{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/6702", "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.", "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'" }, "archive": "urth", "thread": { "id": 6702, "subject": "Try and Kill It", "messages": 7, "voices": 3, "first": "2014-11-21T15:04:43+00:00", "last": "2014-11-21T17:28:07+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Robert Pirkola", "address": "rpirkola at hotmail.com" }, "date": "2014-11-21T15:04:43+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "The following passage from *Robinson Crusoe* could be one of the seeds of this story: \n?As the bear is a heavy, clumsy creature, and does not gallop as the wolf does, who is swift and light, so he has two particular qualities, which generally are the rule of his actions; first, as to men, who are not his proper prey (he does not usually attempt them, except they first attack him, unless he be excessively hungry, which it is probable might now be the case, the ground being covered with snow), if you do not meddle with him, he will not meddle with you; but then you must take care to be very civil to him, and give him the road, for he is a very nice gentleman; he will not go a step out of his way for a prince; nay, if you are really afraid, your best way is to look another way and keep going on; for sometimes if you stop, and stand still, and look steadfastly at him, he takes it for an affront; but if you throw or toss anything at him, though it were but a bit of stick as big as your finger, he thinks himself abused, and sets all other business aside to pursue his revenge, and will have satisfaction in point of honour - that is his first quality: the next is, if he be once affronted, he will never leave you, night or day, till he has his revenge, but follows at a good round rate till he overtakes you. (Defoe, Daniel. *Robinson Crusoe*, Chapter XX, FIGHT BETWEEN FRIDAY AND A BEAR). \t\t \t \t\t " } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Daniel Otto Jack Petersen", "address": "danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com" }, "date": "2014-11-21T16:06:50+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Excellent. Thank you for that quote. I've always loved Wolfe's\nwonderfully weird 'Try and Kill It'. I'm hoping eventually to write some\npieces about bears in Wolfe, Lafferty, Vandermeer, and Cormac McCarthy.\nThat passage from Defoe helps.\n\n-DOJP" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 3:04 PM, Robert Pirkola \nwrote:\nThe following passage from *Robinson Crusoe* could be one of the seeds of\nthis story:\n\n?As the bear is a heavy, clumsy creature, and does not gallop as the wolf\ndoes, who is swift\nand light, so he has two particular qualities, which generally are the\nrule of his actions; first,\nas to men, who are not his proper prey (he does not usually attempt them,\nexcept they first\nattack him, unless he be excessively hungry, which it is probable might\nnow be the case, the ground\nbeing covered with snow), if you do not meddle with him, he will not\nmeddle with you; but then you\nmust take care to be very civil to him, and give him the road, for he is a\nvery nice gentleman; he will not\ngo a step out of his way for a prince; nay, if you are really afraid, your\nbest way is to look another way\nand keep going on; for sometimes if you stop, and stand still, and look\nsteadfastly at him, he takes it for\nan affront; but if you throw or toss anything at him, though it were but a\nbit of stick as big as your finger,\nhe thinks himself abused, and sets all other business aside to pursue his\nrevenge, and will have satisfaction\nin point of honour - that is his first quality: the next is, if he be once\naffronted, he will never leave you,\nnight or day, till he has his revenge, but follows at a good round rate\ntill he overtakes you.\n(Defoe, Daniel. *Robinson Crusoe*, Chapter XX, FIGHT BETWEEN FRIDAY AND A\nBEAR).\n\n_______________________________________________" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Robert Pirkola", "address": "rpirkola at hotmail.com" }, "date": "2014-11-21T16:27:50+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I've been reading a lot of nautically themed classics to try and put myself in a frame of mind\nfor reading *Pirate Freedom* and, having recently read \"Try and Kill It\", this passage\njumped out at me. \t\t \t \t\t " } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Daniel Otto Jack Petersen", "address": "danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com" }, "date": "2014-11-21T16:35:23+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "That's another piece I've wanted to write for years: a tripartite review\nof Wolfe's *Pirate Freedom*, Lafferty's *Annals of Klepsis *(about a pirate\nplanet), and Tim Powers's *On Stranger Tides* (which, though I've read a\nnumber of other novels by powers, I still haven't read this one). Toyed\nwith calling the review 'Catholic Pirates Three!'...\n\nAny standouts from your nautical readings?\n\n-DOJP" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 4:27 PM, Robert Pirkola \nwrote:\nI've been reading a lot of nautically themed classics to try and put\nmyself in a frame of mind\nfor reading *Pirate Freedom* and, having recently read \"Try and Kill It\",\nthis passage\njumped out at me.\n_______________________________________________" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Robert Pirkola", "address": "rpirkola at hotmail.com" }, "date": "2014-11-21T17:08:30+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Well, I was particularly enamored of *Two Years Before the Mast* by Richard Henry Dana, Jr., as it\nwas full of good information about sailing and ships and how to operate them in general while also\nbeing an amazing story full of interesting characters that give a good account of California before it\nbecame a bustling economy. ?\"The Gold?Bug\" by Poe was fun for purposes of unearthing some?\nof the tropes of buried treasure/pirate lore,\nas was *Treasure Island* (which led me to watch the film version with Wallace Beery as Long John Silver\njust last night which was a real delight. “He was given the most lovable send-off that ever a bloodthirsty\nmurderous dog like him could expect.) ?I am about 40 pages into *Captains Courageous* right now and am\nabsolutely hooked (my first Kipling I believe). ?*Billy Budd* is supposed to be next but I am rather anxious\nto get back to Wolfe. ?I also ordered *A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious”\nPirates* ostensibly written by Captain Charles Johnson. ?It was actually put together by Daniel Defoe and has\npassages on several of the pirates mentioned in *Pirate Freedom*'s dedication page so I thought it could\nbe worthwhile source material, so I'm looking forward to that. ?\n\nI was actually flirting with *On Stranger Tides* while ordering *A General History* having heard\nrecommendations for Powers from listers. ?I haven't read him myself. ?As for other contemporary\nnovels of piracy, I have had Crichton's *Pirate Latitudes* laying about my house since his passing\nbut haven't read it. ?I suppose now is a good a time as any. \t\t \t \t\t " } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Daniel Otto Jack Petersen", "address": "danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com" }, "date": "2014-11-21T17:21:58+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Awesome, thank you for that overview! I'm going to take note of all those\ntitles.\n\nI think Powers is excellent. Here's what I wrote about him last year:\nhttp://ridethenightmare.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/30-days-of-halloween-day-22-vampires.html\n\n-DOJP" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 5:08 PM, Robert Pirkola \nwrote:\nWell, I was particularly enamored of *Two Years Before the Mast* by\nRichard Henry Dana, Jr., as it\nwas full of good information about sailing and ships and how to operate\nthem in general while also\nbeing an amazing story full of interesting characters that give a good\naccount of California before it\nbecame a bustling economy. \"The Gold Bug\" by Poe was fun for purposes of\nunearthing some\nof the tropes of buried treasure/pirate lore,\nas was *Treasure Island* (which led me to watch the film version with\nWallace Beery as Long John Silver\njust last night which was a real delight. He was given the most lovable\nsend-off that ever a bloodthirsty\nmurderous dog like him could expect.) I am about 40 pages into *Captains\nCourageous* right now and am\nabsolutely hooked (my first Kipling I believe). *Billy Budd* is supposed\nto be next but I am rather anxious\nto get back to Wolfe. I also ordered *A General History of the Robberies\nand Murders of the Most Notorious\nPirates* ostensibly written by Captain Charles Johnson. It was actually\nput together by Daniel Defoe and has\npassages on several of the pirates mentioned in *Pirate Freedom*'s\ndedication page so I thought it could\nbe worthwhile source material, so I'm looking forward to that.\n\nI was actually flirting with *On Stranger Tides* while ordering *A General\nHistory* having heard\nrecommendations for Powers from listers. I haven't read him myself. As\nfor other contemporary\nnovels of piracy, I have had Crichton's *Pirate Latitudes* laying about my\nhouse since his passing\nbut haven't read it. I suppose now is a good a time as any.\n_______________________________________________" } ] }, { "message_id": "<0DA454A32913114C9CC19BB781FB907D020C6E@ETSUMB2.etsu.edu>", "from": { "name": "Norwood, Frederick Hudson", "address": "norwoodr at mail.etsu.edu" }, "date": "2014-11-21T17:28:07+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Try and Kill It", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I've enjoyed all the books you mention. The Horatio Hornblower series is also excellent, as is Master and Commander. And just recently I read a book about the War of 1812 called The Lively Lady.\n\nRick Norwood\n\n-----Original Message-----\nFrom: Urth [mailto:urth-bounces at lists.urth.net] On Behalf Of Robert Pirkola\nSent: Friday, November 21, 2014 12:09 PM\nTo: urth at urth.net\nSubject: (urth) Try and Kill It\n\nWell, I was particularly enamored of *Two Years Before the Mast* by Richard Henry Dana, Jr., as it was full of good information about sailing and ships and how to operate them in general while also being an amazing story full of interesting characters that give a good account of California before it became a bustling economy. ?\"The Gold?Bug\" by Poe was fun for purposes of unearthing some of the tropes of buried treasure/pirate lore, as was *Treasure Island* (which led me to watch the film version with Wallace Beery as Long John Silver just last night which was a real delight. ?He was given the most lovable send-off that ever a bloodthirsty murderous dog like him could expect.) ?I am about 40 pages into *Captains Courageous* right now and am absolutely hooked (my first Kipling I believe). ?*Billy Budd* is supposed to be next but I am rather anxious to get back to Wolfe. ?I also ordered *A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious\nPirates* ostensibly written by Captain Charles Johnson. ?It was actually put together by Daniel Defoe and has passages on several of the pirates mentioned in *Pirate Freedom*'s dedication page so I thought it could be worthwhile source material, so I'm looking forward to that. ?\n\nI was actually flirting with *On Stranger Tides* while ordering *A General History* having heard recommendations for Powers from listers. ?I haven't read him myself. ?As for other contemporary novels of piracy, I have had Crichton's *Pirate Latitudes* laying about my house since his passing\nbut haven't read it. ?I suppose now is a good a time as any. \t\t \t \t\t " } ] } ] }