Saturday, April 7, 2012

Why is words

Writer, editor, translator, friend, Lori Tiron-Pandit wants to know "Why is your hero naked throughout Escape Behaviours?" You can read the answer to this and more questions here.

12 comments:

Lori said...

And isn't your answer to that just awesome?! A rare example of really well-thought nudity in a work of art.

Titus said...

Really interesting. What a thoughtful set of responses to the questions - thank you for the invitation inside.

A friend is just finishing her novel on Claudel!

@parridhlantern said...

really like the idea of this & your interview.

Rachel Fenton said...

Thanks so much for having me, Lori - I really enjoyed answering your questions and putting some thoughts out there.

Rachel Fenton said...

JoAnne - I look forward to your friend's book. Keep me posted!

Thanks for reading.

Rachel Fenton said...

I hope enjoy the interview, and "Escape Behaviours", Parrish. Thanks for reading.

Tim Jones said...

That was a fascinating interview - thank you, Lori and Rachel!

Rachel Fenton said...

Thanks very much, Tim - really pleased you enjoyed it.

Dominic Rivron said...

Interesting interview. It made me want to re-read Escape Behaviours.

Can one be an optimistic nihilist? It's the second time I've come across the N-word today. First it was reading an interview with Werner Herzog. It popped up near the end. Re-reading it, I think one could probably describe him -on the strength of that interview, anyway- as an "optimistic nihilist".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/apr/14/werner-herzog-into-the-abyss


I was also reminded of that the Italian Marxist Gramsci famously advocated "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will".

Rachel Fenton said...

That's a really interesting interview, or rather, "discourse". Thanks for the link, Dominic.

It's a dichotomy but not, I think, a paradox to be an optimistic nihilist, but I'm still figuring it all out - maybe one day I can hope to be as happily hopeless as Herzog... :)

Dominic Rivron said...

Have you come across "Vaccillation" by Yeats? I just have. I'm thinking particularly of the conclusion of part III.

http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/wbyeats/bl-wbye-vac.htm

(btw, they've run parts 4 5 and 6 together on that page).

Also btw, talking of graphic poetry and nudity, is William Blake an influence on what you do?

Rachel Fenton said...

Long time ago, Dominic, but hadn't read it in this light. Very interesting - thanks for this (you're grand with the links!).


I didn't look at Blake for EB, though I did spend a lot of time mulling Songs of Innocence and Experience in my Uni days. I think more generically the Pre-Raphaelites inspired me, as well as art nouveau, Rackham, and a bit of 50s retro - but loads of things - it's a scrap book, really, so many artists have got my cogs turning appreciatively. And it's not like I can say, this page is referring to so and so - although with a few I was definitely going for parody (thinking the Nightmare here) - it's more a blend, generally. Also, the ten syllable lines and blank verse of the narrator was from reading Paradise Lost - thanks, Milton!