Does anyone know whether Stan Brakhage actually read or owned copies of written works by Robert Grosseteste, Johannes Scotus Eriugena, Duns Scotus or Francis Bacon? He refers to them, some of them often, but as far as I can tell most of the references he makes to them have been traced back to Ezra Pound's Cantos, wherein they are quoted (and sometimes misattributed) heavily. It would seem probable that most of Brakhage's knowledge of these philosophers was in fact indirect through the lens of Pound, though I wouldn't want to assume that if anyone has any evidence to the contrary.
I wonder if anyone knows if Brakhage had any of these medieval works, or other non-Pound references to them, in his library? Availability of these works in source translation in the 1970s would most certainly have been far more difficult than today, though it certainly remains problematic. I assume Brakhage did not read Latin? I know Frampton did - translating his own passages of Grosseteste's De Luce, a hint I assume he might have ultimately got from Brakhage, though he also read Pound. There are also many other light philosophers in this domain which I do not believe Brakhage ever mentions anywhere - Al-Hazen, Al-Kindi, St Augustine, St Basil, Roger Bacon, John Dee, Robert Fludd, Giambattista Della Porta, and latterly of course, Newton. Any thoughts on this most welcome. Richard Richard Ashrowan rich...@ashrowan.com Web: www.ashrowan.com Blog: http://richardashrowan.tumblr.com Alchemy: www.alchemyfilmfestival.org.uk _______________________________________________ FrameWorks mailing list FrameWorks@jonasmekasfilms.com https://mailman-mail5.webfaction.com/listinfo/frameworks