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A “LOFTING”
CONCORDANCE: INQUIRIES & ANNOTATIONS |
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Dr. Prof. Else Hildegard Plötz
Sachanlagevermögen Fachschule Techniche Universität Fuchsteufelswild Alte Akademie 17 Heisenbergstrasse 11 oder 12 |
| This paper represents a preliminary and necessarily incomplete concordance to the novel “Lofting” by Alma Marceau. Although there is a surge of Marceauian studies within the academy both here and in North America (O. Müller, 1999; F. Marc, pers. comm.), the discipline remains yet still in its infancy, and thus a fuller treatment of the subject must await that time when the interpretive conclusions of sufficient numbers of scholars from sufficiently diverse critical traditions are made available. Only when such an hermeneutical basis is at last at hand, will it be possible to elaborate an appropriately nuanced and convincingly substantiated analysis and synthesis. In the meantime, the present modest effort is offered as a prolegomenon to that greater project. It is my hope that this paper may serve at once to explicate certain obscure passages, and to inspire further close textual excavation of the Marceauian oeuvre. Chapter 1 Page 1. Querida A Spanish endearment, popularization of which among Anglophones may be attributed to its use by the actor John Astin, in his role as Gomez Addams, in the 1960’s American situation comedy “The Addams Family.” In that series, Gomez invariably addressed his wife Morticia (portrayed by the actress Carolyn Jones) with this charming epithet whenever she ventured a word or phrase in French. Mirugai on 34th Street Apparently an oblique reference to the 1947 American feature film, “Miracle on 34th Street” directed by George Seaton and starring Maureen O’Hara. “Mirugai” is the Japanese word for the rather obtrusively phallic marine mollusk Panopea abrupta, known variously as the “gaper,” “giant cram,” or, among the Nisqually Indians of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, as the “gwe-duk” (or, more popularly, the “geoduck.”) Page 2. Rafinesque-Schmalz No doubt in reference to Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (1773-1840), naturalized American botanist, geologist, historian, poet, philosopher, philologist, economist, merchant, manufacturer, professor, surveyor, architect, author and editor. Rafinesque-Schmaltz also served for a time as professor at Transylvania University (Lexington, Kentucky, USA). OCD Obsessive Compulsive Disorder All is fugu “Fugu” is the puffer or blowfish Fugu rubripes, an animal whose organs contain tetrodotoxin, a powerful nerve poison. Specially trained sashimi chefs in Japan prepare the flesh for consumption by carefully filleting the fish without rupturing the toxin laden viscera. They occasionally make mistakes. Death rates among stricken diners approach 61%. A Japanese folk song laments: Fugu wa kuitashii, inochi wa oshishii— “I want to eat sushi, but I don’t want to die.” Page 5. U Thant Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971. Samuel Hoffenstein American writer of humorous verse (1890-1947). Example: The Boogamotz perambles ceilings, munching bulbs and painty peelings. “Bunny” Wilson Edmund Wilson (1895-1972), American critic and author. Basho Basho Matsuo (1644-1694), known as the first great poet of haiku. Example: Spring departs Birds cry Fishes’ eyes are filled with tears Page 6. “Goa Mutton Curry Nothing to Reproach Her for But the Equable Temperament of a Ugandan Marxist; this Ebon Flow, this Turning Hegel on his Head to Catch the Inevitable Plummet of Change from the Pockets of Synthetic Trousers Bound for Exile.” Marx, it is said, “turned Hegel on his head,” by inverting the latter’s schema of historical development. For Marx, a society’s ideology is a consequence rather than a precursor to its relations of material production. “Synthetic Trousers” perhaps echoes the allusion—“synthesis” being the stage of resolution in the Marxist conception of historical materialism, the other two stages, “thesis” and “antithesis,” representing the status quo and revolutionary change respectively. Goa, despite the implication of the poem title, is rather known for its fish and prawn curries, than for mutton. “Ebon flow,” a pun, worth mentioning only because it is so pathetically bad. Page 7. Mayan Ingenue Perhaps word play from Maya Angelou, American author, educator and actress. Page 11. crab-eating macaque An East Asian primate, Macaca fascicularis. De rerun natura A play on words based on “De Rerum Natura” (“On the Nature of Things”), a poem in hexameter verse by Lucretius, written 50 BCE. Page 14. ATF Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Reference is to a police agency of the United States Department of Treasury. Page 15. Alpine