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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Thought No More

posted by on July 2 at 13:30 PM

A list…
richard-wright.jpg…of major projects (thought experiments) I abandoned.

1) Developing a global (universal) literary theory based on the science of narratology—Propp, Todorov, and Genette. (1994 to 2001)
2) The literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin as a whole. (1996 to 1999)
3) The Russian language. (1993 to 1995)
4) Extentialism as a theme in the black American novel—from Richard Wright to Charles Wright. (1991 to 1993)
5)Redology, or the study of the classical Chinese novel The Dream of the Red Room—Hung Lou Meng (紅樓夢). (1994 to 1997)
6) The theme of European modernity in Southern African short fiction—Bessie Head, Charles Mungoshi, and Charles Marechera. (1999 to 2002)

RSS icon Comments

1

How about 7) Etymology of the word "pretentious?"

Posted by kurisu | July 2, 2008 1:47 PM
2

You abandoned all that for creepy posts about various hot chicks you find online, and fixating on Amanda Knox?

Posted by Greg | July 2, 2008 1:48 PM
3

I think my brain imploded.

Posted by Rachael F. | July 2, 2008 1:50 PM
4

unluckily for us, you have yet to give up being stuck up your own asshole.

Posted by it smells like poop in here | July 2, 2008 1:50 PM
5

Lazy ass.

Posted by heywhatsit | July 2, 2008 1:52 PM
6

i thought about joining a gym once.

Posted by adrian | July 2, 2008 1:55 PM
7

No, I control the means of production!

Posted by Ziggity | July 2, 2008 2:01 PM
8

7) Amanda Knox's ongoing tabloid tragedy as a twenty-first-century example of the Star Wars cosmology's ultimate representation of the collective death wish of the human mind/meat postmodernist corollary.

I'm one of the Mudede non-haters, and even I couldn't resist. :)

Posted by Jeff Stevens | July 2, 2008 2:03 PM
9

@2: also obsessing over Natalie Merchant, which is a totally valid use of anyone's time, right?

Posted by Abby | July 2, 2008 2:10 PM
10

Nobody likes a slacker, Charles.

Finish your projects. Report back.

Posted by NapoleonXIV | July 2, 2008 2:12 PM
12

@10

Agreed. In fact, you are not allowed to Slog until you've completed all of them.

Get on it.

Posted by violet_dagrinder | July 2, 2008 2:16 PM
13

"thought experiments?"


Just... stop talking like that. Please.
No one older than thirteen thinks you sound more intellegent for using obscure terms in lieu of the english language.


Also, in regards to this post, no one gives a rat's ass.

Posted by mintygreen | July 2, 2008 2:19 PM
14

Congratulations on the completion of all your major projects since 2002.

Posted by chet | July 2, 2008 2:21 PM
15

I think the world could use more thought experiments.

Also, mintygreen, intelligent is spelled thusly. Also, it's "with regard to" not "in regards to". Also, the term "thought experiment" is hardly obscure to anyone who has been exposed to philosophy, or anything resembling it. Also, I'm way over thirteen and I don't think Charles sounds intelligent, I think he is intelligent.

I'm not a overly nutso Charles fanatic, but you know, grow up.

Posted by city kitty | July 2, 2008 2:31 PM
16

Wow. I haven't seen that much pretentious bullshit since I was enrolled in a wanky liberal arts college.

Oops.

Posted by Wackistan | July 2, 2008 2:33 PM
17

Richard Wright was HAWT. Definitely do-able.

Posted by Original Monique | July 2, 2008 2:37 PM
18

set achievable goals.

such as:
1. slog more pictures of monica belluci.

Posted by max solomon | July 2, 2008 2:40 PM
19

Isn't Charles Wright a white poet? Who is black novelist Charles Wright?

Posted by annie | July 2, 2008 2:52 PM
20

@19 -- It would appear that two Wrights do make a wrong.


Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | July 2, 2008 2:56 PM
21

Good, that's six down. But, how many more left to go, Chaz?

Posted by COMTE | July 2, 2008 2:57 PM
22
Posted by charles mudede | July 2, 2008 2:58 PM
23

Extentialism? WTF?

