From james.d.gifford at gmail.com Mon Jun 22 00:10:19 2015 From: james.d.gifford at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 00:10:19 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's prose in The Alexandria Quartet_A reference to Sacheverell Sitwell's writing In-Reply-To: <8DDF59D1-50CF-4E8B-BEB8-34E1D70C0C91@gmail.com> References: <004501d0ac30$6eeedd20$4ccc9760$@gmail.com> <35FA3E9E-E7BA-4009-827F-14B5DA592101@earthlink.net> <84CA3B86-E87B-4753-A70F-FF99400D80A4@gmail.com> <8DDF59D1-50CF-4E8B-BEB8-34E1D70C0C91@gmail.com> Message-ID: <5587B4DB.3010500@gmail.com> Very kind comments, Bruce. That baby elephant had a long gestation from Peter Baldwin's inception to its final form with many pairs of hands on it along the way... I'll be happy if it provokes some new thoughts and makes the estate happy. The Sitwells as a whole appear across the volume 11 times, but I think only 5 of those are significant. Best, James On 2015-06-21 11:35 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote: > Another reason to get James Gifford?s edition of Lawrence Durrell?s > /From the Elephant?s Back: Collected Essays & Travel Writings/ (2015). > This is a very useful compendium of Durrell?s hard-to-get materials. > > Bruce > > > >> On Jun 21, 2015, at 10:03 AM, James Gifford > > wrote: >> >> Before I'm off to the redwood forest for a solstice dad day, a v quick >> response. Indeed, Durrell knew the Sitwells' work well. He refers to >> Sacheverell directly in the 1947 "Island of the Rose." >> >> Best to all, >> James >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >> On Jun 21, 2015, at 9:51 AM, Bruce Redwine > > wrote: >> >>> Sumantra, I?ve not read the Sitwells. Richard Pine probably knows if >>> Durrell read them. The first passage you cite immediately brings to >>> mind Cavafy?s ?The God Abandons Antony? (?Ravishing music of >>> invisible choirs?), which Durrell translates at the end of /Justine./ >>> George Steiner writes a good essay on the context of Durrell?s >>> prose: ?Lawrence Durrell: The Baroque Novel? in /The World of >>> Lawrence Durrell,/ ed. Harry T. Moore [Carbondale, 1962]). Steiner >>> places Durrell in the tradition of Browne, Burton, and De Quincey, >>> the former two being Renaissance stylists of great distinction. As >>> you know, Durrell was saturated in the literature of the English >>> Renaissance. >>> >>> Bruce >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>> On Jun 21, 2015, at 7:41 AM, Sumantra Nag >>> > wrote: >>>> >>>> *Sumantra Nag* >>>> I have reproduced an extract, further compressed through the pauses >>>> denoted by dots, from Sacheverell Sitwell?s travel book/Splendours >>>> and Miseries/. The location in this case is a town called Mohilev in >>>> ?White Russia?. >>>> "Could it be music that we hear? Ah! it must be ancient music of the >>>> dulcimer, and a thrilling and strange excitement seizes us because >>>> of the sunset and the fever in the air. . . . It sounds like a >>>> little band of instruments that accompany peculiar and special >>>> tones. Ah! it is nothing. Do not listen so intently! But we have >>>> known a hurdygurdy bring magic into a London slum. We cannot help >>>> but listen who are the slaves of music. . . . It steals upon the >>>> senses. . . . For we heard it in the distance. We must come nearer >>>> in order to be entranced. To the next street corner, hurrying >>>> reluctant, for the dread of disappointment. . . . Listen! listen! >>>> the like of it will be heard no more. . . . " >>>> (/Splendours and Miseries/, by Sacheverell Sitwell, Faber, London, 1943) >>>> >>>> This is prose which resonates in the way that Durrell?s prose often >>>> resonates not only in his descriptive passages on Alexandria, but >>>> also in his reflective expressions while analyzing or speculating >>>> upon the world, the landscape, the people around him, and the drama >>>> and psychology in their lives. >>>> Recent discussions in the ILDS Forum, leading to Oscar Wilde and the >>>> aesthetes, prompted me to display this prose written by Sacheverell >>>> Sitwell, who with his brother, the essayist and travel writer Osbert >>>> Sitwell and his sister, the poet Edith Sitwell represented a world >>>> of aesthetics in their writing. >>>> Or writing of Toledo in/Splendours and Miseries/: >>>> ?There is a curious silence and a slanting light, which is golden, >>>> of the late afternoon. What time of year is it? Do they have the >>>> seasons here? It is April, the month of the visions. The natural and >>>> supernatural meet and pass each other by upon these hills. Indeed, >>>> the whole scene is an hallucination given reality by this unreal >>>> light which excites and tires. It is as though we are tired, and >>>> feverish, from too much walking. There are phosphorescent light in >>>> the sky, low down, where the sun will set, and a cold wind, and >>>> snow, still, upon the mountains. The night will be chill. And then, >>>> of a sudden, it is burningly hot in the slanting light.? >>>> On the basis of his expansive knowledge of Durrell?s library, >>>> Richard Pine might be able to say if Durrell?s reading included the >>>> work of the Sitwells. >>>> Regards >>>> Sumantra Nag >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> ILDS mailing list >>>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >>>> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> ILDS mailing list >> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds > > > > _______________________________________________ > ILDS mailing list > ILDS at lists.uvic.ca > https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds > From james.d.gifford at gmail.com Mon Jun 22 01:02:53 2015 From: james.d.gifford at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 01:02:53 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really. Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII. I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together in 1992, I think)? All best, James On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote: > Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity > with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing. > > Sumantra From bredwine1968 at earthlink.net Mon Jun 22 11:47:42 2015 From: bredwine1968 at earthlink.net (Bruce Redwine) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 11:47:42 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library In-Reply-To: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> References: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> Message-ID: <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1@earthlink.net> That Durrell thought of revising The Revolt of Aphrodite is interesting. I wonder what would have come of it ? another equivalent to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d completed that essay or book on the Elizabethans. He probably had a notebook on the subject. If so, where is it? Bruce > On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford wrote: > > I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really. Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII. > > I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together in 1992, I think)? > > All best, > James > > On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote: >> Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity >> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing. >> >> Sumantra > _______________________________________________ > ILDS mailing list > ILDS at lists.uvic.ca > https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From james.d.gifford at gmail.com Mon Jun 22 14:24:31 2015 From: james.d.gifford at gmail.com (James Gifford) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 14:24:31 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library In-Reply-To: <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1@earthlink.net> References: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1@earthlink.net> Message-ID: <55887D0F.4020804@gmail.com> Hi Bruce, Alas, what I've seen of the Revolt revisions included things such as "fix this" and then a series of markings... Some of it's quite unclear, but the extent of the revisions to the Quartet is a good indicator. As for the Elizabethans, I believe virtually all of that material is in Carbondale. From my editing work, I can say his allusions and references to his "Elizas" was extensive. A read through "Prospero's Isle: To Caliban" (1939, originally published in Shanghai) gives an immediate sense of how capacious his readings were, including a number of scholarly works -- /Panic Spring/ was also particularly rich in references to a range of Elizabethan dramatists. Best, James On 2015-06-22 11:47 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote: > That Durrell thought of revising /The Revolt of Aphrodite /is > interesting. I wonder what would have come of it ? another equivalent > to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d completed that essay or book > on the Elizabethans. He probably had a notebook on the subject. If so, > where is it? > > Bruce > > > > > >> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford > > wrote: >> >> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful >> bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as >> did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really. >> Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other >> archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more >> through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests >> through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give >> a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII. >> >> I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by >> Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It >> would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's >> library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding >> copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out >> in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such >> things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who >> knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to >> say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the >> Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is >> probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with >> the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together >> in 1992, I think)? >> >> All best, >> James >> >> On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote: >>> Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity >>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing. >>> >>> Sumantra >> _______________________________________________ >> ILDS mailing list >> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds > From marc at marcpiel.fr Mon Jun 22 15:29:52 2015 From: marc at marcpiel.fr (Marc Piel) Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 00:29:52 +0200 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library In-Reply-To: <55887D0F.4020804@gmail.com> References: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1@earthlink.net> <55887D0F.4020804@gmail.com> Message-ID: <55888C60.5050709@marcpiel.fr> Hi James and Bruce, As a graphic Designer in my early days (in England and France) I learned all ways to make typographic corrections, whether first proof or later corrections.... Maybe I can help decipher LD's marks. I feel certain that he knew them as well. Can you send me some images? Best regards, Marc Le 22/06/15 23:24, James Gifford a ?crit : > Hi Bruce, > > Alas, what I've seen of the Revolt revisions > included things such as "fix this" and then a > series of markings... Some of it's quite > unclear, but the extent of the revisions to the > Quartet is