I just re-read the intro to the 25th edition and from what I gather, Robert Pirsig the author is using Phaedrus to say he (the narrator?) was never insane. We can see that in ZMM from the quote I offered where the dialogue between Chris and 'Phaedrus' only has quotes around the words of Chris. He uses the same quote, in fact.
It's also interesting that he mentions reading Henry James' The Turn of the Screw and how he mistook the villainous for the heroine of the story. Like he says, I too think that story accentuates both the strength and weakness of the first person narrative and why so many authors fail at it. It is much easier writing from the third person point of view which is perhaps why that method is the predominate way of writing these days. First person is much more intimate yet the author (and the reader) is trapped inside the character. One way of overcoming that is to write from the point of view of different characters as he does in Lila. Of course the author has to take care in doing so lest they confuse the reader... chapter breaks are best in my opinion. Anyway, interesting stuff... On Sun, Dec 22, 2013 at 10:29 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Yes, but it feels different to have the character from inside the novel > speak the words and the author making a statement about the work in > relation to his own experience as one aspect of that split personality. > But not to worry, I understand it is all story. > > Yes, from a grownup Dan's point of view, the accusation of plagiarism > might seem flattering, but it was not encouraging to a youngster. Yet here > you are writing novels. Doubt if it could have been any other way. > > I didn't start painting seriously until 1998 after a summer in Italy, but > I loved it all. I took 4 years of classical guitar lessons. When that > didn't work out, I quickly switched to art: book arts, collaging, > printmaking. All started after the age of thirty and all very satisfying. > In 1998 I left Corporate-IT position to learn to paint. You asked about > teachers, and I'll say there were no specific art teachers, but there were > important people who taught life lessons. Important in the list is RMP > because of his explanation of gumption traps. Having them explained could > be equated to the naming of Rumpelstiltskin. What a boon! But there were > many others, especially my second husband who was a wonderful classical > guitar player. > > > > > > > On Dec 22, 2013, at 3:16 AM, Dan Glover <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Doesn't Phaedrus tell Chris the same thing late in ZMM? > > > > `Were you really insane?'' > > Why should he ask that? > > No! > > Astonishment hits. But Chris's eyes sparkle. > > `Ì knew it,'' he says. [ZMM] > > > > Lila's Child came about on account of my love for writing. Robert Pirsig > > inspired me years ago when I read ZMM while his assistance with LC made > me > > realize what I was missing by not writing. > > > > I wish I could say I had teachers who inspired me as well. I cannot. I > was > > a poor student. The closest any of them ever got to praising my writings > > was to accuse me of plagiarism. It upset me at the time but now I look > back > > and say: wow. They honestly thought my writing was that good that I must > > have copied it from somewhere. > > > > What about you? What inspired you to start painting? Did you always fancy > > doing it? Or was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you > > were meant to paint? > > > > On Sat, Dec 21, 2013 at 10:30 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> > >> Hi Dan, > >> > >> From my very limited experience, I'd say that the pre-static (before > fear > >> and thinking) response is always to give 150%, but that is not very > >> advantageous for the survival of the "self" in dangerous situations. I > did > >> later notice that from the intensity of the incident, all the thoughts > that > >> had been floating through my mind that morning vacated. Gone! It > made me > >> laugh at myself! I will get the details concerning the driver some time > >> this weekend, but from what I could see, they were very fortunate to > have > >> survived. > >> > >> Outside the line is where the best stuff happens. I recently reread > RMP's > >> introduction to the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of ZAMM. He said > >> Phaedrus was never insane. Outside the line is where all the creative > >> stuff happens, but it is extremely dangerous. It surprised me that both > >> Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg did a stint in a hospital for > >> schizophrenia. Tough times, indeed! I had my moments of insanity, but > >> love and responsibility to my children always kept me in check. But > now I > >> feel free to fly, and do so in my studio. Not as dangerous as flying > over > >> an un-netted sea like Icarus. My studio is my favorite place to be. > >> > >> Do you think that your sister being a writer offered you permission to > go > >> back to that childhood longing to be a writer. And there was 'LILA's > >> Child', that must have stirred the juices. Did you get assistance from > >> others? I had helpers get me back to making art, and I am grateful to > them. > >> > >> > >> Marsha > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > ___ > > > 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 > -- http://www.danglover.com 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
