MOOR EEFFOC
AJA
teacher has learned a lesson. Thanks to all who received my APB on
this, and thanks to MPerry's Charles Dickens Website (is that _you_ ,
Mike?) All is revealed.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, _Charles Dickens_ , Chapter III, The Youth
of Dickens:
Herein is the whole secret of that eerie realism with which Dickens
could always vitalise some dark or dull corner of London. There are
details in the Dickens' descriptions - a window, or a railing, or the
keyhole of a door - which he endows with demoniac life. The things
seem more actual than things really are. Indeed, that degree of
realism does not exist in reality; it is the unbearable realism of a
dream. And this kind of realism can only be gained by walking dreamily
in a place; it cannot be gained by walking observantly. Dickens
himself has given a perfect instance of how these nightmare minutiae
grew upon him in his trance of abstraction into which he crept in
those wretched days once in St. Martin's Lane, "of which I only
recollect it stood near the church, and that the door there was an
oval glass plate with 'COFFEE ROOM' painted on it, addressed towards
the street. If I ever find myself in a very different kind of coffee
room now, but where there is an inscription on the glass, and read it
backwards on the wrong side MOOR EEFOC (as I often used to do then in
a dismal reverie), a shock goes through my blood." That wild word
"Moor Eeffoc," is the motto of all effective realism; it is the
masterpiece of the good realistic principle - the principle that the
most fantastic thing of all is often the precise fact. And that
elfish kind of realism Dickens adopted everywhere. His world was
alive with inanimate object."
Brings to mind Victor Hugo's descriptions: for instance the "porte
grille" in _La Cathedrale de Notre Dame_. And C. S. Lewis'
experiences he called "soaking". And lots of other stuff.
Thanks all for a nice for a mooreeffoc time!
All the best,
Ann
"I walk in wonders beyond myself."
SMGCFAM
>Gilbert Keith Chesterton
There is an anthology of previously uncollected tales by Chesterton called
Daylight and Nightmare published in the U.S. in 1986 by Dodd, Mead and Co. (and
in Great Britain by Xanadu Publications). It has been some years since I read
the book so I don't remember many of the stories but I do remember "A Crazy
Tale" which captures a bit of the spirit of Mooreeffoc. I wrote Morreeffoc out
on a piece of paper today and distributed it to select people in my office.
Some understood right away, others gave me a blank stare, one gentlemen let a
couple of new psychologists working for us into the secret. I don't know when
they'll be coming for him (and me). Could we say with some truth about
Chesterton (indeed, could we say it about CSL, the other inklings, Belloc,
MacDonald, Sayers, etc., etc., etc.,?) "He was the sanest man I knew, but never
in his life did he do one thing that was considered sane"? This of course is a
paraphrase from a wonderfully, beautifully surreal psychotic nightmare of a
movie, Castle Keep base on a book by William Eastlake.
m...@mooreffoc.com
AJA wrote:
>Brings to mind Victor Hugo's descriptions: for instance the "porte
>grille" in _La Cathedrale de Notre Dame_. And C. S. Lewis'
>experiences he called "soaking". And lots of other stuff.
Any kin to "quiddity"? I haven't seen the "soaking" reference.
If so -- pls see Blythe's /Zen in English Literature/. :-)
M
---
--------------------
http://www.sonic.net/mary/DejaLew-dir/rants/8heads.htm
I. The Law of General Beneficence: (Golden Rule, help the community)
II. The Law of Special Beneficence (Put own family and friends first)
III. Duties to Parents, Elders, Ancestors (Respect and care for elders)
IV. Duties to Children and Posterity (Protect and care for children)
V. The Law of Justice (marriage, property, fair courts)
VI. The Law of Good Faith and Veracity (Tell truth, keep promises)
VII. The Law of Mercy (Be tender-hearted)
VIII. The Law of Magnanimity: (Soul should rule the body)
m...@mooreffoc.com
The hard part would be finding a list of the Lewis passages that fit.
Mostly I expect they'd be in letters or in other people's memoirs
about him. Re "quiddity", AJA's "soaking" below, etc. (Hm, there was
one essay L did directly about it, somewhere in /Collected Works/
iirc. [ A pretentiously-named volume, nothing like complete. ] He took
a train ride and looked at suburban commuters in a GKC mood. [ Him,
not the commuters. ] Saw a lot of petals on wet black branches.)
Anyway, read all such CSL passages. Then read RH Blyth/e /Zen in
English Literature/ straight through. (Don't worry, Blyth wrote long
before the 'Zen And' books. Back when Zen was as safely obscure as
Tao. :-))))) Note matches in tone between CSL and Blyth's samples of
Wordsworth, Rosetti, etc.
Then use Blyth's footnotes to look up Blyth's sources. "Lewisian
Quiddity in English Lit". :-)
Found AJA's lost post.
