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

["Franklin Wilson" <fawil5 AT open.org>]

To whom it may concern:
   Please disregard my previous e-mail!  I sent a private reply to the 
Percy List by mistake.
Mea culpa...
Franklin Wilson
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org>
To: <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 7:51 PM
Subject: Percy-L Digest, Vol 30, Issue 34


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> Today's Topics:
>
>   1. Re: "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
>      (dabeck AT iupui.edu)
>   2. Re: "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
>      (Patrick Lynch)
>   3. Re: "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
>      (dabeck AT iupui.edu)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 20:50:05 -0500
> From: dabeck AT iupui.edu
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
> To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>, "Karl M. Terrell"
> <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>
> Cc: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID: <1125539405.43165e4ddc04a AT webmail.iu.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Karl,
> I think you're right. It is the anticipation more than the aftermath. But
> probably it is also in the moment, to some extent. Like on the battlefield
> (not that I've been there), the rush of the danger might make one more 
> "alive"
> in the moment (as I heard Jackson Browne sing the other day on the
> radio: "While the veterans, dream of the fight/While fast asleep at the
> traffic light") but that same person might have to deal with PTSD later.
> I don't have Message in a Bottle with me, but the man on the train is in 
> the
> middle of a crisis when he notices his hand for the first time. I guess it 
> all
> depends on what the outcome is.
> While slightly different, I remember a friend of mine whose daughter died
> when she was six or seven, saying that it was the most painful experience 
> in
> his life, but at the same time, the most beautiful. He said that it 
> awakened
> him to what was important and to the presence of God (and he was a 
> pastor). In
> LIR, regarding his daughter's death, More asks something like, What if you 
> ask
> God for a miracle and it happens. What then? After that he says, 
> "Samantha,
> forgive me. I'm sorry you suffered and died, my heart broke, but there 
> have
> been times when I wasn't above enjoying it." One of the strangest lines in
> Percy's fiction, in my opinion.
> Does it tie into what we've been discussing (i.e. "hurricane syndrome", 
> etc.?)
> -David
>
>
>
> Quoting "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>:
>
> > I think it's the approach of bad news that excites us.  The aftermath or
> > reality, however, dumps us back into ordinariness.  Hence, the
> > fundamental need to continue searching.
> >
> > Percy pointed out the weird, guilty giddiness we receive from bad news;
> > how we almost wish for it.  The media, of course, is onto this.  Several
> > weeks ago a plane crashed and all 100+ passengers walked away with no
> > deaths and few injuries.  The sense of disappointment among the talking
> > heads was palpable.
> >
> > Karl
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: dabeck AT iupui.edu [mailto:dabeck AT iupui.edu]
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 11:57 AM
> > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
> >
> >
> >
> > I'm not sure what Percy would say about this recent disaster. I do know,
> >
> > however, that conveying this idea--that tragedy can break us from our
> > everydayness, even make life exciting again--is difficult to convey to
> > my
> > college students. Some get it; some think it's crazy.
> >  When I used to Lancelot along with Fight Club, I would point out the
> > similarities (narrator/Tyler hoping that the plane he's on crashes, etc.
> > That
> > feeling pain is better than feeling nothing, etc.
> >  I remember on and after 9/11 we had this discussion on the list. It
> > seemed to
> > be an example of where Percy's hurricane theory didn't work.  Off to
> > class. -David
> >
> > Quoting "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>:
> >
> > > * * This communication is CONFIDENTIAL * *
> > >
> > > Tying the two current themes together ... I was also first attracted
> > > to Percy by the sheer delight in reading his wonderfully smooth prose,
> >
> > > and the way his likable characters roam outside the mainstream,
> > buffeting
> > > about, but ultimately in search of some truer path.   The search seems
> > > to begin with awareness of the discomfort of "everydayness."
> > >
> > > I was particularly struck, early on, with his comparison (I forget
> > > where, but he returns to this in several books) of a successful man
> > > sitting in his fine home in Short Hills, N.J. on a Wednesday
> > > afternoon, birds chirping contentedly in the trees against a clear
> > > blue sky -- he should be feeling fine; the world is his oyster; but he
> >
> > > finds himself profoundly ill at ease -- contrasted with the excitement
> >
> > > one feels when a hurricane is bearing down.  Bad news takes us out of
> > > the ordinariness of a Wednesday afternoon, where you're stuck and
> > > don't know what to do, and wonder how in the hell you'll make it
> > > through the next few hours.