Salamander No doubt the plethodontid, Hydromantes. (One species, H. platycephalus, from the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, has the longest tongue of any salamander. For an impressive—and to my eye rather erotically charged—video-animation of the phenomenon, I encourage you to click here. avunculitis Neologism. Avuncular (of or pertaining to an uncle, or pawnbroker) + -itis (suffix used in pathology to denote inflammation of some part or organ). King Arthur’s Court Probably refers to “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” a novel by Mark Twain, American author and humorist (1835-1910). Twain, by his own accounting, was inspired to pen this tale by his reading of Malory’s “Morte D’Arthur.” Twain’s novel is the first in an extended line of salto-chronological works that perhaps reach their artistic apogee with the classic American film “Back to the Future” (1985; Director, Robert Zemeckis.) Page 17. a mink stole up on a blue-hair in the night execrable pun Page 18. dowitcher: poor old bird Dowager = dignified elderly lady; dowitcher = long-legged shorebird. Chapter 2 Page 24. Porcel Jorge Porcel, Argentinean comic actor. flamboyant Dominican astrologer Probably Walter Mercado. Page 41. Planet Claire Song by the popular American singing group, The B-52’s. Page 44. Oh God, okay. 3. Fuck. 3 The final “3” appears at first consideration to be merely an unintended repetition, a typographical error. However, another interpretation is possible, and even likely. To begin with, any reasonable probability that the second “3” figures as a lapsus impressio must be called into question by the fact that nowhere else in the text of “Lofting” does there appear a similar fault. In fact, aside from one or two minor instances of inconsistent italicization, and in stark contrast to much of the product of the large publishing houses, “Lofting” is notably free of such errors altogether. But now, if we proceed under the assumption that this passage is rendered in print exactly as intended, what purpose or significance can we attribute to the supernumerary “3”? I am indebted to my friend and colleague, the ethnographer Hans Dieter Fuchs, for suggesting a solution. Unlike myself, Dr. Fuchs is an inveterate Macintosh Operating System devoté. He informs me that the “3” key on the Apple Extended Keyboard is proximal to the “enter” key, and that when typing rapidly, especially into data fields, it is not uncommon for him inadvertently to touch this “3” as part of his keystroke movement, with the result being exactly the typographic pattern met with in the passage under discussion. It is, then, quite plausible that Marceau has deliberately interposed this artifact so that we understand Claire (as Parapraxista) to be a Macintosh user. Page 50. My Cyber with Andres A reference to “My Dinner with Andre,” American comedic feature film (1981); directed by Louis Malle. Page 51. from where does this appellation spring? Wordplay with reference to “Appalachian Spring,” piano concerto by American composer Aaron Copland (1900-1990). Page 53. doktari Swahili word for “doctor.” Also, “Daktari,” a popular American television drama (1966-1969), starring Hedley Mattingly, Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion, and Judy the Chimp. Page 54. Now my theory (which is mine)... Obvious reference to comedic skit (“Interview with Anne Elk”; recorded 24 April, 1972), written and performed by Britain’s Monty Python’s Flying Circus. Comedo, Oklahoma A search of several recent atlas gazetteers of Oklahoma (USA) fails to discover any such place name. Dermatologically, a comedo is a sebaceous follicular plug, commonly referred to as a “blackhead.” Balzac3 Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), French journalist and writer, was also known for his Gargantuan appetite and gourmandise. On one occasion, he is reputed to have consumed at a single meal “un cent d'huitres d'Ostende, une paire de perdreaux rôtis, un veau marengo, une sole normande, des entremets et des fruits . . .” (One hundred Flemish oysters, a pair of roasted partridges, a veal Marengo, a Normandy sole, savories and fruit...) Page 57. The Ludovico Cure Reference is to “A Clockwork Orange,” 1962 novel by English author Anthony Burgess (1917-1993) (adapted for film by director / producer Stanley Kubrick, 1971). In the novel, the Ludovico Cure is a crude Skinnerian “therapy” whereby violent offenders are forced to endure hours of exposure to images of murder and brutality with the intention of instilling a reflexive disgust at all sorts of violence. kishkes Yiddish: “intestines” Alan Greenspan Fifth-rate American economist, currently Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the US central bank). Known primarily for his hubristic belief in his own capacity to direct