Fascinating about "theoria". The "tourism" phase of mailart/networking seems to have very ancient roots... John
At 01:34 PM 3/8/02 -0800, you wrote: >For those of you who have never heard a Theorbos > >http://www.lutherie-van-gool.nl/geluid/theorbe.asf > >Also, for those who don't don't know what a theoros is.. > > >I found this but I have read alternate explanations >one of which being they were special preists sent to witness provincial >festivals.. > > >A review of our disciplinary resources reveals that in fact there are many >significant points of overlap between the arts and tourism. Take for example >the case of Solon, one of the wisest of the Ancient Greeks, who is said to >be both the first theorist and the first tourist. "The Greeks," Wlad Godzich >explains,"designated certain individuals to act as legates on certain formal >occasions in other city states or in matters of considerable political >importance. These individuals bore the title of theoros and collectively >constituted a theoria. They were summoned on special occasions to attest the >occurrence of some event, to witness its happenstance, and to then verbally >certify its having taken place" (Godzich). Others could see and make claims, >but these would have merely the status of "perceptions"; only the report of >the theoria provided certainty, certifying the attested event such that it >could be treated as fact. "What it certified as having been seen could >become the object of public discourse." > >Travel was an essential element of archaic theoria. Herodotus noted that >theoria was the reason for Solon's visit to the ruler of Lydia. "Originally >theoria meant seeing the sights, seeing for yourself, and getting a >worldview," E. V. Walter comments. "The first theorists were 'tourists'--the >wise men who traveled to inspect the obvious world. Solon, the Greek sage >whose political reforms around 590 B.C. renewed the city of Athens, is the >first 'theorist' in Western history" (Walter). This theoria "did not mean >the kind of vision that is restricted to the sense of sight. The term >implied a complex but organic mode of active observation--a perceptual >system that included asking questions, listening to stories and local myths, >and feeling as well as hearing and seeing. It encouraged an open reception >to every kind of emotional, cognitive, symbolic, imaginative, and sensory >experience." Nor was the travel of a theoros always a response; it could >also be a probe. The motive for Solon's visit to Lydia, where he went "to >see what could be seen," was "curiosity": "and it was just this great gift >of curiosity, and the desire to see all the wonderful things--pyramids, >inundations, and so forth--that were to be seen that enabled the Ionians to >pick up and turn to their own use such scraps of knowledge as they could >come by among the barbarians"(Burnet). > > > > >Vico studies.. Finnegan's Wake's structure is said to be based on a study of >Vico > >http://www.connix.com/~gapinton/ > > > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "John M. Bennett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Friday, March 08, 2002 9:28 AM >Subject: Re: FLUXLIST: JMB on the walls of Plaza Vico > > > > AH!: "fuming coag dulation"! > > > > Also, "Foambook" is the title of an (unpublished) book of mine... > > > > Onfoam, > > John > > > > At 07:50 AM 3/8/02 -0800, you wrote: > > > > > > >JMB on the walls of Plaza Vico > > > > > > > > > > > >Wunderlost > > > > > >Theoros w/ Theorbos rum age thru the temple calen dar > > >Al His slam pome woke like an Arch enboldo of Avian particle s > > >Vico Vico the yawn d jawbown ass of jeweled Nitre N Gales > > >frost on the jellied Hume curves slow ly wide pouring the > > >C of Broken Meat Candles my shoe boat bobs on sonic loi Ns > > >Segmented do me Ray grotto where the gestural tongue hides > > >gather like fat Exxes goat-skinned figeurs of ontic plac ent rails > > >"Daedalus made crossword puzzles out of marble and frozen wine" > > > > > >VaterStelae > > > > > >Bro Ken Staves piled in lieu pine howls of butter'd Claus trowels > > >un titled tea smirch recto-verso stitch face'd fenest Irrations > > >or was the propulsion of gravel eye-beads laking tall the beans > > >of giants word-stalk be hemmed froth fuming coag dulation slices > > >of cacophonic indices for the snark was a blue jum yew know > > >a grew jem in snow corrugium le doe apparently crytographer > > >und hoo butta who could hue the hewn so heavily high it floats > > >it flew wing ed out the synopticon foambook knotosuction's Li Po > > > > __________________________________________ > > Dr. John M. Bennett > > Curator, Avant Writing Collection > > Rare Books & Manuscripts Library > > The Ohio State University Libraries > > 1858 Neil Av Mall > > Columbus, OH 43210 USA > > > > (614) 292-8114 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ___________________________________________ > > > > __________________________________________ Dr. John M. Bennett Curator, Avant Writing Collection Rare Books & Manuscripts Library The Ohio State University Libraries 1858 Neil Av Mall Columbus, OH 43210 USA (614) 292-8114 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________