a good indicator. > > As for the Elizabethans, I believe virtually all > of that material is in Carbondale. From my > editing work, I can say his allusions and > references to his "Elizas" was extensive. A > read through "Prospero's Isle: To Caliban" > (1939, originally published in Shanghai) gives > an immediate sense of how capacious his readings > were, including a number of scholarly works -- > /Panic Spring/ was also particularly rich in > references to a range of Elizabethan dramatists. > > Best, > James > > On 2015-06-22 11:47 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote: >> That Durrell thought of revising /The Revolt of >> Aphrodite /is >> interesting. I wonder what would have come of >> it ? another equivalent >> to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d >> completed that essay or book >> on the Elizabethans. He probably had a >> notebook on the subject. If so, >> where is it? >> >> Bruce >> >> >> >> >> >>> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford >>> >> > wrote: >>> >>> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced >>> a very helpful >>> bibliography of Durrell's library when they >>> acquired his papers, as >>> did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a >>> bit of work, really. >>> Those are not exhaustive since so many of >>> LD's books pop up in other >>> archives around the world (and were lost in >>> WWII), and there's more >>> through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library >>> and LD's book requests >>> through publishers. Nonetheless, those two >>> (Carbondale & Paris) give >>> a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves >>> post-WWII. >>> >>> I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & >>> Virginia Woolf held by >>> Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful >>> drive from here. It >>> would be hoped that some day a comparable >>> compilation of Durrell's >>> library could be centralized somewhere. It >>> makes me think of finding >>> copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's >>> intended revisions marked out >>> in the margins but at a library with no >>> Durrell collection... Such >>> things are too often tucked inside another >>> author's papers, and who >>> knows how many of them are spread out across >>> the globe. Needless to >>> say, LD never had the chance to revise the >>> Revolt as he did the >>> Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever >>> realized, which is >>> probably why he gifted the books away. What >>> would he have done with >>> the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the >>> omnibus was put together >>> in 1992, I think)? >>> >>> All best, >>> James >>> >>> On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote: >>>> Thanks James, for this valuable information >>>> about Durrell's familiarity >>>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing. >>>> >>>> Sumantra >>> _______________________________________________ >>> ILDS mailing list >>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >>> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds >> > _______________________________________________ > ILDS mailing list > ILDS at lists.uvic.ca > https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bredwine1968 at earthlink.net Tue Jun 23 06:01:10 2015 From: bredwine1968 at earthlink.net (Bruce Redwine) Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 06:01:10 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library, Durrell's Elizas In-Reply-To: <55888C60.5050709@marcpiel.fr> References: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1@earthlink.net> <55887D0F.4020804@gmail.com> <55888C60.5050709@marcpiel.fr> Message-ID: <269D0EA3-1C8A-46AE-9B65-34CA6F873F6E@earthlink.net> The revisions James is referring to are probably in the archives at Carbondale, Illinois. So they're not easily accessible. Beyond the fact that the Renaissance is the greatest period of English literature, I'd like to know if Durrell had a theory about its greatness. And by theory I mean something beyond statements about its rawness of life. We can look at his own work and infer this attitude. Poetry and horror probably have roles. Hence his revival of plays in verse. Too bad Bill Godshalk didn't complete his comparison of Middleton's Black Book and Durrell's. Bruce Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 22, 2015, at 3:29 PM, Marc Piel wrote: > > Hi James and Bruce, As a graphic Designer in my early days (in England and France) I learned all ways to make typographic corrections, whether first proof or later corrections.... Maybe I can help decipher LD's marks. I feel certain that he knew them as well. Can you send me some images? > Best regards, > Marc > > Le 22/06/15 23:24, James Gifford a ?crit : >> Hi Bruce, >> >> Alas, what I've seen of the Revolt revisions included things such as "fix this" and then a series of markings... Some of it's quite unclear, but the extent of the revisions to the Quartet is a good indicator. >> >> As for the Elizabethans, I believe virtually all of that material is in Carbondale. From my editing work, I can say his allusions and references to his "Elizas" was extensive. A read through "Prospero's Isle: To Caliban" (1939, originally published in Shanghai) gives an immediate sense of how capacious his readings were, including a number of scholarly works -- /Panic Spring/ was also particularly rich in references to a range of Elizabethan dramatists. >> >> Best, >> James >> >>> On 2015-06-22 11:47 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote: >>> That Durrell thought of revising /The Revolt of Aphrodite /is >>> interesting. I wonder what would have come of it ? another equivalent >>> to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d completed that essay or book >>> on the Elizabethans. He probably had a notebook on the subject. If so, >>> where