> > >
> > > But now the hurricane has passed, and has devastated a great city.
> > > Amidst the grief, the ordinariness of a day-to-day struggle of
> > > returning to the ordinary will take over.  I wonder how Percy would
> > > write of that experience -- perhaps he has, and I don't recall (it's
> > > been many years since I really spent a lot of time with WP).  Love in
> > > the Ruins?  Maybe someone out there can point to a book or passage.
> > >
> > > Karl
> > > -----Original Message----- .
> > > From: Dye, Steve [mailto:sldye AT bluegrass.org]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 10:04 AM
> > > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > > Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
> > >
> > >
> > > My thoughts exactly...the New Orleans that many of have known and
> > > loved for years (and that was so beautifully written about by Percy)
> > > is gone forever...
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Stuart Chapman
> > > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 9:42 AM
> > > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > > Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
> > >
> > > Been thinking about you, Percy, and everybody else New Orleans-related
> >
> > > over these last few days, and I hope that you are ok.
> > >
> > > It's just awful.
> > >
> > > Stuart
> > >
> > > Dave Duty <daveduty AT austin.rr.com> wrote:
> > > Is no one else on the list concerned about Nikki and the other New
> > > Orleans area residents?
> > >
> > > Nikki -- if your out there -- let us know if you and your loved ones
> > > are ok -- God Bless -- Dave
> > >
> > > JHForest AT cs.com <mailto:JHForest AT cs.com>  wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > >> What would you say to a young person who asks, "What so great about
> > > this
> > > Percy guy, anyway?" <<
> > >
> > > What keeps Walker Percy in print fifteen years after his death is the
> > > sheer delight of reading his books.
> > >
> > > A key word with Percy was "search." It seems to me all of his fiction
> > > and non-fiction have to do with that topic. As he said:
> > >
> > > "If I had the choice of knowing the truth or searching for the truth,
> > > I'd take the search."
> > >
> > > It's a subject of the search has been much on my mind lately if for no
> > > other reason than I'm at work on a book about pilgrimage (understood
> > > not only as making journeys to distant shrines but an attitude about
> > > being that has little to do with travel). One way of defining a
> > pilgrim
> > > is a person on a search.
> > >
> > > Jim Forest
> > >
> > > * * *
> > > Jim & Nancy Forest
> > > Kanisstraat 5 / 1811 GJ Alkmaar / The Netherlands
> > > Jim's e-mail: jhforest AT cs.com <mailto:jhforest AT cs.com>  (alternative
> > > address: jhforest AT gmail.com <mailto:jhforest AT gmail.com> ) Nancy's
> > > e-mail: forestflier AT cs.com <mailto:forestflier AT cs.com> (alternative
> > > address: forestflier AT gmail.com <mailto:forestflier AT gmail.com> )
> > > Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org
> > > <http://www.incommunion.org/>
> > > Jim & Nancy Forest web site: http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/
> > > <http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/>
> > > photo web site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/
> > > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/>
> > > * * *
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >   _____
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > > <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/>
> > >
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at  http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > > <http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy>
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >
> > >   _____
> > >
> > > Start your
> > > <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=34442/*http:/www.yahoo.com/r/hs>
> > > day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > ************************************************************************
> > ********
> > ****************
> > > PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION
> > > The information contained in this e-mail, and any attachments thereto,
> >
> > > is only for the use of the recipient(s) named above.  This message,
> > > and its attachments, may contain information that falls under the
> > > attorney-client and/or work product privileges.  Receipt of this
> > > message by an unintended recipient does not constitute a waiver by the
> >
> > > sender of any and all applicable privileges.  If you are not the
> > > intended recipient of this e-mail and any attachments, or an agent
> > > responsible for delivering it to the intended recipients, you are
> > > hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution,
> > > downloading, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited.
> >
> > > If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender
> > > immediately by e-mail, permanently delete the e-mail and any
> > > attachments immediately, and destroy all copies.
> > >
> > ************************************************************************
> > ********
> > ****************
> > >
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >
> >
> >
> > --
> > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> >
> > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > --
> > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> >
> > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 19:16:28 -0700
> From: Patrick Lynch <padraig AT well.com>
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
> To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID: <3787FEE1-C929-46D1-872D-D9F341742155 AT well.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>
> Gentle Folks:
> While this all seems to be a part of what Percy said, along with the
> idea that we cannot originally experience the Grand Canyon if we have
> been over-exposed to pictures of the tourist site, the concept of
> rotation indicates more than a momentary stay against one's insidious
> life. The man on the train is confronted with a re-visioning of who
> he is. The "man asleep at the traffic light" remains asleep
> afterwards. The man on the train awakens to a different, more
> perceived self.