the multi-trillion dollar American economy through constant actual or threatened manipulation of lending rates, Greenspan is a master of verbal ambiguity, which he achieves through a unique melding of equivocation and gasconade. Greenspan, who is obsessed with inflation, only relaxes in the wake of massive corporate layoffs. An early follower of adolescent philosopher and logorrheic Ayn Rand, Greenspan has managed the tidy mental trick of reconciling his unwavering belief in free market mechanisms with his equally fanatical confidence in his own ability—and, indeed, divinely ordained obligation—to personally direct the rate of investment and spending of hundreds of millions of individual economic actors. Jeanne Kirkpatrick United States ambassador to the United Nations from 1981 to 1985; known for her spirited defense of the murderous Argentine military dictatorship. Page 59. Derrida Jacques Derrida (1930- ) Algeria-born French author of magical realist fictions. His most famous novel, “Of Grammatology,” is a modern retelling of the story of Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s struggle against his own masturbatory urges. Page 60. The Golden Age The so-called “Golden Age” of American cinematic pornography, before the corruptive advent of videotape and the “one day wonder.” Notable stars of the era include Annette Haven, Ginger Lynn, Jamie Gillis, and the inimitable Lisa De Leuw. Chapter 3 Page 72. Sybil Shirley Ardell Mason, a woman plagued by multiple personalities, subject of a best-selling book (1973) and, later (1976), a television movie starring Sally Field, who won an Emmy award for her performance. Page 74. ad reinhardt Ad (Adolph) Reinhardt (1913-1967), American abstract expressionist / minimalist painter. His famous “black paintings,” are especially popular with children. ...the sleep of reason breeds tiny monsters when the first animal is jettisoned. “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” (El Sueño de la Razon Produce Monstruos), Plate 43 of Spanish artist Francisco Goya’s series of engravings “Los Caprichos” (1799). Page 78. I am the new Bombastus Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim; also known as Paracelsus (1493-1541). carpe lingam “Carpe” = Latin “to seize” and “lingam,” Sanskrit “phallus.” Page 80. breakfast antiphonies Marceau has consistently and vehemently denied plagiarizing this, perhaps the greatest pun in the English language. Likening her situation to that of Liebniz and Darwin, she insists that she was absolutely unaware of P. D. Q. Bach’s previous identical coinage, and that she conceived the play on words independently. “To this day,” she says, “I would still be in a state of ignorant and self-satisfied bliss had I not, on some idiotically perverse whim, entered the phrase into Google’s search function. Damn this technology all to hell.” Chapter 4 Page 83. Nicholas Pericolo “Pericolo” = Italian, “danger.” Reference is to “The Further Adventures of Nick Danger, Third Eye” from the American comedy troupe Firesign Theatre’s album, “How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You’re Not Anywhere At All?” (1969) Dave Alvin American rock and roll musician; one of the original founders of “The Blasters”; was also a member of “X” and “The Knitters.” Page 87. ILGWU International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union; American labor union, founded 1900. Page 88. rayograph Direct photographic printing technique developed by American artist Man Ray (Emanuel Rabinovitch: 1890-1976). For an example, click here. Musso and Frank Grill Extant. A former hangout for poet Charles Bukowski (1920-1994). Musso and Frank’s. Their Martinis are highly touted. Ohaus electronic laboratory scale An instrument popular with research scientists, potters, and drug dealers alike. Perhaps a clue to Nicholas Pericolo’s true profession. Page 91. Yeti The abominable snowman. Page 101. ...he thrilled to my orgasms, he was committed to their multiplication and eternal recurrence. Reference (eternal recurrence) is to a metaphysical concept of history wherein everything that happens is part of a repeating cycle. Its modern form is attributable to philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). Chapter 5 Page 132. The Persistence of Memory Painting by surrealist artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989). Page 137. marrons glacés French: “glazed chestnuts” Page 142. “Ben non, Claire—c’est pa possible. Ça abîme les dents.” “But no, Claire—absolutely not. That’s ruinous to the teeth.” Chapter 6 Page 147. Smut-Hawley Reference is to Smoot-Hawley, a tariff act passed by the US legislature in 1930. Though popularly believed to have worsened the Great Depression, historians are less certain of its actual repercussions. Chapter 7 Page 153. “...me being so