is it? >>> >>> Bruce >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford >>> > wrote: >>>> >>>> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful >>>> bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as >>>> did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really. >>>> Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other >>>> archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more >>>> through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests >>>> through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give >>>> a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII. >>>> >>>> I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by >>>> Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It >>>> would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's >>>> library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding >>>> copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out >>>> in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such >>>> things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who >>>> knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to >>>> say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the >>>> Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is >>>> probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with >>>> the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together >>>> in 1992, I think)? >>>> >>>> All best, >>>> James >>>> >>>>> On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote: >>>>> Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity >>>>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing. >>>>> >>>>> Sumantra >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> ILDS mailing list >>>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >>>> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds >> _______________________________________________ >> ILDS mailing list >> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds > > _______________________________________________ > ILDS mailing list > ILDS at lists.uvic.ca > https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bredwine1968 at earthlink.net Tue Jun 23 13:41:46 2015 From: bredwine1968 at earthlink.net (Bruce Redwine) Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 13:41:46 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library, Durrell's Elizas In-Reply-To: <269D0EA3-1C8A-46AE-9B65-34CA6F873F6E@earthlink.net> References: <5587C12D.5010804@gmail.com> <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1@earthlink.net> <55887D0F.4020804@gmail.com> <55888C60.5050709@marcpiel.fr> <269D0EA3-1C8A-46AE-9B65-34CA6F873F6E@earthlink.net> Message-ID: In a 1937 letter to Miller, Durrell sums up nicely his attitude towards the ?Elizas?: ?The virtue of the Elizabethans was this: their exuberance was so enormous, so volatile, so pest-ridden, so aching and vile and repentant and spew-stuck, that here and there, by glorious mistakes, they transcended the cannon? (MacNiven ed. of Durrell-Miller Letters, pp. 42-43). This is not so much a theory as a personal manifesto. It?s remarkable how consistent Durrell was throughout his life. The Elizabethans provided a framework for his art. I?d say the Quintet comes closest to this manifesto. Bruce > On Jun 23, 2015, at 6:01 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote: > > The revisions James is referring to are probably in the archives at Carbondale, Illinois. So they're not easily accessible. > > Beyond the fact that the Renaissance is the greatest period of English literature, I'd like to know if Durrell had a theory about its greatness. And by theory I mean something beyond statements about its rawness of life. We can look at his own work and infer this attitude. Poetry and horror probably have roles. Hence his revival of plays in verse. Too bad Bill Godshalk didn't complete his comparison of Middleton's Black Book and Durrell's. > > Bruce > > > > Sent from my iPhone > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mail at durrelllibrarycorfu.org Sun Jun 28 03:19:53 2015 From: mail at durrelllibrarycorfu.org (mail at durrelllibrarycorfu.org) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 10:19:53 +0000 Subject: [ilds] ILDS Digest, Vol 98, Issue 7 Message-ID: ELIZAS: As Bruce says, his references do not add up to an explicit "theory" but it's up to the scholar/reader to come to terms with LD's views: first, the very general refs. to the "Elizas" in the letters, then his two essays on Shakespeare, and his fairly extensive references to the Elizas in "Minor Mythologies". I'm following up the latter in the work I'm engaged on now, b ut the book won't be published until end of 2017. What, we might ask, IS a "theory"? The "rawness of life " was more than just an idea about sensuality.... Richard Pine -----Original Message----- From: ilds-request at lists.uvic.ca [mailto:ilds-request at lists.uvic.ca] Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 2015 03:01 PM To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca Subject: ILDS Digest, Vol 98, Issue 7 Send ILDS mailing list submissions to ilds at lists.uvic.caTo subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ildsor, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to ilds-request at lists.uvic.caYou can reach the person managing the list at ilds-owner at lists.uvic.caWhen replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specificthan "Re: Contents of ILDS digest..."Today's Topics: 1. Re: Durrell's library (Bruce Redwine) 2. Re: Durrell's library (James Gifford) 3. Re: Durrell's library (Marc Piel) 4. Durrell's library, Durrell's Elizas (Bruce Redwine)----------------------------------------------------------------------Message: 1Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 11:47:42 -0700From: Bruce Redwine To: james.d.gifford at gmail.com, ilds at lists.uvic.caCc: Bruce Redwine Subject: Re: [ilds] Durrell's libraryMessage-ID: <13170F43-DE14-4186-8085-CA14751DFCC1 at earthlink.net>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"That Durrell thought of revising The Revolt of Aphrodite is interesting. I wonder what would have come of it ? another equivalent to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d completed that essay or book on the Elizabethans. He probably had a notebook on the subject. If so, where is it?Bruce> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford wrote:> > I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really. Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII.> > I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together in 1992, I think)?> > All best,> James> > On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote:>> Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing.>> >> Sumantra> _______________________________________________> ILDS mailing list> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds-------------- next part --------------An HTML attachment was scrubbed...URL: ------------------------------Message: 2Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2015 14:24:31 -0700From: James Gifford To: ILDS Listserv Subject: Re: [ilds] Durrell's libraryMessage-ID: <55887D0F.4020804 at gmail.com>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowedHi Bruce,Alas, what I've seen of the Revolt revisions included things such as "fix this" and then a series of markings... Some of it's quite unclear, but the extent of the revisions to the Quartet is a good indicator.As for the Elizabethans, I believe virtually all of that material is in Carbondale. From my editing work, I can say his allusions and references to his "Elizas" was extensive. A read through "Prospero's Isle: To Caliban" (1939, originally published in Shanghai) gives an immediate sense of how capacious his readings were, including a number of scholarly works -- /Panic Spring/ was also particularly rich in references to a range of Elizabethan dramatists.Best,JamesOn 2015-06-22 11:47 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote:> That Durrell thought of revising /The Revolt of Aphrodite /is> interesting. I wonder what would have come of it ? another equivalent> to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d completed that essay or book> on the Elizabethans. He probably had a notebook on the subject. If so,> where is it?>> Bruce>>>>>>> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford > > wrote:>>>> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful>> bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as>> did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really.>> Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other>> archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more>> through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests>> through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give>> a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII.>>>> I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by>> Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It>> would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's>> library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding>> copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out>> in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such>> things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who>> knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to>> say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the>> Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is>> probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with>> the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together>> in 1992, I think)?>>>> All best,>> James>>>> On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote:>>> Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity>>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing.>>>>>> Sumantra>> _______________________________________________>> ILDS mailing list>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds>------------------------------Message: 3Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 00:29:52 +0200From: Marc Piel To: ilds at lists.uvic.ca, Bruce Redwine Subject: Re: [ilds] Durrell's libraryMessage-ID: <55888C60.5050709 at marcpiel.fr>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed"Hi James and Bruce, As a graphic Designer in my early days (in England and France) I learned all ways to make typographic corrections, whether first proof or later corrections.... Maybe I can help decipher LD's marks. I feel certain that he knew them as well. Can you send me some images?Best regards,MarcLe 22/06/15 23:24, James Gifford a ?crit :> Hi Bruce,>> Alas, what I've seen of the Revolt revisions > included things such as "fix this" and then a > series of markings... Some of it's quite > unclear, but the extent of the revisions to the > Quartet is a good indicator.>> As for the Elizabethans, I believe virtually all > of that material is in Carbondale. From my > editing work, I can say his allusions and > references to his "Elizas" was extensive. A > read through "Prospero's Isle: To Caliban" > (1939, originally published in Shanghai) gives > an immediate sense of how capacious his readings > were, including a number of scholarly works -- > /Panic Spring/ was also particularly rich in > references to a range of Elizabethan dramatists.>> Best,> James>> On 2015-06-22 11:47 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote:>> That Durrell thought of revising /The Revolt of >> Aphrodite /is>> interesting. I wonder what would have come of >> it ? another equivalent>> to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d >> completed that essay or book>> on the Elizabethans. He probably had a >> notebook on the subject. If so,>> where is it?