>
> Nonetheless, Karl's comment reaffirms the news high that many feel
> watching CNN incessantly. But it is an inauthentic substitute for the
> deeper response of the man on the train. Perhaps even a poor
> substitute for feeling compassion for those affected by a disaster
> like Katrina.
>
> Is this making sense?
> P.
> On Aug 31, 2005, at 6:50 PM, dabeck AT iupui.edu wrote:
>
> > Karl,
> > I think you're right. It is the anticipation more than the
> > aftermath. But
> > probably it is also in the moment, to some extent. Like on the
> > battlefield
> > (not that I've been there), the rush of the danger might make one
> > more "alive"
> > in the moment (as I heard Jackson Browne sing the other day on the
> > radio: "While the veterans, dream of the fight/While fast asleep at
> > the
> > traffic light") but that same person might have to deal with PTSD
> > later.
> >  I don't have Message in a Bottle with me, but the man on the train
> > is in the
> > middle of a crisis when he notices his hand for the first time. I
> > guess it all
> > depends on what the outcome is.
> >  While slightly different, I remember a friend of mine whose
> > daughter died
> > when she was six or seven, saying that it was the most painful
> > experience in
> > his life, but at the same time, the most beautiful. He said that it
> > awakened
> > him to what was important and to the presence of God (and he was a
> > pastor). In
> > LIR, regarding his daughter's death, More asks something like, What
> > if you ask
> > God for a miracle and it happens. What then? After that he says,
> > "Samantha,
> > forgive me. I'm sorry you suffered and died, my heart broke, but
> > there have
> > been times when I wasn't above enjoying it." One of the strangest
> > lines in
> > Percy's fiction, in my opinion.
> >  Does it tie into what we've been discussing (i.e. "hurricane
> > syndrome", etc.?)
> > -David
> >
> >
> >
> > Quoting "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>:
> >
> >
> > > I think it's the approach of bad news that excites us.  The
> > > aftermath or
> > > reality, however, dumps us back into ordinariness.  Hence, the
> > > fundamental need to continue searching.
> > >
> > > Percy pointed out the weird, guilty giddiness we receive from bad
> > > news;
> > > how we almost wish for it.  The media, of course, is onto this.
> > > Several
> > > weeks ago a plane crashed and all 100+ passengers walked away with no
> > > deaths and few injuries.  The sense of disappointment among the
> > > talking
> > > heads was palpable.
> > >
> > > Karl
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: dabeck AT iupui.edu [mailto:dabeck AT iupui.edu]
> > > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 11:57 AM
> > > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > > Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy,
> > > anyway?"
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I'm not sure what Percy would say about this recent disaster. I do
> > > know,
> > >
> > > however, that conveying this idea--that tragedy can break us from our
> > > everydayness, even make life exciting again--is difficult to
> > > convey to
> > > my
> > > college students. Some get it; some think it's crazy.
> > >  When I used to Lancelot along with Fight Club, I would point out the
> > > similarities (narrator/Tyler hoping that the plane he's on
> > > crashes, etc.
> > > That
> > > feeling pain is better than feeling nothing, etc.
> > >  I remember on and after 9/11 we had this discussion on the list. It
> > > seemed to
> > > be an example of where Percy's hurricane theory didn't work.  Off to
> > > class. -David
> > >
> > > Quoting "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>:
> > >
> > >
> > > > * * This communication is CONFIDENTIAL * *
> > > >
> > > > Tying the two current themes together ... I was also first attracted
> > > > to Percy by the sheer delight in reading his wonderfully smooth
> > > > prose,
> > >
> > >
> > > > and the way his likable characters roam outside the mainstream,
> > > buffeting
> > >
> > > > about, but ultimately in search of some truer path.   The search
> > > > seems
> > > > to begin with awareness of the discomfort of "everydayness."
