Can I just give sycophantic thanks to Boyd Pearson for this forum? Like the rest of the site, it's beautifully designed and it's been a pleasure to use it for that reason, at least.

Ghoti23, aka The Ichthyocephalous Menace.

Dear Ghoti23 - I just knew you must be a mer-person from your id -
For those wanting to know about Clark and Buddhism, the subject has long since been thoroughly discussed, some in the earliest postings on this site, and briefly in the memoir in "Zagan" I think. Clark would have liked you -
drf

Quote:

For those wanting to know about Clark and Buddhism, the subject has long since been thoroughly discussed, some in the earliest postings on this site, and briefly in the memoir in "Zagan" I think.

I've been here since 2000 or so. Perhaps my memory is faulty, but I don't recall any such thorough discussions in this forum. Before posting, I made certain to search the Forum with using such search terms as "Buddhism", "Zen', and the like, and found nothing. I would be grateful to any who could point me to the threads discussing the subject, as I am unable to find them.

"the subject has long since been thoroughly discussed, some in the earliest postings on this site"

As the thrust of this most elucidating and engaging response suggests a more self-righteous, and Christian, rather than questioning, or Zen Buddhist, attitude, I too would appreciate such a pointing.

dr. mef

caveat:

[paraphrase of old Zen fable]

Do not, regarding my pointing to the moon, mistake my pointing for
the moon.

dr. mef

Calonlan wrote:

> > Dear Ghoti23 - I just knew you must be a
> mer-person from your id -

I didn't think you'd have to Google to understand it. Unlike some.

> Clark would have liked you -

That's one of the best things anyone has ever said about me!

Btw, did CAS ever read Evelyn Waugh? They were two of the greatest prose-stylists of the 20th century, IMO, and I think their worldviews were more similar than some might imagine. I'd be interested to know CAS's opinion of Swinburne and Housman too.

mef wrote:

> As the thrust of this most elucidating and
> engaging response suggests a more self-righteous,
> and Christian, rather than questioning, or Zen
> Buddhist, attitude, I too would appreciate such a
> pointing.

You're non-conformist about the English language too, I see again. And if you want self-righteousness, you're already talking to the right person.

The fact that Clark read the whole Auburn library as a boy may assure you that he continued. He read Waugh and Houseman. He enjoyed their humor - "Oh I have been to Ludlow Fair, and left my necktie God knows where..."
He was especially fond, as many of us are, of Mary Webb's "Precious
Bane" - if you would like to discuss this further please send to my email in order to avoid, as George Washington said, foreign entanglements.
Yours,
Drf

Quote:

He was especially fond, as many of us are, of Mary Webb's "Precious
Bane".

I wonder whether he read and was equally fond of her novel The House in Dormer Forest? The closing lines of the first chapter are especially superb, and seem resonant with CAS's own perspective:

Quote:

For it does not seem that Nature, as some divines would have us think, was built to stage man's miracle plays, or created as an illustration of his various religions. Nature takes no account of man and his curious arts, his weird worships, but remains dark and unresponsive, beetling upon him as he creeps, ant-like, from his momentary past to his doubtful future, painfully carrying his tiny load of knowledge. But indifference is not hampering, as interference is; therefore those that feel within them the stir of a growing soul prefer the dour laws of earth to the drag of the herd of mankind, and fly from the house of man to the forest, where the emotionless silence always seems to be gathering, as waves mount and swell, to the disclosure of a mystery.

Kyberean Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Quote:He was especially fond, as many of us are,
> of Mary Webb's "Precious
> Bane".
>
> I wonder whether he read and was equally fond of
> her novel The House in Dormer Forest? The closing
> lines of the first chapter are especially superb,
> and seem resonant with CAS's own perspective:
>
Quote:For it does not seem that Nature, as some
> divines would have us think, was built to stage
> man's miracle plays, or created as an illustration
> of his various religions. Nature takes no account
> of man and his curious arts, his weird worships,
> but remains dark and unresponsive, beetling upon
> him as he creeps, ant-like, from his momentary
> past to his doubtful future, painfully carrying
> his tiny load of knowledge. But indifference is
> not hampering, as interference is; therefore those
> that feel within them the stir of a growing soul
> prefer the dour laws of earth to the drag of the
> herd of mankind, and fly from the house of man to
> the forest, where the emotionless silence always
> seems to be gathering, as waves mount and swell,
> to the disclosure of a mystery.


She is marvelous, is she not - I am sure Clark had read this simply because he read practically every new book that showed up in the library; however, at the time I knew him, I had not, and a discussion of it never came up - I was, after all, the ecstatic young discover of the far country, and he, the wizened, trail wise old scout. I came to him with things that were new to me, or that we already had in common, not the other way around.
I often wish Clark had been around for the fun of "Watership Down"

drf

Getting back to the thrust of this thread, before the three billy goats encountered their nemesis, I would like to express my gratitude to Boyd for this site as well, something which needs to be expressed on an on-going basis.
One aspect of this site which is particularly useful to be is its search engine. Ron Hilger and I are preparing a collection of CAS' scientifiction for Darkside Press, called STAR CHANGES. While we are referring to the original manuscripts whereever possible, for some stories this is not possible since no mss are available. When we run across a word which has variant spellings even within CAS' oeuvre, for instance "eery" and "eerie," being able to check which one predominates is invaluable. Since this can be done even for stories which have been removed from the site due to their in-print status, we have one of the single most important tools available to the Smith scholar. Boyd, a tip of the hat, my lad. (I suppose it's time for me to send along a few pazoors to the site soon, or some new contributions. I still plan on scanning those "Lurking Fear" drawings, but time is precious at the moment!)
Best,
Scott

Well, of course I have to thank Boyd for bestowing upon the world a forum for original verse and prose, inspired by CAS. And of course, I may still be writing crrrap free verse if it weren't for Boyd.

I've just finished the last submissions for next month's update. I hope that all will be accepted, of course, but the main thing is that I have a forum wherein to both express myself, and give back somewhat in reflection of what CAS means to me as a practising poet.

Thanks, Boyd.

P.S.: I've been quiet lately, since I changed ISPs, and since I've had to count every second wisely online, unlike before, when I could afford to be more profligate with my energies.

Scott Connors Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> One aspect of this site which is particularly
> useful to be is its search engine. Ron Hilger and
> I are preparing a collection of CAS'
> scientifiction for Darkside Press, called STAR
> CHANGES. While we are referring to the original
> manuscripts whereever possible, for some stories
> this is not possible since no mss are available.
> When we run across a word which has variant
> spellings even within CAS' oeuvre, for instance
> "eery" and "eerie," being able to check which one
> predominates is invaluable. Since this can be
> done even for stories which have been removed from
> the site due to their in-print status, we have one
> of the single most important tools available to
> the Smith scholar.

Do you want the concordance back?

Concordance? Please pardon my Alzheimers, to what are you referring?
Best,
Scott

"You're non-conformist about the English language too, I see again. "

Have you lately checked your English-English dictionary for "priggishness," glossolalia"," or "thick"?

Better yet: have you at all been taking your meds???

dr. mef

concordance?

I know I'll be starting one, once the collected verse gets published; as I hope also for REH, and as I am working on in re. HPL.

What's this about a concordance?

I had one for all of CAS's fiction on the site for a while, its far easier and more reliable to create one with software.

Didn't any one notice it?

no, I didn't

well you will just have to pay more attention next time, i see little use for a full concordance on the site, the search engine covers the major use.

Thanks & hello!

memorandum est