Friday, June 8, 2007

Fit the First, Page Two, Panel One



"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried,
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.

A theatrical start, and one that I hope Lewis Carroll would have appreciated. The unreality of the stage (compounded by, in this instance, the unreality of all things internet) is the best starting point for a Snark hunt. The mentally astute reader will note that the Boots is Charles Darwin (definitively responsible for the unreality of god) and that the Bellman is the White Knight from Through the Looking Glass. The more astute reader will know that the White Knight was a self-portrait (rather idealized and verging on the unreal) of the cyclopic Sir John Tenniel, illustrator of Through the Looking Glass. The most astute reader will remember that the Boot's pose is that of St. Anthony in Grunewald's Temptation of St. Anthony, a compelling depiction of the unreal visions created by the unreal nemesis of an unreal deity upon a real believer. What I tell you three times, eh?

2 comments:

  1. My goodness gracious me!!! Such rigorous standards set to leave the women out! Do the women have to, not only be living during this time, but also be known to have “tea” with these men? Has the research assistant already suggested names like the Canadian author Emily Carr? How about Anna Pavlova, Sarah Knowles Bolton, Charlotte Bronte, Joanna Baillie, Emma Lazarus ...
    If Mr. Mahendra Singh (who I am beginning to suspect is a mullah in disguise) has his heart set on such “particularities”, I can only wish him the best as I cannot the deny the remarkable aspect of the Snark project itself. By the way Mr. Singh, how did you guess I am gorgeous to look at?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Mahendra, as for linking Charles Darwin to the snark, you are 2 years ahead of me.

    Goetz

    ReplyDelete