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

[J Rivas-Pita <juliorivas AT gmail.com>]

Let me venture a possible answer.
Percy is "gotten wrong" by people who'd rather get him wrong than
having to realize that they lead a wrong life -an unaunthentic life.
In kirkergaardian terms, familiar to most on this list, when you
realize that you lead a wrong life you have but two choices left:
repent and change (I'm not meaning those words in their
televangelistic meaning of course) or make a decision to go the wrong
way fully aware, taking responsability for your choice.
Much more comfortable to get Percy (or life) wrong...

Regards,
Julio

On 6/25/05, Bryon McLaughlin <BMclaughlin AT nazarene.org> wrote:
> If Percy is often "gotten wrong," can someone on the list explain what 
> areas is often gotten wrong, and possibly more importantly, WHY?  Why is he 
> gotten wrong?  Is it that he is hard to understand, that he was at time 
> cryptic?  Why?  Thanks.
> 
> ________________________________
> 
> From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org on behalf of Robert_Pauley AT oxy.com
> Sent: Fri 6/24/2005 5:26 PM
> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: RE: [percy-l] Kramer's new book
> 
> 
> "However, to me he gets Percy quite wrong."
> 
> Everybody does. Percy is the most "gotten wrong" writer in American 
> letters. With the exception of this fine list, of course.
> 
>         -----Original Message-----
>         From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
> [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Robert Eckert
>         Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 8:01 AM
>         To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
>         Subject: [percy-l] Kramer's new book
> 
> 
>         Dear List,
> 
>         Peter Kramer, the author of _Listening to Prozac_, recently 
> published _Against Depression_.
> 
>         The last chapter of _LP_ is "The Message in the Capsule" and deal 
> extensively with Percy. Kramer corresponded with Percy at some point.
> 
>         However, to me he gets Percy quite wrong.
> 
>         On p.265 of _AG_ Kramer writes:
> 
>         "...Percy's position blurs distinctions we might want to make. It 
> overstates the case only slightly to say that for Percy, there is no 
> difference between treating epilepsy and treating
>         alienation. Both are best approached via faith and revelation, not 
> technology."
> 
>         It amazes me that Kramer could have read Percy's nonfiction, which 
> he states he has (e-mail), and miss Percy's use of the Dyadic/Triadic 
> distinction, especially:
> 
>         "I can even visualize the hospital of the future in which the first 
> signs the patient sees in the corridor do not read INTERNAL MEDICINE, 
> SURGERY, OB-GYN, DERMATOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY UPSTAIRS, but rather two big signs 
> just inside the front door, one pointing left, one right (I won't say which 
> is which), but one reading DYADIC DISORDERS; the other, TRIADIC DISORDERS."
> 
>         To Percy, the distinction is so profound that he feels the very 
> architecture of the hospitals of the future could be based upon it!
> 
>         It is a shame that Kramer has broadly disseminated such a profound 
> and fundamental misreading of Percy's work.
> 
>         Robert Eckert
>         Rochester, New York
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> 
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> --
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> 
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> 


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