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David Markson

David Markson Books

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The Last Novel

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Collected Poems

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Reader's Block

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“Although one curious thing that might sooner or later cross the woman's mind would be that she had paradoxically been practically as alone before all of this had happened as she was now, incidentally. Well, this being an autobiographical novel I can categorically verify that such a thing would sooner or later cross her mind, in fact. One manner of being alone simply being different from another manner of being alone, being all that she would finally decide that this came down to, as well. Which is to say that even when one's telephone still does function one can be as alone as when it does not.”

Loneliness
Book:Wittgenstein’s Mistress
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“Coincidences undeniably imply meaning. I am rereading Hart Crane. I notice the date On which he stepped off that boat Was April 26. Tomorrow is April 26. The year of his suicide was 1932. I was four. I am now fifty-one. One undeniable implication in this case then Is that the year, today, Is 1979. Afterward, Crane’s mother scrubbed floors. Eventually, I may or may not Jump overboard. Are there questions?”

SuicideBoatBirthdayDrowningApril1979Felo De SeHart CraneApril 26
Book:Collected Poems
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“I did give serious thought to the notion of rowing out beyond the breakers on the night on which my house was burning to the ground, actually, once it had struck me to wonder from how far out the flames might be seen. Doubtless I would not have rowed nearly far enough, even if I had gone, since one would have surely had to row all the way beyond the horizon itself. For that matter one might have actually been able to row as far as to where one was out of sight of the flames altogether, and yet still have been seeing the glow against the clouds. Which is to say that one would have then been seeing the fire upside down, so to speak. And not even the fire, but only an image of the fire. Possibly there were no clouds, however. And in either case I no longer had a rowboat.”

RealityLanguageLimitsMemory
Book:Wittgenstein’s Mistress
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“Once, Turner had himself lashed to the mast of a ship for several hours, during a furious storm, so that he could later paint the storm. Obviously, it was not the storm itself that Turner intended to paint. What he intended to paint was a representation of the storm. One's language is frequently imprecise in that manner, I have discovered.”

LanguageHoursPaintStormShipsRepresentationFuriousTurnerMasts
Book:Wittgenstein's mistress
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