Like all disordered people I like order – or at least I like the semblance of order. Order is another word for process. Process is another word for routine. My new routine is a little bit different from Sunrise Report (the blog you’re reading now) because where Sunrise Report revolves around the sun Tilly’s Bookshelf sits down in the golden haze of the primordial afternoon (by reading a book) and looks up to decide that yes the sun behind the cloud is a moon
In other words, my new blog is all about looking down at the novel in my lap and knowing I have a heart - with strings - and writers can play it and make me feel things
In other words, (this is a Frank Sinatra tune) my new blog is a series of book reviews which are unashamedly subjective, metaphorical and impassioned – like 1950s love songs – I’m
re-entering the dusty dancehall of literary criticism I’m
dragging my hmmmmms and padding out my ahhhhhhhs so we’d be better off by calling it an academic field for we’re definitely outside the halls of formal convention here yes we’re lying on the grass and I’m your new English teacher
Except, I’m taking you by the hand (with my voice, always with my voice) and I’m showing you how to dance
These book reviews will become so embodied at times they melt into something else.
Since I believe in temporality and the generic wholesomeness of experience where and when I read something seems of the utmost importance, so I try to give over lots of myself when I’m reviewing so you can really see the position I’m reading from
I'm continuing here the work I started with Simon Palfrey on his paper “The Possibilities of Criticism” where he guided us through many instances of creative literary criticism
And I’m trying to find out who my people are – on the bookshelf, on the internet – trying to find my heroes and invariably I’ll find them. Invariably too my writer’s ego will get in the way e.g. do I like the books I like the most or the ones that give me the most to say?1 Because as the word suggests it’s a lot easier to write criticism than it is to write praise. But praise too can be constructive and full of personality and depth
It’s harder though because as you know from the bedroom - or the auditorium - praise is often wordless. Open mouthed or hands clapped
The same is true with books. When I read a book I love it leaves me speechless because the author has said it all and they’ve said it best. See the annotations in my favourites: heavy underlines, affirmative expletives, hearts, exclamation marks… self-effacement occurs in the presence of greatness
Not only that but when I read a phrase I like it enters me (“boundaries dissolve”) and I tend to swallow it whole whilst thanking the author profusely (quotations are used to “distance” no?)
Which is why you’ll see me quote from books without quotation marks sometimes. It’s a stylistic choice intended to stop you from ever switching off. Quotations are boring where speech rarely is because speech is culpable, paradoxically –quote! (Naturally I’ll give credit to whoever’s words I’ve swallowed at the end) I’ve been known to call clever people pretentious – the truth is, I’m not that smart
But I have a certain simplicity (of a precocious child) which might be useful & entertaining to you. I’m sexually romantic too which is why I want to give you something clever and engaged which you can hold
As far as literary cliticism is concerned “Tilly’s Bookshelf” should strike you as something refreshing because I like to talk to my books the way I talk to my lovers: as up front as possible but not without charm
Since I’m entering their cadences as they’re entering mine as we do long stints together into the night it only makes sense to me
(This will take time to build – mustn’t overdo it, I’ll spoil the broth)
My favourite metaphors are domestic. David Shields agrees. He wants writing to be intimate – he wants to feel as if he knows someone; as if he’s gotten to this other person through their writing
Chris Kraus thinks reading is better than sex.
Reading delivers on the promise that sex raises but hardly ever fulfils: getting larger because you’re entering another person’s language, cadence, heart, mind –– so how about I let you into my head as I get into somebody else’s? That’s three people getting larger off each other using ONLY the power of words… how trifling (of the dessert kind) o___O shall we try it? Large as we can now?
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With the excitement of the sliding door, from Japan,
Tilly
Regurgitations:
“It's why I want writing to be so intimate: I want to feel as if, to the degree anyone can know anyone else, I know someone - I've gotten to this other person.”
– David Shields from How Literature Saved My Life
”Reading delivers on the promise that sex raises but hardly ever can fulfill—getting larger ’cause you’re entering another person’s language, cadence, heart and mind.”– Chris Kraus from I Love Dick
sometimes you can swap “books” with people and my point remains
melting ice cream heart attracting long line of mooooooning ants…