Posted by Cat in Chicago | July 2, 2008 2:58 PM
24

Just don't see how these qualify as "thought experiments"... which are hypothetical or imaginary scenarios e.g. the one with the Shroedinger and the cat, or Searle's Chinese Room, etc, etc...

Posted by daniel | July 2, 2008 3:05 PM
25

@20 is hereby withdrawn.

Carry on, Mudede.

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | July 2, 2008 3:10 PM
26

Charles, don't throw out the Bakhtin with the bathwater.

Posted by Tim Appelo | July 2, 2008 3:21 PM
27

City Kitty has good points, but "thusly" is not a proper word--the word is "thus."

Posted by Tim Appelo | July 2, 2008 3:24 PM
28

A list...

1922-1979

...of major projects (thought experiments) I abandoned.

1) Developing a tentatively ontological West Coast-apologist theory of Ornette Coleman's original (and now perhaps forever lost) rationale for the creation of harmolodic theory (1963-1980)

2) Initiating a global competition for the most scintillatingly obscure Situationist anti-ideological writer credibly citable in an alternative newspaper essay (1989-1995)

3) The Uzbek language, as spoken by Ted Rall between 2001-2007 (1998)

4) Nubian music-birthing theory, as represented musically by George Clinton and associates (1969-present)

5) A final solution to the question of whether the original 1962 film version of The Manchurian Candidate was a mockery of (a) American anti-communist hysteria or (b) Marxism its very self (1953-1957)

6) Asking of Anthony Braxton his very self: Is jazz the teacher and funk the preacher, or vice versa? (2011)

Please note that I was born in 1966, and have since forgetten the date(s) when I heartlessly threw the above-cited projects under the bus.

Posted by Jeff Stevens | July 2, 2008 4:42 PM
29

A list...

1922-1979

...of major projects (thought experiments) I abandoned.

1) Developing a tentatively ontological West Coast-apologist theory of Ornette Coleman's original (and now perhaps forever lost) rationale for the creation of harmolodic theory (1963-1980)

2) Initiating a global competition for the most scintillatingly obscure Situationist anti-ideological writer credibly citable in an alternative newspaper essay (1989-1995)

3) The Uzbek language, as spoken by Ted Rall between 2001-2007 (1998)

4) Nubian music-birthing theory, as represented musically by George Clinton and associates (1969-present)

5) A final solution to the question of whether the original 1962 film version of The Manchurian Candidate was a mockery of (a) American anti-communist hysteria or (b) Marxism its very self (1953-1957)

6) Asking of Anthony Braxton his very self: Is jazz the teacher and funk the preacher, or vice versa? (2011)

Please note that I was born in 1966, and have since forgetten the date(s) when I heartlessly threw the above-cited projects under the bus.

Posted by Jeff Stevens | July 2, 2008 4:44 PM
30

7) Beseeching Amy Kate Horn to finally fix at long last the above-exemplified technical weirdnesses of the SLOG comment-posting system. (July 2008)

Posted by Jeff Stevens | July 2, 2008 4:48 PM
31

Can we vote on something you should abandon? Because if we can I'm going to vote for the weird Amanda Knox posts. They kind of creep me out.

Posted by PopTart | July 2, 2008 6:03 PM
32

I'd vote for the Amanda Knox posts, if I knew what his point was. Maybe I showed up in the middle of that theme.

And yes, fixating on Natalie Merchant pictures is a valid use of my time, about oh, once a month or so.

Posted by CP | July 2, 2008 6:16 PM
33

what a fucking waste.

Posted by um | July 2, 2008 7:06 PM
34

oh my favorite is

Developing a global (universal) literary theory


you know, just in case you dumbasses don't understand the term 'global'

Posted by heh | July 2, 2008 7:08 PM
35

You forgot to include the project about making an interesting movie.

Posted by demolator | July 2, 2008 8:25 PM
36

A list of projects I abandoned:

1. Making fun of Charles Mudede's incredibly creepy Amanda Knox posts on the SLOG

...oh wait...

Posted by raisedbywolves | July 3, 2008 3:22 AM

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