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

[RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com>]

The dearth may be more feared than real.  A former student who is now at Lynchburg college recently asked me to recommend what his followup to Moviegoer should be. He said, "Percy's all over the place here." It seems to me that with time and distance, the novels are actually becoming less dated. Or maybe it's just me getting older.  Maybe I ought join David and roll the bottoms of my pants . . . 

--Rhonda

"You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because in spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing."
  
                                    Walker Percy

> From: karey1 AT charter.net
> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 22:31:44 -0400
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
>
> We had this discussion before on the best Percy novel and didn't come to a
> consensus - and for me, I've concluded it's impossible to choose. Replace
> #6 the Moviegoer with the Last Gentleman? Or another one? How could I say?
> As I go through the dissertation and edit the chapters on each, I think
> they're all great and do different things - all good and necessary. With
> the current dearth of Percy fans and attention - I was surprised - and
> thrilled - to see one of his - any in fact, in the top ten, and the rest
> filling out the depth of the list.
>
> I have a friend who also says ATKM is best novel ever written - swears by
> it, always has. Loved the description of it you gave, Rhonda, - it was
> beautiful! And he felt exactly the same way.
>
> I also loved C of D and was ROFLMAO (can you say that about good
> literature??) when I read it. Would be a great movie. (Wish Percy's would
> be a movie too...)
>
> I'm glad to see O'Connor made the list as well... She is a true genius.
>
> Karey
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:percy-l-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Beck, David A
> Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 9:50 PM
> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
>
> Agreed! I'd like to have seen C of D moved up, too. Wasn't someone
> talking about making a movie based on Dunces? Can you imagine what the
> Cohen brothers could do with that one.
>
> -David
>
>
>
> Quoting RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com>:
>
> >
> > Since Absalom, Absalom is my favorite Faulkner novel, I had no real
> > complaints (even if AKM is the one I keep coming back to). I
> > certainly agree, David, with the dread followed by relief regarding
> > Huck Finn. Just because Hemingway thought it was the greatest
> > doesn't mean the rest of us have to keep drinking that kool-aid. I
> > would've liked to have seen A Confederacy of Dunces moved up, by the
> > way. I forgot to mention that last night.
> >
> > --Rhonda
> >
> > "You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because in
> > spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the
> > faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing."
> >
> > Walker Percy
> >
> >
> >
> >> Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:29:04 -0400
> >> From: dabeck AT iupui.edu
> >> To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >> Subject: Re: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
> >>
> >> Hey Rhonda,
> >>
> >> I have to (respectfully, of course) disagree. I was hoping that they
> >> weren't going to put Huck Finn as number one. But I completely agree
> >> with Absalom being number one; in fact, I'd go as far to say that it is
> >> the great American novel. Your description of AKM fits Absalom as well
> >> ("the confluence of all American
> >> > Literature, with all the past flowing in and everything after
> >> > carrying a piece of it").
> >>
> >> That's just my two cents. Both novels are great. But I would have
> >> switched Last Gentleman in place of The Moviegoer. (Yes, I think my
> >> letter ended up with yours.)
> >>
> >> I'm interested in hearing what others think.
> >>
> >> -David
> >>
> >> Quoting RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com>:
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Thanks Karey. Looks like just about all of WP's fiction got mentioned
> >> > (I didn't see Thanatos or LITR but I was skimming--I guess that's 2/3
> >> > then). It's hard to argue with #1 and #2 except I'd flip their
> >> > order. All the King's Men is the confluence of all American
> >> > Literature, with all the past flowing in and everything after
> >> > carrying a piece of it. But that's just me getting a little purple
> >> > about it. It just doesn't get better than that, I say. Unfortunately,
> >> > my survey must have gotten lost in the mail.
> >> >
> >> > --Rhonda
> >> >
> >> > "You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because in
> >> > spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the
> >> > faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing."
> >> >
> >> > Walker Percy
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > From: karey1 AT charter.net
> >> > To: percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org
> >> > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 13:18:50 -0400
> >> > Subject: [percy-l] Ten Best Southern Novels of All Time...
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2009/aug/27/best-southern-novels-all-
> time/
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Percy is #6 on this list with ?The Moviegoer,?
> >> > but if you click on the link at the bottom of the list, you?ll find
> >> > others by him as well, further down.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > _________________________________________________________________
> >> > Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for you.
> >> >
> >>
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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
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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> >
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>
>
>
> --
> 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
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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

---

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