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


















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