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Saturday, February 14th, 2009
Seated at one of the pavement tables she briskly composes what is to be her statement. I am a writer, a trader in fictions, it says. I maintain beliefs only provisionally: fixed beliefs would stand in my way. I change beliefs as I change my habitation or my clothes, according to my needs. On these grounds -- professional, vocational -- I reqest exemption from a rule of which I now hear for the first time, namely that every petitioner at the gate should hold one or more beliefs. She takes her statement back to the guardhouse. As she half expected, it is rejected.  And we are getting down, here, to the heart of the matter -- this is what I think. As Chapter 8 opens, Coetzee manages to startle me once again, changing his narrative style completely (while continuing to narrate in the same voice), veering into Kafkaesque allegory -- he acknowledges as much a few pages later but calls it "Kafka reduced and flattened to a parody."Costello is speaking to my concerns earlier about how nobody in this novel seems to be attached to the arguments they are making; she is a writer, a vessel for words and beliefs (like Mary or Leda is a vessel for God's seed -- I'm not sure yet what to make of this parallel but it is definitely front and center). I have got the feeling that Coetzee is writing in his own voice here -- should be wary of this given the repeated cautioning against it earlier in the book -- I was wondering, when Elizabeth defends herself against the charge that she has ignored the genocide of the Tasmanians (and implicitly, that she as a white Australian is not sensitive to issues of imperialism and oppression), whether Coetzee faces similar charges as a white South African. Perhaps the student in Chapter 1 was meaning to launch an attack on these grounds?
posted morning of February 14th, 2009: Respond
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Sunday, June 22nd, 2008
 Allow me to recommend: Dorothy Gambrell's new collection, Cat and Girl volume II. The only cartoon collection I have seen with an index. If you order quick, you can get your copy inscribed. (Note: I think to do this, you have to order direct from catandgirl.com, not from Topatoco.)
But how is this different from
reading Dorothy's archives, which I can do for free? you might ask. And you would have a point; reading the collection is a similar experience to reading the archives. (Like specifically, episodes 315 through 545.) There seem to be a couple of extra drawings that are not in the archives; turning the pages with your hands is a pleasant experience, for you paper fetishists; as is having Dorothy adorn the book with your own picture and witticism (if you hurry!). And generally it's a nice feeling to think you are supporting a young genius in her "lucky jerk" lifestyle. (Also recommended: contribute to Ms. Gambrell's Donation Derby, and she will draw a cartoon of how she spends the money.) Funniest thing I've read this morning: Sandwiches Cheap! and its sequel. The villanelle is the most restrictive of all sandwich forms.
 Also: here is a new interview with Dorothy, with links to some older ones, in COMIXtalk. I did not know about her extra-Cat and Girl cartooning efforts; she also does Very Small Array and for a while drew The New Adventures of Death. (Looks from the interview, like she considers Donation Derby and Cat and Girl to be two separate things -- I have always somehow considered the former to be a subset of the latter, I guess because they are on the same site and the styles are so closely similar.)
posted morning of June 22nd, 2008: 1 response
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Monday, November 24th, 2003
I just linked to PartiallyClips under the Comix category, and added a daily link to the Paradox Dragon strip; after browsing around in the archive over there for a while, I want to emphasize the link -- if you've got a little free time one of the best things you could do this morning would be to go to Mr. Balder's Welcome New Readers page, scroll down to the bottom and read your way through his "greatest hits" archive. 12 strips, you'll have enough hilarity to last you a couple of days.
posted morning of November 24th, 2003: Respond
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Thursday, October 16th, 2003
Patrick Farley's Electric Sheep, home of the IMO best comics on the web, celebrated its 5th birthday yesterday. Patrick marked the occasion by unveiling a new front page, the first step in his planned redesign of the site. Go check it out -- there is a poll where you can ask for the new comic you would most like to see. (Hint: vote for Apocamon 4!)
posted afternoon of October 16th, 2003: Respond
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Monday, October 6th, 2003
Big news -- Patrick Farley has put Chapter III up on E-sheep. It costs a quarter to view (via BitPass) -- its value is many times as much. Take a look!
posted morning of October 6th, 2003: Respond
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Kate Beaton wishes you a 