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

[Marcus Smith <marcus AT loyno.edu>]

“ But if I could not kill myself -- ah then, I would. I can do without nembutal or murder mysteries but not without suicide.”

But if Binx were around today, his “to be or not to be” question might be, “Can I do without my iPhone?”

Typed on a rainy St Charles Avenue, on my iPhone, watching dozens of folks guarding their turf, waiting already for MG parades that won’t roll for another six or seven hours.  They are almost all hunkering under tarps and tents.  Some are drinking beer.  Most are staring into iPhones!  

Percy, I believe, would have been very interesting in the iPhone as an instrument of managing dread, otherwise known as acutely empty time.

Happy Mardi Gras!  Last night a woman was killed by the lead float in a parade.  The other floats were re-routed.  

On Thu, Feb 20, 2020 at 11:00 AM <percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:

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Today's Topics:

   1. Percy and modern media (Plemmons, Gregory)


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Message: 1
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2020 17:23:05 +0000
From: "Plemmons, Gregory" <gregory.plemmons AT vumc.org>
To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion"
        <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [percy-l] Percy and modern media
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I don't pay attention to a lot of TV or movies, but occasionally something slips past my social media radar which sounds eerily familiar. Below is a link to a promotional clip for the upcoming second season of a Netflix series starring Ricky Gervais called After Life (which I haven't viewed yet). Gervais was the original creator of  The Office in Great Britain (which was later successfully exported and adaptedhere). You may also recognize the actress Penelope Wilton, probably best known for her role as Mrs. Crawley from Downton Abbey.

Link:
https://twitter.com/wolfetone98/status/1228995204151234560
[https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1228995002631671808/pu/img/UQFlp4iZ8QP57WGb.jpg]<https://twitter.com/wolfetone98/status/1228995204151234560>
Paddy O'Brien on Twitter<https://twitter.com/wolfetone98/status/1228995204151234560>
?After the last 24 hours, this means more than ever. And not just a mantra for today but a message that should be repeated every single day!!!? In a world where you can be anything; #BeKind "Good people do things for other people." #AfterLife #AfterLife2 @rickygervais https://t.co/NOEX9vgy0F?
twitter.com

 I have no idea if Gervais has ever read The Moviegoer, but as Lent approaches, this clip sure seems prescient, if not derivative.

>From The Moviegoer: ?They all think any minute I'm going to commit suicide. What a joke. The truth of course is the exact opposite: suicide is the only thing that keeps me alive. Whenever everything else fails, all I have to do is consider suicide and in two seconds I'm as cheerful as a nitwit. But if I could not kill myself -- ah then, I would. I can do without nembutal or murder mysteries but not without suicide. ?

Greg Plemmons


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