> > > >
> > > > I was particularly struck, early on, with his comparison (I forget
> > > > where, but he returns to this in several books) of a successful man
> > > > sitting in his fine home in Short Hills, N.J. on a Wednesday
> > > > afternoon, birds chirping contentedly in the trees against a clear
> > > > blue sky -- he should be feeling fine; the world is his oyster;
> > > > but he
> > >
> > >
> > > > finds himself profoundly ill at ease -- contrasted with the
> > > > excitement
> > >
> > >
> > > > one feels when a hurricane is bearing down.  Bad news takes us
> > > > out of
> > > > the ordinariness of a Wednesday afternoon, where you're stuck and
> > > > don't know what to do, and wonder how in the hell you'll make it
> > > > through the next few hours.
> > > >
> > > > But now the hurricane has passed, and has devastated a great city.
> > > > Amidst the grief, the ordinariness of a day-to-day struggle of
> > > > returning to the ordinary will take over.  I wonder how Percy would
> > > > write of that experience -- perhaps he has, and I don't recall (it's
> > > > been many years since I really spent a lot of time with WP).
> > > > Love in
> > > > the Ruins?  Maybe someone out there can point to a book or passage.
> > > >
> > > > Karl
> > > > -----Original Message----- .
> > > > From: Dye, Steve [mailto:sldye AT bluegrass.org]
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 10:04 AM
> > > > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > > > Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy,
> > > > anyway?"
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > My thoughts exactly...the New Orleans that many of have known and
> > > > loved for years (and that was so beautifully written about by Percy)
> > > > is gone forever...
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > > > [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Stuart
> > > > Chapman
> > > > Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 9:42 AM
> > > > To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > > > Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy,
> > > > anyway?"
> > > >
> > > > Been thinking about you, Percy, and everybody else New Orleans-
> > > > related
> > >
> > >
> > > > over these last few days, and I hope that you are ok.
> > > >
> > > > It's just awful.
> > > >
> > > > Stuart
> > > >
> > > > Dave Duty <daveduty AT austin.rr.com> wrote:
> > > > Is no one else on the list concerned about Nikki and the other New
> > > > Orleans area residents?
> > > >
> > > > Nikki -- if your out there -- let us know if you and your loved ones
> > > > are ok -- God Bless -- Dave
> > > >
> > > > JHForest AT cs.com <mailto:JHForest AT cs.com>  wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > > > What would you say to a young person who asks, "What so great
> > > > > > about
> > > > this
> > > > Percy guy, anyway?" <<
> > > >
> > > > What keeps Walker Percy in print fifteen years after his death is
> > > > the
> > > > sheer delight of reading his books.
> > > >
> > > > A key word with Percy was "search." It seems to me all of his
> > > > fiction
> > > > and non-fiction have to do with that topic. As he said:
> > > >
> > > > "If I had the choice of knowing the truth or searching for the
> > > > truth,
> > > > I'd take the search."
> > > >
> > > > It's a subject of the search has been much on my mind lately if
> > > > for no
> > > > other reason than I'm at work on a book about pilgrimage (understood
> > > > not only as making journeys to distant shrines but an attitude about
> > > > being that has little to do with travel). One way of defining a
> > > pilgrim
> > >
> > > > is a person on a search.
> > > >
> > > > Jim Forest
> > > >
> > > > * * *
> > > > Jim & Nancy Forest
> > > > Kanisstraat 5 / 1811 GJ Alkmaar / The Netherlands
> > > > Jim's e-mail: jhforest AT cs.com <mailto:jhforest AT cs.com>  (alternative
> > > > address: jhforest AT gmail.com <mailto:jhforest AT gmail.com> ) Nancy's
> > > > e-mail: forestflier AT cs.com <mailto:forestflier AT cs.com> (alternative
> > > > address: forestflier AT gmail.com <mailto:forestflier AT gmail.com> )
> > > > Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org
> > > > <http://www.incommunion.org/>
> > > > Jim & Nancy Forest web site: http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/
> > > > <http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/>
> > > > photo web site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/
> > > > <http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/>
> > > > * * *
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >   _____
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > > > <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/>
> > > >
> > > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at  http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > > > <http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy>
> > > > --
> > > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > > >
> > > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > > >
> > > >   _____
> > > >
> > > > Start your
> > > > <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=34442/*http:/www.yahoo.com/r/hs>
> > > > day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
> > > *********************************************************************
> > > ***
> > > ********
> > > ****************
> > >
> > > > PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION
> > > > The information contained in this e-mail, and any attachments
> > > > thereto,
> > >
> > >
> > > > is only for the use of the recipient(s) named above.  This message,
> > > > and its attachments, may contain information that falls under the
> > > > attorney-client and/or work product privileges.  Receipt of this
> > > > message by an unintended recipient does not constitute a waiver
> > > > by the
> > >
> > >
> > > > sender of any and all applicable privileges.  If you are not the
> > > > intended recipient of this e-mail and any attachments, or an agent
> > > > responsible for delivering it to the intended recipients, you are
> > > > hereby notified that any use, dissemination, distribution,
> > > > downloading, or copying of this communication is strictly
> > > > prohibited.
