Owen Barfield’s Poetic Diction

Just read Barfield’s Poetic Diction, originally published in 1928, when he was 30. This Weslyan University Press edition has a 1973 Foreword by Howard Nemerov, as well as an original 1928 Preface, and 1952 Preface and a 1972 Afterword all by Barfield. I can see why people recommended I look at Barfield after Pirsig, Northrop … Continue reading “Owen Barfield’s Poetic Diction”

Barfield – C.S.Lewis – Oxford and Cambridge

Another little synchronicity the other day. When I mentioned to someone in the Pickerell (by Magdelene in Cambridge) that Barfield was on the reading list after Northrop, they knew of the C.S.Lewis / Inklings connection I blogged earlier. I knew of the Oxford 1917 to 1924 connection when Lewis (at University College Oxford) met Barfield … Continue reading “Barfield – C.S.Lewis – Oxford and Cambridge”

Reading List Update

I’ve taken the frontcover shots of the books I’m reading or have recently read off the side-bar – just too much slow graphical content for the home-page. I must construct a separate bibliography page soon. Currently I’m still working slowly through F S C Northrop’s The Meeting of East and West – full of good … Continue reading “Reading List Update”

We’re in Porto Heli

On holiday, sailing in Greece. Met John Flynn and son David. John works for EMIL (ex EEEL) ExxonMobil in New Malden UK. A long term customer of mine at Foster Wheeler, Reading, UK, down at Esso Fawley. He regularly works with Richard Carroll, someone I employed during my 22 years at FW. Small world. Also … Continue reading “We’re in Porto Heli”

West Met East – Metaphorically Speaking

[Review of Lakoff & Johnson “Metaphors We Live By”] West Met East – Metaphorically Speaking – Just returned from China. Suprisingly I didn’t get to read Northrop as much as expected, because I’d just received Lakoff and Johnson’s “Metaphors We Live By” the morning I departed. I’ve just finished the book itself on the flight … Continue reading “West Met East – Metaphorically Speaking”

East Meets West #2

As you know, I’ve just started reading Northrop [Previous] [ Previous] and already hooked because he is straight into the pragmatic effects of the Catch-22 of the recursive argument about how absolute can a metaphysics be that includes it’s own definition. [Quote] the basic paradox of our time [is that] “sound” theory tends to destroy … Continue reading “East Meets West #2”

East Meets West

Just received “The Meeting of East and West” by F.S.C. Northrop (MacMillan, 1946, 1st ed, 2nd impression) (just said that) and what a book. This is the volume that so influenced Pirsig on his troopship return from Korea in 1948. The book that turned a lateral drifter into pursuer of something important (ZMM25 p124). Anyway, … Continue reading “East Meets West”