The Law of Thelema was, if I remember correctly "Do what you Will shall be the whole of the Law." It wasn't supposed to just mean do what you want. Your Will in his system was your driving motivation from the spiritual core of your being.
Bingley
Bingley
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393
enthusiast
|
|
enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393 |
Thelema comes from Rabelais. It was the abbey with the rule of "Do what thou wilt", and a much happier place it was too than Ckrowley's nitwit misappropriation of it.
Not enough people read Rabelais these days. He is wonderful. Language-lovers especially: dive in!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
It's funny, Dr. Bill. Laugh at it.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
I have among others, a weakness for being unable to enjoy anyone else's misfortunes. I used to be miserable when my mother took me to Harold Lloyd movies. I stopped watching when he deliberately did something stupid to get a laugh. Same with Red Skelton taking potentially painful falls to make people laugh.
Incidentally, the article about Bulwer-Lytton made it clear that he was not a clown. His historical research was better than any of his more popular successors who copied much from him.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,316
Members9,182
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
428
guests, and
3
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