AJA wrote:
vvvvvvvvvvv
Brings to mind Victor Hugo's descriptions: for instance the "porte
grille" in _La Cathedrale de Notre Dame_. And C. S. Lewis'
experiences he called "soaking". And lots of other stuff.
Thanks all for a nice for a mooreeffoc time!
All the best,
Ann
"I walk in wonders beyond myself."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
M: I'd forgotten Dickens (and GKC?) had negative experiences in Moor
Eeffoc. :-) I always like the place. Perhaps they only visit on the
off season, when it's raining.
I'd say lots of vintage Disney odd perspectives are pointing in that
direction :-), and it connects with the land beyond a looking-glass,
and with bending over to watch wolves between your legs. But that's
supposed to scare the wolves, not you.
Again Blyth/Blythe, R.H., explains all in /Zen in English Literature/.
Moor Eeffoc is an urban woodspurge. The pawnshop has a globe of three.
Some people stop under the awning and look into the window only to
escape rain. But the gear and tackle and trim is always there, any
time we will stop.
Even in sunshine, there are scarlet toadstools in Herfordshire.
M
(And probably Hartford and Hampshire too; hurricanes not required.
tmo...@mail.mach4ent.nu
[...]
> (Hm, there was one essay L did directly about it, somewhere
> in /Collected Works/ iirc. [ A pretentiously-named volume, > nothing like complete. ] He took a train ride and looked at
> suburban commuters in a GKC mood. [ Him, not the commuters. ]
> Saw a lot of petals on wet black branches.)
This is Pound, n'est-ce pas?
t
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
AJA
>
>Any kin to "quiddity"? I haven't seen the "soaking" reference.
He wrote that during a walk he and his companions would find a nice
mossy spot under a tree and just "soak". Not talking, or smoking or
eating. Just 'soaking' up whatever was there. Warnie explains in a
note in _Letters_ that Lewis would say of those times, he'd had a good
soak.
>
>If so -- pls see Blythe's /Zen in English Literature/. :-)
>M
>---
Oh, believe me, I see Zen wherever I look.
Best,
A
AJA
>Here might be a fun Eng Lit research paper, if anyone's looking.
>
>The hard part would be finding a list of the Lewis passages that fit.
>Mostly I expect they'd be in letters or in other people's memoirs
>about him. Re "quiddity", AJA's "soaking" below, etc. (Hm, there was
>one essay L did directly about it, somewhere in /Collected Works/
>iirc. [ A pretentiously-named volume, nothing like complete. ] He took
>a train ride and looked at suburban commuters in a GKC mood. [ Him,
>not the commuters. ] Saw a lot of petals on wet black branches.)
>Anyway, read all such CSL passages. Then read RH Blyth/e /Zen in
>English Literature/ straight through. (Don't worry, Blyth wrote long
>before the 'Zen And' books. Back when Zen was as safely obscure as
>Tao. :-))))) Note matches in tone between CSL and Blyth's samples of
>Wordsworth, Rosetti, etc.
>
>Then use Blyth's footnotes to look up Blyth's sources. "Lewisian
>Quiddity in English Lit". :-)
I so glad someone mentioned Chesterton's negative tone about
mooreeffoc. I thought that the second I read that passage. I rather
like the place myself. The flora and fauna are mostly quite friendly.
And they don't wear scary veils or anything like that. I think a good
soak from time to time, preferably on a regular basis is just what the
doctor ordered. CSL reveals some of his mooreeffoc experiences in
_Letters to Malcolm_ and odd but memorable other places. In view of
his background in northern-ness and the fact that he really knows his
way around a myth (as well as apologetics and all that cerebral stuff)
I've come to think that he knew a lot about spaces behind the glass
door. Thanks, M. for bringing the subject up. And so as not to me
misunderstood here, we're not talking about pate feuillete here.
Nothing that light and flaky.
Best,
A
tmo...@mail.mach4ent.nu
[...]
> during a walk he and his companions would find a nice mossy spot
> under a tree and just "soak".
Sounds... I dunno -- sorta... _Nazi_, doesn't it? :-|
AJA
>Anyway, read all such CSL passages. Then read RH Blyth/e /Zen in
>English Literature/ straight through. (Don't worry, Blyth wrote long
>before the 'Zen And' books. Back when Zen was as safely obscure as
>Tao. :-))))) Note matches in tone between CSL and Blyth's samples of
>Wordsworth, Rosetti, etc.
>
>Then use Blyth's footnotes to look up Blyth's sources. "Lewisian
>Quiddity in English Lit". :-)
>
Sadly, it seems that Blyth is mostly out of print. So, what happens
when even Amazon can't find you?
A
Daryl Gene
sitting in our two room trailer home, a breeze blowing the living-room curtain,
Purple People Eater playing in the background; but then, perhaps that should
be classified moor gnivil?