> > >
> > >
> > > > If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender
> > > > immediately by e-mail, permanently delete the e-mail and any
> > > > attachments immediately, and destroy all copies.
> > > *********************************************************************
> > > ***
> > > ********
> > > ****************
> > >
> > > > --
> > > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > > >
> > > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> >
> >
> > --
> > An archive of all list discussion is available at http://
> > lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/
> >
> > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 21:51:05 -0500
> From: dabeck AT iupui.edu
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy, anyway?"
> To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>, Patrick Lynch <padraig AT well.com>
> Cc: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
> <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID: <1125543065.43166c99052c7 AT webmail.iu.edu>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> > Is this making sense?
> > P.
>
> Probably more so than I am (I'm in an allergy medication fog). My point 
> about
> the Browne lyrics was not that he was "fast asleep" but that he was 
> dreaming
> of the "fight." Of course, the man on the train does awaken to a different
> self. My point is, we know that the rotation occurs in anticipation of the
> crisis, but I think it also occurs during the crisis. Afterwards, it is
> anybody's guess.
> Maybe I'm splitting philosophical hairs and need to focus on what's really
> going on. You wrote:
>
> > Nonetheless, Karl's comment reaffirms the news high that many feel
> > watching CNN incessantly. But it is an inauthentic substitute for the
> > deeper response of the man on the train. Perhaps even a poor
> > substitute for feeling compassion for those affected by a disaster
> > like Katrina.
>
> That's the bigger point. Perhaps it is a "high" for some, but it's hard to
> imagine very many people watching this disaster--knowing that it is 
> happening
> to very poor areas that didn't have much to begin with--with the 
> "interest"
> that Lance talks about regarding the plane crash. From what I hear, people 
> are
> contributing in large amounts to help these people. And, while I fear 
> bringing
> up the liberal/conservative topic, it is disasters like these that make 
> people-
> -regardless of political persuasion--forget about "sides" and come 
> together
> and help. Maybe in that way, we can all awaken to a more "perceived self."
> -David
>
>
>
> Quoting Patrick Lynch <padraig AT well.com>:
>
> > Gentle Folks:
> > While this all seems to be a part of what Percy said, along with the
> > idea that we cannot originally experience the Grand Canyon if we have
> > been over-exposed to pictures of the tourist site, the concept of
> > rotation indicates more than a momentary stay against one's insidious
> > life. The man on the train is confronted with a re-visioning of who
> > he is. The "man asleep at the traffic light" remains asleep
> > afterwards. The man on the train awakens to a different, more
> > perceived self.
> >
> > Nonetheless, Karl's comment reaffirms the news high that many feel
> > watching CNN incessantly. But it is an inauthentic substitute for the
> > deeper response of the man on the train. Perhaps even a poor
> > substitute for feeling compassion for those affected by a disaster
> > like Katrina.
> >
> > Is this making sense?
> > P.
> > On Aug 31, 2005, at 6:50 PM, dabeck AT iupui.edu wrote:
> >
> > > Karl,
> > > I think you're right. It is the anticipation more than the
> > > aftermath. But
> > > probably it is also in the moment, to some extent. Like on the
> > > battlefield
> > > (not that I've been there), the rush of the danger might make one
> > > more "alive"
> > > in the moment (as I heard Jackson Browne sing the other day on the
> > > radio: "While the veterans, dream of the fight/While fast asleep at
> > > the
> > > traffic light") but that same person might have to deal with PTSD
> > > later.
> > >  I don't have Message in a Bottle with me, but the man on the train
> > > is in the
> > > middle of a crisis when he notices his hand for the first time. I
> > > guess it all
> > > depends on what the outcome is.
