David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


19 August 2017

A script within a script | a play without actors. How bizarre!


In last night's SBS re-run of the original Batman TV series, the illusionist Zelda the Great and her clever criminal companion Eivol Ekdol watch through periscopes as Batman and the Boy Wonder enter the Inescapable Doom Trap : 


Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
 Look, Batman, a note on the counter :
 "To whom it may concern. Try interesting volume
 on top shelf last book of back row."
 Gosh! Could it concern us? It certainly could.
 Look at that title : The Truth About Bats.
 Wow! That book worked a concealed switch.
 Let's see how the plot goes, huh? 
 Bizarre! A play without actors.
 This script could be for us.
 One way to find out.
 Let's get in the limelight.
 Look, in this booth : It's a bat.
 I bet it means something. 

- Episode 10 : A Death Worse Than fate (1966)

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
         
 LOGOS/HA HA