>>>> Bruce>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford >>> >> > wrote:>>>>>> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced >>> a very helpful>>> bibliography of Durrell's library when they >>> acquired his papers, as>>> did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a >>> bit of work, really.>>> Those are not exhaustive since so many of >>> LD's books pop up in other>>> archives around the world (and were lost in >>> WWII), and there's more>>> through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library >>> and LD's book requests>>> through publishers. Nonetheless, those two >>> (Carbondale & Paris) give>>> a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves >>> post-WWII.>>>>>> I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & >>> Virginia Woolf held by>>> Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful >>> drive from here. It>>> would be hoped that some day a comparable >>> compilation of Durrell's>>> library could be centralized somewhere. It >>> makes me think of finding>>> copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's >>> intended revisions marked out>>> in the margins but at a library with no >>> Durrell collection... Such>>> things are too often tucked inside another >>> author's papers, and who>>> knows how many of them are spread out across >>> the globe. Needless to>>> say, LD never had the chance to revise the >>> Revolt as he did the>>> Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever >>> realized, which is>>> probably why he gifted the books away. What >>> would he have done with>>> the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the >>> omnibus was put together>>> in 1992, I think)?>>>>>> All best,>>> James>>>>>> On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote:>>>> Thanks James, for this valuable information >>>> about Durrell's familiarity>>>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing.>>>>>>>> Sumantra>>> _______________________________________________>>> ILDS mailing list>>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >>> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds>>> _______________________________________________> ILDS mailing list> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds-------------- next part --------------An HTML attachment was scrubbed...URL: ------------------------------Message: 4Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 06:01:10 -0700From: Bruce Redwine To: "marc at marcpiel.fr" , "ilds at lists.uvic.ca" Subject: [ilds] Durrell's library, Durrell's ElizasMessage-ID: <269D0EA3-1C8A-46AE-9B65-34CA6F873F6E at earthlink.net>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"The revisions James is referring to are probably in the archives at Carbondale, Illinois. So they're not easily accessible.Beyond the fact that the Renaissance is the greatest period of English literature, I'd like to know if Durrell had a theory about its greatness. And by theory I mean something beyond statements about its rawness of life. We can look at his own work and infer this attitude. Poetry and horror probably have roles. Hence his revival of plays in verse. Too bad Bill Godshalk didn't complete his comparison of Middleton's Black Book and Durrell's.BruceSent from my iPhone> On Jun 22, 2015, at 3:29 PM, Marc Piel wrote:> > Hi James and Bruce, As a graphic Designer in my early days (in England and France) I learned all ways to make typographic corrections, whether first proof or later corrections.... Maybe I can help decipher LD's marks. I feel certain that he knew them as well. Can you send me some images?> Best regards,> Marc> > Le 22/06/15 23:24, James Gifford a ?crit :>> Hi Bruce, >> >> Alas, what I've seen of the Revolt revisions included things such as "fix this" and then a series of markings... Some of it's quite unclear, but the extent of the revisions to the Quartet is a good indicator. >> >> As for the Elizabethans, I believe virtually all of that material is in Carbondale. >From my editing work, I can say his allusions and references to his "Elizas" was extensive. A read through "Prospero's Isle: To Caliban" (1939, originally published in Shanghai) gives an immediate sense of how capacious his readings were, including a number of scholarly works -- /Panic Spring/ was also particularly rich in references to a range of Elizabethan dramatists. >> >> Best, >> James >> >>> On 2015-06-22 11:47 AM, Bruce Redwine wrote: >>> That Durrell thought of revising /The Revolt of Aphrodite /is >>> interesting. I wonder what would have come of it ? another equivalent >>> to James?s New York Edition? I wish he?d completed that essay or book >>> on the Elizabethans. He probably had a notebook on the subject. If so, >>> where is it? >>> >>> Bruce >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>> On Jun 22, 2015, at 1:02 AM, James Gifford >>> > wrote: >>>> >>>> I ought to have added, SIU Carbondale produced a very helpful >>>> bibliography of Durrell's library when they acquired his papers, as >>>> did Paris Ouest (available online). Quite a bit of work, really. >>>> Those are not exhaustive since so many of LD's books pop up in other >>>> archives around the world (and were lost in WWII), and there's more >>>> through Alan G. Thomas in the British Library and LD's book requests >>>> through publishers. Nonetheless, those two (Carbondale & Paris) give >>>> a pretty good sense of what was on his shelves post-WWII. >>>> >>>> I'm reminded of the Library of Leonard & Virginia Woolf held by >>>> Washington State nearby, which is a beautiful drive from here. It >>>> would be hoped that some day a comparable compilation of Durrell's >>>> library could be centralized somewhere. It makes me think of finding >>>> copies of Tunc & Nunquam with Durrell's intended revisions marked out >>>> in the margins but at a library with no Durrell collection... Such >>>> things are too often tucked inside another author's papers, and who >>>> knows how many of them are spread out across the globe. Needless to >>>> say, LD never had the chance to revise the Revolt as he did the >>>> Quartet, so none of those revisions were ever realized, which is >>>> probably why he gifted the books away. What would he have done with >>>> the Quintet if he'd compiled it himself (the omnibus was put together >>>> in 1992, I think)? >>>> >>>> All best, >>>> James >>>> >>>>> On 2015-06-21 7:31 PM, Sumantra Nag wrote: >>>>> Thanks James, for this valuable information about Durrell's familiarity >>>>> with Sacheverell Sitwell's writing. >>>>> >>>>> Sumantra>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> ILDS mailing list >>>> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >>>> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds>> _______________________________________________ >> ILDS mailing list >> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca >> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds> > _______________________________________________> ILDS mailing list> ILDS at lists.uvic.ca> https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds-------------- next part --------------An HTML attachment was scrubbed...URL: ------------------------------Subject: Digest Footer_______________________________________________ILDS mailing listILDS at lists.uvic.cahttps://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/ilds------------------------------End of ILDS Digest, Vol 98, Issue 7*********************************** -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bredwine1968 at earthlink.net Sun Jun 28 12:50:10 2015 From: bredwine1968 at earthlink.net (Bruce Redwine) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 12:50:10 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Elizas In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Richard, I look forward to reading your next book on the ?Minor Mythologies.? You ask a good question. A theory is a set of ideas that account for a set of data or events. No surprise here. A theory of English literature during the Renaissance would attempt to explain why it occurred, why it took the form it did, and why it was ?great.? Others can think of other whys to consider. A popular field of literary theory nowadays centers around the ?new historicists,? whose founder is Stephen Greenblatt, a specialist in the English Renaissance (Renaissance Self-Fashioning [1980], among others), Shakespeare in particular. This school owes much to the French philosopher Michel Foucault and his theories of culture, language, social interaction, and personal identity (Les Mots et les choses [1966], among others). Basically, very very simply, the new historicists argue that culture (social and political) shapes the individual. Free will is an illusion. The ?self? forms through the exertion of cultural/political ?power.? Let me state upfront that I?m highly dubious of the new historicists? positions. It seems to me, however, that Lawrence Durrell?s most formative and creative years (ca. 1935-1960) approximated the turmoil and creativity of the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603). He lived ?in interesting times,? as the Chinese curse supposedly goes. His experiences reflected those disruptions and undoubtedly influenced his writings. So we should keep in mind Durrell?s cultural and historical matrix, if not go overboard in drawing any conclusions about its importance. I strongly doubt that Durrell would have shared the theoretical assumptions of new historicism. He believed too much in the sovereignty of the artist. But he and Greenblatt do have a common impulse or desire, and that is to join in fellowship with the dead. Greenblatt begins his Shakespearean Negotiations (1988) with the famous sentence, ?I began with the desire to speak with the dead.? In Mountolive, Pursewarden says, ?The artist?s work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow-man since he seeks his real friends among the dead and the unborn? (1962 ed., p. 439). Re the Elizas, I think Durrell identified with the era and found prototypes or antecedents in its writers. The bond was very close. He may have even imagined, consciously or not, an incestuous relationship with them, so Pursewarden?s sister and lover is called ?Liza,? as in ??Liza, my darling?? said the poet? (p. 438). That address follows upon a discussion on politics and the nature of kingship: ??They are a biological necessity, Kings. Perhaps they mirror the very constitution of the psyche?? (p.440). So Durrell, as we all know, was given to theoretical musings. But the Elizas, I think, were not theory. Bruce > On Jun 28, 2015, at 3:19 AM, mail at durrelllibrarycorfu.org wrote: > > ELIZAS: As Bruce says, his references do not add up to an explicit "theory" but it's up to the scholar/reader to come to terms with LD's views: first, the very general refs. to the "Elizas" in the letters, then his two essays on Shakespeare, and his fairly extensive references to the Elizas in "Minor Mythologies". I'm following up the latter in the work I'm engaged on now, b ut the book won't be published until end of 2017. What, we might ask, IS a "theory"? The "rawness of life " was more than just an idea about sensuality.... > Richard Pine 23 June 2015 In a 1937 letter to Miller, Durrell sums up nicely his attitude towards the ?Elizas?: ?The virtue of the Elizabethans was this: their exuberance was so enormous, so volatile, so pest-ridden, so aching and vile and repentant and spew-stuck, that here and there, by glorious mistakes, they transcended the cannon? (MacNiven ed. of Durrell-Miller Letters, pp. 42-43). This is not so much a theory as a personal manifesto. It?s remarkable how consistent Durrell was throughout his life. The Elizabethans provided a framework for his art. I?d say the Quintet