Hello everyone On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 1:37 PM, Michael R. Brown <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello all - > > I've been on the list before, then left, now returned.
Dan: Welcome back! >MRB: > I've been reading Bob Pirsig's writing regularly since the mid-1980s, and > remain deeply intrigued by him - first as a literary artisan (for which he's > not received enough credit) and then as a philosopher. I do think that he > has lit on some insights of huge importance, and expressed them in the way > they needed to be expressed. > > But here's something that I have been unable to resolve, so I throw it out > here for what it's worth. > > Almost every discussion of Pirsig, the totality of his thought, and the MOQ > (all three of which are separate) that I've seen eventually resemble the > Church of Reason intellectualizing criticized so adeptly in ZAMM. Dan: Well, Michael... I would have to say that no one here knows the totality of Robert Pirsig's thoughts. All we know is what he's written in his two books and his subsequent writings. And this is an intellectual discussion (is it not?) so I am unsure what (or if) you are criticizing. >MRB: > And what I have not yet seen, ever, is an expression of passionate emotion. > There's obviously passionate emotion in ZAMM, and I've always been grateful > that RP touches sexuality in L - so where's the expression of this passion > in those who have been influenced by him? Am I missing it? What's the > subjective importance of this writer to those who love him? Dan: In the stories we tell from time to time. John tells some great ones. Mary too. Hmmm. Trying to think of some others... Bodvar could spin a good one but he rarely did so. I guess we really need more storytellers here. Anyway, for me, the passion exists not in intellectualization (although that can be fun) but rather in the telling of stories. >MRB: > [ For those who are interested in RP's possible literary children, I worked > in a commentary and tribute to the closing of ZAMM - which I think one of > the most moving things I've ever read - in my last book, a memoir that > closes on the opposite shore of the great Bridge that our protagonists are > approaching as the book ends. ] Dan: You should post a link (I already checked out your website [http://www.fuguewriter.com/books/she/] but others might be curious). I would also suggest offering your work on Amazon's Kindle in addition to what you're doing now. It is easy to upload, gets you more notice, and might make you a few dollars more than you are making now. And too, being the cheap bastard that I am, I rarely purchase "real" books any longer. Why should I when I can buy great e-books for less than ten bucks? Hell, less than a buck in many cases! And instant gratification is something to consider as well. Kindle reader is a wonderful tool, in my opinion. Good luck and best wishes, Dan Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
