yet more on moby

Sorry, some of us are trapped in the past, fairly drowning in it. But here's another entry from the poetry list I'm on:


winmail.dat 4K

Hi Prageeta,
My email was out, so I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this already, but Judith Goldman has a poem "dicktée" from Vocorder that compiles all of the "un-" words from Moby-Dick. I once transcribed the first part of her poem thinking that I would use it in a paper:

under, unite, unless, unpleasant, universal, uncomfortable, unaccountable, under, unbiased, undeliverable, under, underneath, universe, unequal, understanding, unaccountable, unwarranted, unimaginable, unnatural, unoccupied, undress, unobserved, unknown, unwarrantable, unknown, unaccountable, understand, uncomfortable, unsay, unaccountable, uncommonly, undressed, unearthly, undressing, unnatural, unceremoniously, uncomfortableness, unmethodically, undressed, unendurable, unimaginable, unlock, unbecomingness, understand, under, unusual, under, under, undergraduate, under, unsheathes, undivided, unknown, unholy, unheeded, unrecorded, unceasing, unhealing, unbidden, universal, unstirring, unspeakable, unnecessary, unseen, unassuming, unheeded, unknown, until, uncheered, unreluctantly, unto, unwelcome, unto, unearthly, uncouthness, unbiddenly, unite, unite, unite, undressed, unmistakably, unduly, undulating, unconquerable, untutored, untutored, unfitted, undefiled, unlike, unconsciousness, under, unconscious, under, under, unfort'nt, understand

This goes on for seven more sections with approximately the same number of words in each. Some words repeat. She also borrows an epigraph from W.V. Quine: "Un-, like in-, has two meanings. In its second meaning, un-, is different in origin from the simple negative un- and in-... This un- does attach to a verb, and it expresses as undoing of what the verb expresses. Usually it carries an air of liberation."

-kaplan




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