comes closest to this manifesto. Bruce > On Jun 23, 2015, at 6:01 AM, Bruce Redwine > wrote: > > The revisions James is referring to are probably in the archives at Carbondale, Illinois. So they're not easily accessible. > > Beyond the fact that the Renaissance is the greatest period of English literature, I'd like to know if Durrell had a theory about its greatness. And by theory I mean something beyond statements about its rawness of life. We can look at his own work and infer this attitude. Poetry and horror probably have roles. Hence his revival of plays in verse. Too bad Bill Godshalk didn't complete his comparison of Middleton's Black Book and Durrell's. > > Bruce -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bredwine1968 at earthlink.net Sun Jun 28 13:06:30 2015 From: bredwine1968 at earthlink.net (Bruce Redwine) Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 13:06:30 -0700 Subject: [ilds] Elizas In-Reply-To: References:

Message-ID: The sentence in the last paragraph should read: That address precedes a discussion . . . BR > On Jun 28, 2015, at 12:50 PM, Bruce Redwine wrote: > > Richard, I look forward to reading your next book on the ?Minor Mythologies.? > > You ask a good question. A theory is a set of ideas that account for a set of data or events. No surprise here. A theory of English literature during the Renaissance would attempt to explain why it occurred, why it took the form it did, and why it was ?great.? Others can think of other whys to consider. A popular field of literary theory nowadays centers around the ?new historicists,? whose founder is Stephen Greenblatt, a specialist in the English Renaissance (Renaissance Self-Fashioning [1980], among others), Shakespeare in particular. This school owes much to the French philosopher Michel Foucault and his theories of culture, language, social interaction, and personal identity (Les Mots et les choses [1966], among others). Basically, very very simply, the new historicists argue that culture (social and political) shapes the individual. Free will is an illusion. The ?self? forms through the exertion of cultural/political ?power.? > > Let me state upfront that I?m highly dubious of the new historicists? positions. It seems to me, however, that Lawrence Durrell?s most formative and creative years (ca. 1935-1960) approximated the turmoil and creativity of the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603). He lived ?in interesting times,? as the Chinese curse supposedly goes. His experiences reflected those disruptions and undoubtedly influenced his writings. So we should keep in mind Durrell?s cultural and historical matrix, if not go overboard in drawing any conclusions about its importance. > > I strongly doubt that Durrell would have shared the theoretical assumptions of new historicism. He believed too much in the sovereignty of the artist. But he and Greenblatt do have a common impulse or desire, and that is to join in fellowship with the dead. Greenblatt begins his Shakespearean Negotiations (1988) with the famous sentence, ?I began with the desire to speak with the dead.? In Mountolive, Pursewarden says, ?The artist?s work constitutes the only satisfactory relationship he can have with his fellow-man since he seeks his real friends among the dead and the unborn? (1962 ed., p. 439). > > Re the Elizas, I think Durrell identified with the era and found prototypes or antecedents in its writers. The bond was very close. He may have even imagined, consciously or not, an incestuous relationship with them, so Pursewarden?s sister and lover is called ?Liza,? as in ??Liza, my darling?? said the poet? (p. 438). That address follows upon a discussion on politics and the nature of kingship: ??They are a biological necessity, Kings. Perhaps they mirror the very constitution of the psyche?? (p.440). So Durrell, as we all know, was given to theoretical musings. But the Elizas, I think, were not theory. > > Bruce > > > > > >> On Jun 28, 2015, at 3:19 AM, mail at durrelllibrarycorfu.org wrote: >> >> ELIZAS: As Bruce says, his references do not add up to an explicit "theory" but it's up to the scholar/reader to come to terms with LD's views: first, the very general refs. to the "Elizas" in the letters, then his two essays on Shakespeare, and his fairly extensive references to the Elizas in "Minor Mythologies". I'm following up the latter in the work I'm engaged on now, b ut the book won't be published until end of 2017. What, we might ask, IS a "theory"? The "rawness of life " was more than just an idea about sensuality.... >> Richard Pine > > > 23 June 2015 > > In a 1937 letter to Miller, Durrell sums up nicely his attitude towards the ?Elizas?: ?The virtue of the Elizabethans was this: their exuberance was so enormous, so volatile, so pest-ridden, so aching and vile and repentant and spew-stuck, that here and there, by glorious mistakes, they transcended the cannon? (MacNiven ed. of Durrell-Miller Letters, pp. 42-43). This is not so much a theory as a personal manifesto. It?s remarkable how consistent Durrell was throughout his life. The Elizabethans provided a framework for his art. I?d say the Quintet comes closest to this manifesto. > > Bruce > > >> On Jun 23, 2015, at 6:01 AM, Bruce Redwine > wrote: >> >> The revisions James is referring to are probably in the archives at Carbondale, Illinois. So they're not easily accessible. >> >> Beyond the fact that the Renaissance is the greatest period of English literature, I'd like to know if Durrell had a theory about its greatness. And by theory I mean something beyond statements about its rawness of life. We can look at his own work and infer this attitude. Poetry and horror probably have roles. Hence his revival of plays in verse. Too bad Bill Godshalk didn't complete his comparison of Middleton's Black Book and Durrell's. >> >> Bruce -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: