from tr: "bliss of childhood... warped most when we know it least". any time you're about to understand it cough cough noise noise. theft its about theft. gaddis has it, sells nothing, persuades no one then "holy shit we can sell this!" what is it thats being sold? spirit. its killed and sold. butchered and sold, mass produced. the germans its the god damn germans. it's not that you can't do it, it's that you're not allowed to do it. solitary epiphany is not allowed.jr and bast innocent. gibbs guilty. even whiteback and davidoff innocent. from "tsa great sperchul achievement . . ." to "a meaningful learning experience . . ."
I don't think it is a matter of guilt or innocence, they are all innocents, they are all naive and have no understanding of the world beyond that small bit they fill, which is the point of JR and Bast, the collision of the two sides and their respective naiveties made manifest through the naiveties of JR and Bast.There are actually more than two sides, but they are all lumped into two general sides and they switch which side they are lumped into a fair amount. Two perspectives would would be more accurate.
actual discussion, so have a bump. sorry it's been years since i've jr so i can't add anything constructive. but here's a nice little follow-up gaddis wrote for anyone who hasn't read it:https://www.williamgaddis.org/nonfiction/jrgoes.shtml
>>25175837bvmp
>>25175879Thinking on this more, Jack is not an innocent like everyone else, he understands the world but he has been pushed out of the part of it which matters to him and fallen and/or opted out of the rest. He is the one character who is not an idealist, life and being able to see how the world works has beaten every bit of idealism out of him and he clings to the idealism of others, nurtures and fosters their idealism. Or maybe he lost his idealism because he realized what a terrible writer he is, it probably played a part. Jack was probably my favorite character in the novel, and everything at the 96th street apartment was great. >>25176409>discussionOP disappeared and it will probably end up being me talking to myself again.
Bumping on the slim chance someone actually wants to discuss this with me.
>>25180480"can't do that sir i don't have the authorization to accept your authori..."
