This blog is closed
Theory semioticism du jour
This is the customary role of the best-known figure in lndian literatures, Coyote. To emphasize both his man/animal nature and his transformativeness, as well as to keep in mind the supra-tribal reference of my discussion, I’ll call him Coyote/coyote.
From Deconstructionist Criticism and American Indian Literature, Karl Kroeber, boundary 2, Vol. 7, No. 3, Revisions of the Anglo-American Tradition: Part 2. (Spring, 1979), pg. 76.
Posted by: Chris Clarke
Note: A database glitch in 2008 ate a bunch of archived comments. Don't be offended if yours isn't here, or confused if the conversation seems disjointed. Thanks!
Hoy boo… when lit-speak runs amok…
(I’ve never understood why so many people who work in the field of literature pride themselves on incomprehensible prose.)
By: By Rachel Shaw on 2008 02 20
I blame our students. Years of reading that would twist your words into incomprehensible knots* too.
That said, I think we all benefit from “coyote” getting the Theory-with-a-capital-T treatment. I, for one, will now listen to the manimalistic Coyote much differently now.
*No, we can’t even keep our metaphors unmixed anymore either.
By: By SEK on 2008 02 20
I like to emphasize the transformativeness of our host by calling him Clarke/clarke.
By: By Sven DiMIlo on 2008 02 20
John, you raise some good points about intent. But I tend to think that sort of orthography obscures rather than illuminates. Why not just capitalize for the broad mythic persona and phenomenon and lower case for the wild dog? That even follows the rules of grammar for proper nouns: no need to invent.
Of course, my bias is toward nontechnical language. Sometimes the technical language is needed. There may be fine points of meaning and intent in Kroeber’s article that I missed that made the slash a sensible, economical way of phrasing things. But it is funny that Coyote stuck his head in there, I think.
Sven, thank you, though I gotta say I’m feeling more like “Clarke” than Clarke or Clarke/clarke these days.
By: By Chris Clarke on 2008 02 20
This is why I would never have done well in a lit class. It just reminds me of “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” Only it’s not funny.
By: By Maud on 2008 02 21
Well, <strike>humorless poseurs who can strip even the juiciest material of every last quenching drop exist</strike> humorless prose exists in all fields, sad to say.
[Edited after Fred’s comment because UKL has brought me too much pleasure over the years for me to feel good about saying insulting things about her relative’s work. Besides, I’m kind of hoping the quote’s out of context and only looks ridiculous on its own.]
But the specific juice he’s wrung out makes it damned funny.
Coyote lifts his leg on Kroeber’s paragraph and says: “to keep in mind the underlying trickstertastic nature of all things lit-crit, I’ll call this Urinating/urinating.”
By: By Theriomorph on 2008 02 21
It may be worth noting that Dr. Kroeber is the son of Alfred Kroeber of Ishi/ishi Fame/infamy, and the brother of Ursula K. LeGuin, noted fabulist in her own right.
By: By Fred Levitan on 2008 02 21
Hey Tmorph, Coyote pissing is crit-lit, n’est çe pas?
By: By lurker on 2008 02 21
=v= I guess Zeke/Zeek is fortunate to have had the first letter in his name capitalized.
By: By Jym on 2008 02 21
James/james
Morrison/morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was Trickster/twee.
James/james Said to his Mother,
“Mother,” he said, said He/he;
“You must never go down
to the end of the town,
because you’ll truly myth me.”
By: By jmartin on 2008 02 21
Hey Tmorph, Coyote pissing is crit-lit, n’est çe pas?
ha ha ha - and again I say, to jmartin, HA!
By: By Theriomorph on 2008 02 21
Why Ron ran away screaming instead of even taking the GREs, Fig. #10.
Maybe it’s necessary to write like that; I don’t know. But I’m allergic to it. How very odd that after all these years and jobs I would end up writing for a living.
By: By Ron Sullivan on 2008 02 21
@jmartin - Ha/ha!
I need to make time to read CRN comment threads more often. There’s wit and erudition here to put any English graduate seminar to shame.
By: By Dave on 2008 02 22
Categories:
Coyote