cis, and you so trans, and all.” Apparently Andres makes reference here to his cismontane orientation with respect to Claire’s location in extreme transmontane Manhattan. Chapter 9 Page 162. Kate Moss British epistemologist (b. 1964). Perhaps best known for her work in the semiotics of publicity and transcultural modes of celebrity reification, Moss shares with Habermas an aversion to television with its tendency toward the trivialization of intellectuals into mere personalities. Her famous comment, “And the more visible they make me, the more invisible I become” has been the subject of numerous papers and colloquia. (See, for example, Bela Chatterjee, 1999.) Page 163. Allan Bloom American Platonist and popular music critic (1938-2000). The thesis of his chef d’oeuvre “The Closing of the American Mind” (Simon & Schuster, 1987) can be summed up with a quotation from that seminal work: “The easy sex of teen-agers snips the golden thread linking eros to education.” (Page 134.) Harold Bloom (1930- ) American literary critic and theoretician. Page 166. Charming Betty Careless Reference is to William Hogarth’s engraving “A Rake’s Progress” (1763). The name, that of a famously beautiful prostitute of the time, is seen carved on a banister, next to which is depicted a depressed and forlorn lover who wears her cameo. Page 167 Kropotkin Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921): Russian anarchist philosopher, economist, and revolutionary. Kropotkin’s autobiography—“Memoirs of a Revolutionist”—was one of Kafka’s favorite books. Otto Normalverbraucher German astrophysicist; winner, along with Italian Mario Rossi and Russian Vasya Pupkin of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the evolution of quasars. Chapter 10 Page 174. PDR Physicians Desk Reference: a pharmaceutical compendium. Perhaps wordplay in reference to the DDR or Deutsche Demokratische Republik (1949-1990). Page 180. schpilkes Yiddish: nervous energy. Usually rendered “shpilkes.” Chapter 11 Saint Regis Well known New York hotel. Beaux-arts architecture; opulent decor. Located at Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in midtown Manhattan. For reservations call (212) 753-4500. Mort Saul American comedian, best known for mordant political satire. The Lost Boys American feature film (1987) directed by Joel Shumacher and starring Kiefer Sutherland and the two Coreys, Haim and Feldman. Olympia Painting by Edouard Manet (1832-1883). Page 194. “...el polvo blanco de la sagrada sierra Boliviana, y—sobre todo...” “...the white powder of the sacred Bolivian sierra, and—above all...” pousse-café Recipe. Chapter 12 Page 211. lobster sandwiches For two: Begin with the freshly cooked tail meat of a lobster, sliced thickly. Spread lemon-juice flavored mayonnaise on toasted white bread; top with lobster meat, a liberal garnish of watercress and a light dusting of Hungarian paprika. Slice sandwiches on the diagonal. Serve with chilled Champagne brut. lasciva chanchita Spanish: literally “lascivious piglet.” A common term of endearment in the central uplands of Costa Rica. Chapter 13 Page 215. La Perla Splendido! Page 230. ...like a tiny sea cucumber... Perhaps Aldisa sanguinea. Page 235. ...then you’ve had one of those little pizzas they sell everywhere... Another oblique reference to Nobel physicists in groups of three, about which Marceau appears to have something like a little obsession. Douglas Osheroff, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics along with David Lee and Robert Richardson (for their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3) has been quoted as saying that the worst pizza he ever had was in Chamonix, in France. He concluded that “the French just hate pizza” and swore he would never again try it there. We have to concur. Page 237. 59th Street Bridge Subject and title of a song more generally known as “Feelin’ Groovy,” by popular American composer Paul Simon (1967). Chapter 14 Page 245. John Tesh Mythical figure. In American folklore “John Tesh” is the archetypal butt of all jokes with a musical theme. A similar convention exists in Greece, where the same function is performed by someone called “Yanni.” Page 251. Barry Lyndon Feature film (1975) by director Stanley Kubrick. Notable for its scenes shot in low available light. For a scene cut from the original, click here. Page 266. a living ordinary “X” In heraldry and vexillology, the Saltire Cross, or Cross of Saint Andrew. Page 268. This time his spout was short, slow and laborious; it came forth with a choking sort of gush, then spent itself in torn shreds... From “Moby Dick” (1851) by Herman Melville. Chapter 15 Page 275. Nick sklathed two fingers... “Sklathe” is a neologism, attributable to Kay Thompson, in whose story “Eloise in Paris” (1957) it first appeared. Acknowledgments |
