Incomprehensible

I do not understand this well enough yet to say it comprehensibly, but it appears that the reason I am incomprehensible as a person is that I am not trying to advance against others in the way that is considered natural. The “natural” thing, it seems, is to assume that anything anyone achieves is meant … More Incomprehensible

The South really is different, and not in a good way…

A person with any kind of authority assumes it means dictatorial power and cannot believe it if anyone stands up to them. That is the South for you, although when there is opposition it is particularly valiant. I am passing my committee role on to someone else and the committee chair is requiring a meeting between … More The South really is different, and not in a good way…

Miguel Primo de Rivera

This dictator of Spain from 1923 to 1930 was a count, a marquis and a knight. An interesting Hispanist said he came from “a hard-drinking, whoring, horse-loving aristocracy” that ruled “over the most starved and down-trodden race of agricultural labourers in Europe,” and I got that quotation from Wikipedia. I was reading about Primo de Rivera … More Miguel Primo de Rivera

Vision, race, and the state in modern Latin American literature

For purposes of “touching work” today I am reproducing the kernel of my proto-book proposal. These ideas are to orient the article and proto-chapter I am about to write, “The darker side of mestizaje.” (Yes, I am playing on Mignolo’s classic book title and on the idea of the dark side of the Enlightenment which … More Vision, race, and the state in modern Latin American literature

Clément Janequin

Here is a May song, well sung. Listen to what appear to be period accents. La casa de Bernarda Alba is a May play. Rowdy youth spends the night and part of the day out gathering flowers, and Adela wears a green dress. Maypoles are remnants of ancient tree-worship. What else do we know about … More Clément Janequin