Be Specific About Books Toward Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician: A Neo-Scientific Novel
| Original Title: | Gestes et opinions du docteur Faustroll, pataphysicien |
| ISBN: | 1878972073 (ISBN13: 9781878972071) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Alfred Jarry
Paperback | Pages: 160 pages Rating: 4.03 | 672 Users | 54 Reviews
Point About Books Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician: A Neo-Scientific Novel
| Title | : | Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician: A Neo-Scientific Novel |
| Author | : | Alfred Jarry |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 160 pages |
| Published | : | June 15th 1996 by Exact Change (first published 1911) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Philosophy. Cultural. France. European Literature. French Literature. Literature. Novels. Humor |
Description In Favor Of Books Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician: A Neo-Scientific Novel
Alfred Jarry is best known as the author of the proto-Dada play "Ubu Roi," but this anarchic novel of absurdist philosophy is widely regarded as the central work to his oeuvre. Refused for publication in the author's lifetime, "Exploits and Opinion of Dr. Faustroll" recounts the adventures of the inventor of "Pataphysics . . . the science of imaginary solutions." Pataphysics has since inspired artists as diverse as Marcel Duchamp and the 60s rock band Soft Machine, as well as the mythic literary organization the College de Pataphysique. Simon Watson Taylor's superb annotated translation (which in turn inspired a new French edition of the text) was first published by Grove Press in 1965 as part of their now out-of-print collection, "Selected Works of Alfred Jarry." As a result, this most important novel by Jarry has never before been published under its own title in English.Rating About Books Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician: A Neo-Scientific Novel
Ratings: 4.03 From 672 Users | 54 ReviewsAssess About Books Exploits & Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician: A Neo-Scientific Novel
The root of 'pataphysics and an unrelentingly weird novel by the master of such, Faustroll is really funny in an occluded way and has much to teach burgeoning lunatics.I cracked open my copy because it was the most bizarre volume that I had at hand. It quelled my fears of dwelling on too many mundane thoughts for my writing, but it's no great aid or inspiration, not that it had to be.Scanning through these reviews, there's a lot of blind praise and a lot of not so blind disgust that this writing is rife with references and structures that ask for the reader to turn elsewhere for understanding--a less rewarding Joyce, basically. They're both right.There are
Bodily Doctor Faustroll was a strange hybrid of Faust and troll: ...the hairs of his head alternately platinum blonde and jet black, an auburn ambiguity changing according to the suns position; his eyes, two capsules of ordinary writing-ink flecked with golden spermatozoa ...from his groin down to his feet, in contrast, he was sheathed in a satyric black fur, for he was man to an improper degree.And with the genius of his impeccable mind he created cosmic science of all sciences Pataphysics:
I read Ubu Roi in high school, and remember it as being rather surreal and wacky, but in his novel, Jarry is more or less stringing together Tom Waits lyrics. Well, really Frenchy ones-- he's cut from the same black-and-white striped cloth as Raymond Queneau and Blaise Cendrars, all bicycles and wine bottles and accordions and what not, which I don't mind at all. The text itself is barely a narrative, but you kind of just groove on the images, and, this is important, it's short enough that the
As a fairly unread reader, this work is pretty dense and nebulous and very heady with lots of references. I think other reviewers have done a better job highlighting the difficulty in understanding the work. Undoubtedly I'll have to come back and read it again to come to a greater understanding.Despite that, Jarry has an uncanny talent at surreal and whimsical language. So many of the stories are just so succinctly written and beautifully described. 2 stars for difficulty, 5 stars for
Consciousness-raising and mind-blowing. I know immediately that I am keeping this book in my possession and it will go on my shelf (indefinitely). I wish I could carry it around in my pocket (also indefinitely), and turn to it in future, whenever I might wish.Such a slim, slender, easy-to-read little volume, but powerfully and shockingly impactful even just a few pages in. Alfred Jarry is one of those precocious writers who's word-play and mind-games make every word count, howsoever few there
This book is a blissful bomb...
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