Thanks for this wonderful meditation on the style of Debord as a writer. Too often his politics overshadow the art of his prose. & a bit of De Sade and Lautreamont are like catnip on top.
Thanks for reading—I agree. What people find “familiar” about Debord (his “terms,” situationism, etc.) seems to make him, as almost always happens in such cases, actually quite a bit less read and understood for who he really was and what he really did.
Struck by the idea of prose that resists memorisation (especially since I’m someone who goes on about getting poetry by heart). Some writers give you sentences that detach easily from the work. But Sebald does something else, right? Each sentence seems inseparable from the other digressions, the wandering, the overall atmosphere of the piece. You don’t remember lines, but you remember reading ‘inside’ the prose.
Thanks for this wonderful meditation on the style of Debord as a writer. Too often his politics overshadow the art of his prose. & a bit of De Sade and Lautreamont are like catnip on top.
Thanks for reading—I agree. What people find “familiar” about Debord (his “terms,” situationism, etc.) seems to make him, as almost always happens in such cases, actually quite a bit less read and understood for who he really was and what he really did.
You’re very welcome. Thanks for helping us to not lose sight of these other aspects of his work and life.
Struck by the idea of prose that resists memorisation (especially since I’m someone who goes on about getting poetry by heart). Some writers give you sentences that detach easily from the work. But Sebald does something else, right? Each sentence seems inseparable from the other digressions, the wandering, the overall atmosphere of the piece. You don’t remember lines, but you remember reading ‘inside’ the prose.
A good way of putting it!