> > >  While slightly different, I remember a friend of mine whose
> > > daughter died
> > > when she was six or seven, saying that it was the most painful
> > > experience in
> > > his life, but at the same time, the most beautiful. He said that it
> > > awakened
> > > him to what was important and to the presence of God (and he was a
> > > pastor). In
> > > LIR, regarding his daughter's death, More asks something like, What
> > > if you ask
> > > God for a miracle and it happens. What then? After that he says,
> > > "Samantha,
> > > forgive me. I'm sorry you suffered and died, my heart broke, but
> > > there have
> > > been times when I wasn't above enjoying it." One of the strangest
> > > lines in
> > > Percy's fiction, in my opinion.
> > >  Does it tie into what we've been discussing (i.e. "hurricane
> > > syndrome", etc.?)
> > > -David
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Quoting "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>:
> > >
> > >
> > >> I think it's the approach of bad news that excites us.  The
> > >> aftermath or
> > >> reality, however, dumps us back into ordinariness.  Hence, the
> > >> fundamental need to continue searching.
> > >>
> > >> Percy pointed out the weird, guilty giddiness we receive from bad
> > >> news;
> > >> how we almost wish for it.  The media, of course, is onto this.
> > >> Several
> > >> weeks ago a plane crashed and all 100+ passengers walked away with no
> > >> deaths and few injuries.  The sense of disappointment among the
> > >> talking
> > >> heads was palpable.
> > >>
> > >> Karl
> > >>
> > >> -----Original Message-----
> > >> From: dabeck AT iupui.edu [mailto:dabeck AT iupui.edu]
> > >> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 11:57 AM
> > >> To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > >> Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy,
> > >> anyway?"
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> I'm not sure what Percy would say about this recent disaster. I do
> > >> know,
> > >>
> > >> however, that conveying this idea--that tragedy can break us from our
> > >> everydayness, even make life exciting again--is difficult to
> > >> convey to
> > >> my
> > >> college students. Some get it; some think it's crazy.
> > >>  When I used to Lancelot along with Fight Club, I would point out the
> > >> similarities (narrator/Tyler hoping that the plane he's on
> > >> crashes, etc.
> > >> That
> > >> feeling pain is better than feeling nothing, etc.
> > >>  I remember on and after 9/11 we had this discussion on the list. It
> > >> seemed to
> > >> be an example of where Percy's hurricane theory didn't work.  Off to
> > >> class. -David
> > >>
> > >> Quoting "Karl M. Terrell" <kterrell AT sheastokes.com>:
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> * * This communication is CONFIDENTIAL * *
> > >>>
> > >>> Tying the two current themes together ... I was also first attracted
> > >>> to Percy by the sheer delight in reading his wonderfully smooth
> > >>> prose,
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> and the way his likable characters roam outside the mainstream,
> > >>>
> > >> buffeting
> > >>
> > >>> about, but ultimately in search of some truer path.   The search
> > >>> seems
> > >>> to begin with awareness of the discomfort of "everydayness."
> > >>>
> > >>> I was particularly struck, early on, with his comparison (I forget
> > >>> where, but he returns to this in several books) of a successful man
> > >>> sitting in his fine home in Short Hills, N.J. on a Wednesday
> > >>> afternoon, birds chirping contentedly in the trees against a clear
> > >>> blue sky -- he should be feeling fine; the world is his oyster;
> > >>> but he
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> finds himself profoundly ill at ease -- contrasted with the
> > >>> excitement
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> one feels when a hurricane is bearing down.  Bad news takes us
> > >>> out of
> > >>> the ordinariness of a Wednesday afternoon, where you're stuck and
> > >>> don't know what to do, and wonder how in the hell you'll make it
> > >>> through the next few hours.
> > >>>
> > >>> But now the hurricane has passed, and has devastated a great city.
> > >>> Amidst the grief, the ordinariness of a day-to-day struggle of
> > >>> returning to the ordinary will take over.  I wonder how Percy would
> > >>> write of that experience -- perhaps he has, and I don't recall (it's
> > >>> been many years since I really spent a lot of time with WP).
> > >>> Love in
> > >>> the Ruins?  Maybe someone out there can point to a book or passage.
> > >>>
> > >>> Karl
> > >>> -----Original Message----- .
> > >>> From: Dye, Steve [mailto:sldye AT bluegrass.org]
> > >>> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 10:04 AM
> > >>> To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > >>> Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy,
> > >>> anyway?"
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> My thoughts exactly...the New Orleans that many of have known and
> > >>> loved for years (and that was so beautifully written about by Percy)
> > >>> is gone forever...
