Formalism.

[the_grynne]

Eliot Weinberger, 'What Was Formalism?' (excerpt):

~

For real formalism, we must go back to the Old Formalism, to the days when forms were forms and form had nothing to do with etiquette. We must go back, that is, to the Vikings

Comments

[linaerys]

This is fascinating to me. Where did you find this essay?

[the_grynne]

It's from a book of essays by Eliot Weinberger, Karmic Traces. His source, I believe, is Chronicles of the Vikings, R. I. Page.

[linaerys]

Thank you!

[so_spiffed]

Intriguing.

[the_grynne]

That's Weinberger: never boring.

[delgaserasca]

Interesting extract; this is something I'm going to have to look up.

I've always enjoyed how the sense/feeling and meaning of early North-European lit. was so intrinsically linked to the form. It's not just patterning, it's meaning in construction, and I find that beautiful.

[the_grynne]

It's not just patterning, it's meaning in construction, and I find that beautiful.

Yes, me too. Reading "Alphabet", it made me think back to this essay.