The pages that stood out to the most by far were 163 through 165, which makes the most sense (no pun intended, I'm pretty sure), since Mallarme more likely than not wanted to make the biggest impact on his audience in the beginning. Here he drops the word "DICETHROW" all capitalized, and phrases all trickle down both pages, and these phrases also begin to mention waves, and both of these concepts relate to chance. I read ahead a little bit, and thought about the first few pages of Tender Buttons, and after reading the preface, the back of the book, and listening to my professor's preface of her work, she apparently is painting pictures of each tiny little perception of this or that as it permeates Gertrude Stein's thoughts. It is very apparent that Mallarme's work here is its forerunner, but instead of the concept of perception, there reside in this part of the text the themes of chance and uncertainty. In a way, Mallarme is vomiting onto paper something very distinct. It appears a mess, but at the same time, he is getting at something: all of that which pertains what he feels is chance.
Mallarme's language, I would argue, is not the language of nonsense. In fact, I'd argue that nothing we've read thus far is genuine nonsense. Everyone's definition of nonsense, of course, varies, but here he is still keeping in with a specific theme, and the way these phrases all diagonally go from the top left to the bottom right of each page represents this in a strictly visual sense--even if I had zero knowledge of English (or French, for that matteR), it would not be unreasonable to assume that Mallarme was still doing something with the placement of the phrases themselves. It's unconventional, sure, but it works. Nonsense doesn't mean meaninglessness, nor does it necessarily mean bad writing, either here or in Tender Buttons, in Lear's poetry or in Alice. Nothing can be inherently random, even if we want it to be. To draw on my first nonsense blog post, for example, I wasn't getting at any specific themes, and it wasn't going anywhere, though Morelli and Freud would probably disagree and have a word or two with me.
Thing is, though, I don't know else nonsense can be conveyed or what nonsense will convey after reading all this.
I agree that Mallarme's poem is not "nonsense" in the typical use of the word. As stated in this post, Mallarme's poem is not complete randomness because Mallarme has arranged the words in this order and pattern for specific reasons. Where I would disagree with this post is that Mallarme is keeping with a "specific theme." While I think there are some very clear themes, I am not convinced that there is one specific theme. I think where the nonsensical arises in the poem is through the number of ways the poem can be interpreted.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that pages 163 through 165 seem to make "the most sense." The continuation of the title on page 163 is especially easy to follow along with ("A dice throw thrown at any time even when cast in everlasting circumstances from the depth of a shipwreck"). These first few pages introduce what are (in my opinion) the three most prominent scenes in the poem. The first theme if, of course, the idea of a dice throw and chance and the second is the idea of a ship at sea. The third theme is the idea of the chasm or abyss, which is introduced in the text by the line "whether the chasm..." and is reinforced by the abyss of white space surrounding the poem.
Again, I agree with this post in that "nonsense does not mean meaninglessness," because it seems that Mallarme uses the nonsensical as a tool to convey the idea ideas of chance and use of language. There is most definitely meaning to Mallarme's poem, but the meaning is not conveyed through a typical poetic format. Rather than using language in a conventional sense to convey meaning, (i.e. correct grammar and sentences that make logical sense), Mallarme creates meaning through the sound and placement of words. Take, for instance, the first few pages of the poem and how they descend down in a sort of tumbling manner across the page. The start of the poem is a dice roll, an idea reinforced by the last line of the poem, "every thought emits a dice throw." This poem is nothing but a dice throw emitted from one of Mallarme's thoughts. Rather than telling the reader this in coherent sentences, he shows us by making the poem look like a dice throw. Pages 165 through 168 do not resemble a dice throw so much as rolling waves, a visual representation of the idea of a ship at sea. Thus, the poem is a dice throw, an act of chance, being thrown into the sea, which provides a sort of setting for chance and uncertainty. Thus, Mallarme seems to be grappling with the chance and randomness of language and interpretation of language, which is why I think we are able to look at this poem and all have very different opinions on its meaning. While I may disagree with the post above, that does not necessarily mean that there is a wrong or right answer. Mallarme leaves plenty of open room for varied interpretations, which is what makes this poem so intriguing.
I also agree with you that Mallarme’s language isn’t that of nonsense. I would describe it as more experimental than nonsensical, and, while the themes touched upon from page 163 to 165 may be less clear as the poem goes on, they provide clear illustrations of the nature of chance as Mallarme sees it. Furthermore, this poem even culminates with a clear message with the line “Every thought emits a dice throw”. Mallarme is speaking not only about chance but of the somewhat random nature of the human mind. I saw the captain as a symbol for humanity. Even though we are “masters” of navigating our thoughts, they are still, to a degree, out of our control.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I would disagree with what you said about Mallarme "vomiting on paper". I feel like even the formatting details, the spacing and font variations, all added up to something. I chose to interpret the formatting as a sort of reading guide, noting stress, pauses, and the flow of the sentences (stanzas?) as intended by the author. As you noted, when I looked at the poem in French (a language I can’t even pronounce much less read) with my prior knowledge of the themes present in the poem, I still got the same feeling that I got looking over the poem in English. I can still see the void and the waves, and I can still feel the emphasis placed on certain words. Mallarme was purposeful in his formatting in this piece. If anything, I feel like the formatted added to the meaning of the poem rather than rendering it as nonsense.
Thanks!