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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: "Rufus McCain" <korrektiv AT gmail.com>
  • To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [percy-l] Lost in the Cosmos discussion
  • Date: Thu, 10 May 2007 20:34:59 -0700

Dear Percy-L members:

The discussion of Lost in the Cosmos continues over at the Korrektiv blog:

Here's the latest entry:

How Queer Man Is

Micheal Mikolajczak suggests that the three main sections of Lost in the Cosmos correspond to the three parts of the subtitle of The Message in the Bottle: How Queer Man Is, How Queer Language Is, and What One Has to Do With the Other. Perhaps that can serve as a starting point for a discussion of the the first 12 multiple-choice questions.

Does this first section of Lost in the Cosmos succeed in outlining how queer man is (or, to avoid any giggling over the terms: how freakin' odd people are)? Do the mid-20th Century pop-culture references date the book? Have circumstances improved or worsened or changed since Percy wrote the book? How has the rise of the Internet impacted the predicament outlined by Percy in the first part of the book?

In the preliminary quiz, Percy compiles a list of possible selves, or ways in which we try to fit ourselves into the world. He exempts all but the "lost" self from continuing with the book. Which of the selves in Percy's list are most popular these days? Which ones do you identify with? Have new varieties of self-concept arisen since Percy wrote? Are folks more or less likely to see themselves as lost nowadays?


If any of you are reading along please drop in and leave some comments.  Or pick up the discussion here on the list.

Best regards,

Rufus McCain
Spokane WA


  • [percy-l] Lost in the Cosmos discussion, Rufus McCain, 05/10/2007

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