Daryl
VOCATUS atque non VOCATUS Deus aderit {bidden or unbidden God is present}
(remove XXXX for e-mail)
AJA
Just as good, IMO. Long voyages don't seem to be required to get
there!
Best,
Ann
Dan Drake
> On Fri, Aug 27, 1999, 12:24am (EDT+4) ahne...@microdsi.net (AJA) wrote:
>
> [...]
> > during a walk he and his companions would find a nice mossy spot
> > under a tree and just "soak".
>
> Sounds... I dunno -- sorta... _Nazi_, doesn't it? :-|
LOL. But you're going to have to explain that, you know. Wonder if this
should be in the FAQ. Heading: Nazis in the grass, alas.
--
Dan Drake
d...@dandrake.com
http://www.dandrake.com/index.html
What exactly was the sin of Sodom?
Explicit details at
http://http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?ezekiel+16:49
tmo...@mail.mach4ent.nu
<vhIsdqY67dTD-pn2-dE7d3Y9lYdJP@dnai-207-181-206-140.
cust.dnai.com>,
d...@dandrake.com (Dan Drake) wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Aug 1999 03:51:57,
tmo...@mail.mach4ent.nu wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Aug 27, 1999, 12:24am (EDT+4)
ahne...@microdsi.net (AJA) wrote:
> >
> > [...]
> > > during a walk he and his companions would find
a nice mossy spot
> > > under a tree and just "soak".
> >
> > Sounds... I dunno -- sorta... _Nazi_, doesn't
it? :-|
>
> LOL. But you're going to have to explain that,
you know.
http://www.deja.com/=dnc/getdoc.xp?AN=484000581&fmt=
text
or a subject search for "nazis in the grass" (above
URL is from just before the subject line was changed
from "Lewis and Dante")
> Wonder if this
> should be in the FAQ. Heading: Nazis in the
grass, alas.
And then the archivist sues the FAQ maintainer for
copyright infringement... all because a few folks
couldn't see these "simple, natural activities" for
the dangerous traps they really are!
If we view ANW as the questioner, we could probably
treat the above in an "_In_frequently Answered
Questions (with Infrequently Given Answers)"... (_a
la_ Seebach's "C IFAQ"[1])
tm
========================
[1] Hilarious -- but only if one knows some C, unfortunately.
m...@mooreffoc.com
>On Fri, 27 Aug 1999 03:51:57, tmo...@mail.mach4ent.nu wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Aug 27, 1999, 12:24am (EDT+4) ahne...@microdsi.net (AJA) wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>> > during a walk he and his companions would find a nice mossy spot
>> > under a tree and just "soak".
>>
>> Sounds... I dunno -- sorta... _Nazi_, doesn't it? :-|
>
>LOL. But you're going to have to explain that, you know. Wonder if this
>should be in the FAQ. Heading: Nazis in the grass, alas.
I claim copyright on the heading! Posted it to Merelewis a year or so
ago!
But ... what is the question?
GDR,
M
m...@mooreffoc.com
>On Thu, Aug 26, 1999, 11:24pm (EDT+4) m...@mooreffoc.com wrote:
>
>[...]
>> (Hm, there was one essay L did directly about it, somewhere
>> in /Collected Works/ iirc. [ A pretentiously-named volume, > nothing like complete. ] He took a train ride and looked at
>> suburban commuters in a GKC mood. [ Him, not the commuters. ]
>> Saw a lot of petals on wet black branches.)
>
>This is Pound, n'est-ce pas?
>
>t
Could be. Somebody in Aiken's /Modern American Poetry/ c. 1920,
anyway.
Actually it sounded more like Hobbitshire. Wonder if they have iron
humans on the lawns.
tmo...@mail.mach4ent.nu
> >This is Pound, n'est-ce pas?
> >
> >t
>
> Could be. Somebody in Aiken's /Modern American Poetry/ c. 1920,
> anyway.
yeah, it is Pound --
In A Station of the Metro
-------------------------
The apparition of these faces in the crowd
Petals on a wet, black bough
Not quite as long as _The Cantos_, eh?
> Actually it sounded more like Hobbitshire. Wonder if they have iron
> humans on the lawns.
:) Ever run across JRRT's reaction to the original Ballantine cover art for
_The Hobbit_?
"Where is this place? Why emus? And what is the thing in the foreground with
pink bulbs?"
(The above is eminently .sig-able, I think!)
[Tolkien is told that the artist hadn't time to read the book, and that the
object with pink bulbs is "meant to suggest a Christmas tree"...]
Tolkien: "I begin to feel that I am shut up in a madhouse."
(say, speaking of Tolkien... I'm too lazy to post to the other thread right
now [am going to bed] but wouldn't _The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth_ [and its
intro] be somewhat relevant to the discussion?)
night,
t