> > >>>
> > >>> -----Original Message-----
> > >>> From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> > >>> [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Stuart
> > >>> Chapman
> > >>> Sent: Wednesday, August 31, 2005 9:42 AM
> > >>> To: Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion
> > >>> Subject: Re: [percy-l] "What's so great about this Percy guy,
> > >>> anyway?"
> > >>>
> > >>> Been thinking about you, Percy, and everybody else New Orleans-
> > >>> related
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> over these last few days, and I hope that you are ok.
> > >>>
> > >>> It's just awful.
> > >>>
> > >>> Stuart
> > >>>
> > >>> Dave Duty <daveduty AT austin.rr.com> wrote:
> > >>> Is no one else on the list concerned about Nikki and the other New
> > >>> Orleans area residents?
> > >>>
> > >>> Nikki -- if your out there -- let us know if you and your loved ones
> > >>> are ok -- God Bless -- Dave
> > >>>
> > >>> JHForest AT cs.com <mailto:JHForest AT cs.com>  wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>> What would you say to a young person who asks, "What so great
> > >>>>> about
> > >>>>>
> > >>> this
> > >>> Percy guy, anyway?" <<
> > >>>
> > >>> What keeps Walker Percy in print fifteen years after his death is
> > >>> the
> > >>> sheer delight of reading his books.
> > >>>
> > >>> A key word with Percy was "search." It seems to me all of his
> > >>> fiction
> > >>> and non-fiction have to do with that topic. As he said:
> > >>>
> > >>> "If I had the choice of knowing the truth or searching for the
> > >>> truth,
> > >>> I'd take the search."
> > >>>
> > >>> It's a subject of the search has been much on my mind lately if
> > >>> for no
> > >>> other reason than I'm at work on a book about pilgrimage (understood
> > >>> not only as making journeys to distant shrines but an attitude about
> > >>> being that has little to do with travel). One way of defining a
> > >>>
> > >> pilgrim
> > >>
> > >>> is a person on a search.
> > >>>
> > >>> Jim Forest
> > >>>
> > >>> * * *
> > >>> Jim & Nancy Forest
> > >>> Kanisstraat 5 / 1811 GJ Alkmaar / The Netherlands
> > >>> Jim's e-mail: jhforest AT cs.com <mailto:jhforest AT cs.com>  (alternative
> > >>> address: jhforest AT gmail.com <mailto:jhforest AT gmail.com> ) Nancy's
> > >>> e-mail: forestflier AT cs.com <mailto:forestflier AT cs.com> (alternative
> > >>> address: forestflier AT gmail.com <mailto:forestflier AT gmail.com> )
> > >>> Orthodox Peace Fellowship web site: http://www.incommunion.org
> > >>> <http://www.incommunion.org/>
> > >>> Jim & Nancy Forest web site: http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/
> > >>> <http://incommunion.org/forest-flier/>
> > >>> photo web site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/
> > >>> <http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimforest/sets/>
> > >>> * * *
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>   _____
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> --
> > >>> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > >>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >>> <https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/>
> > >>>
> > >>> Visit the Walker Percy Project at  http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >>> <http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy>
> > >>> --
> > >>> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > >>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >>>
> > >>> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >>>
> > >>>   _____
> > >>>
> > >>> Start your
> > >>> <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=34442/*http:/www.yahoo.com/r/hs>
> > >>> day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >> *********************************************************************
> > >> ***
> > >> ********
> > >> ****************
> > >>
> > >>> PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATION
> > >>> The information contained in this e-mail, and any attachments
> > >>> thereto,
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> is only for the use of the recipient(s) named above.  This message,
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> > >>> attorney-client and/or work product privileges.  Receipt of this
> > >>> message by an unintended recipient does not constitute a waiver
> > >>> by the
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>> sender of any and all applicable privileges.  If you are not the
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> > >> ****************
> > >>
> > >>>
> > >>> --
> > >>> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > >>> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >>>
> > >>> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > >> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >>
> > >> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >> --
> > >> An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > >> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> > >>
> > >> Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > An archive of all list discussion is available at http://
> > > lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/percy-l/
> > >
> > > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
> > >
> > >
> >
> > --
> > An archive of all list discussion is available at
> > https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/percy-l/
> >
> > Visit the Walker Percy Project at http://www.ibiblio.org/wpercy
>
>
>
>
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>
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>
> End of Percy-L Digest, Vol 30, Issue 34
> ***************************************