Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    1/13

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    2/13

    Symphonic Assemblage

    We hereby set forth and exemplify a new form of literature the Symphonic Assemblage . This formof literature is an instance of what we call theFeminine conception of Form , which iscomplementary to the Masculine conception of Form . Later in the book, we explain these twoconceptions of Form. Briefly, the Feminineunderstanding of Form is more relational, dynamic,elusive, and ever-changing, yet somehow perceptibleand whole; the Masculine understanding of Form ismore focused, stable, definitive, and structural.

    The book as a whole is an example and model of theFeminine understanding of Form. Our Assemblagegathers together varied ideas and passages of literature which cross the boundaries of disciplines,generations, genders, cultures, nationalities,religions, worldviews, and stages of life experience.

    The varied passages or notes provide a multitude of examples, illustrations, and verifications of a single,pervasive Theme, expressed in SymphonicComposition. As such, the Assemblage displays the

    wide, inclusive, integral, and relational perspectivecharacteristic of women.

    However, one of the central achievements of thisbook (though by no means the only one) consistsalso in the discovery and clear definition of TwelveForms of the English Sentence. In the discovery and

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    3/13

    explanation of these twelve forms of the Englishsentence, we are employing the Masculine sense of Form, which is more clearer, focused, individual, anddistinct.

    Together, the Feminine and Masculine concepts orideas of Form constitute the Left Hand and RightHand of the greater structural framework of thisbook. Repeatedly throughout the book, we employthe unifying metaphor of Two Hands in variedapplications and configurations to bring theEnglish language home to all the people on Earth, asclose and companionable as their own two hands.

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    4/13

    Assemblage

    A Symphonic Assemblage , as a new literary genre, hasthe following characteristics:1. It has asingle, central, main theme2. It has aguiding metaphor3. It has asingle recurring imagerepresentative of the central metaphor4. It has anintuitively realized and laid out, discernable structure or

    framework that yokes together the main parts, much like the separatemovements of a symphony or the separate stones in a Fieldstone Wall.

    5. It comprisesmany independent autonomous units whose rangeencompassesmore than one genre and more than one discipline orresearch area, and that have been very carefully culled from ones ownsources, new authoritative sources, or sources from the past. Itincorporates valuable excerpts from famous as well as previously unrecognized authors.

    6. The many independent autonomous units constitute individually inthemselves as units brief, compressed, distilled nuggets of insight, wisdom, and knowledge notable for their precise, brilliant, andmemorably illuminating, arresting, and artistic expression.

    7. Themany independent autonomous units (excerpts or selections of written text) are separated by a wider physical spaceon the page thanusual. The physical, visible separation on the page represents andsymbolizes aninterval of silencethat encloses and embraces themany independent autonomous units before and after they are read. Theexperienced silence preceding and following the reading of themany independent autonomous units means that the reader should think andmeditatively absorb the meaning of each unit before proceeding toanother. Why? First, becauseeach unit is a compressed and felicitousexpression of insight, wisdom, and knowledge which calls for and requiresdeeper reflection and thought. Second,each new unit resonates in thesilence with many of the units before and after it in the totalSymphonic Assemblage.

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    5/13

    (contd) (part 2)

    8. The awareness that comes from this way of proceeding, this method of reading , provides what

    realization. The onus is on the reader to discover, fathom, and appreciate the way in which the current unit connects to its predecessors and successors as well asto the Symphonic Assemblage as a whole , since thisconnection is not always initially obvious andproceeds from a deeper level of understanding.

    Moreover, this way of proceeding, this methodof reading, characterizes the Symphonic Assemblage as a literary form that demands andrequires a more active and involved reader whoparticipates with their entire being (soul, mind,and body) in the an imaginative re-creation and

    and unfolding whole of the Assemblage. Thus,reading is more a continuous process of ongoing integration and appropriation (making the textones own or taking ownership of it)than a passive momentary encounter with an isolated written assa e on the h sical rinted a e.

    The pace, posture, and involvement of thereader is not like that of the ordinary passers-by on Main Street, or the reporters and readers of newspapers on Fleet Street, or the purely utilitarian focus of businessmen on Wall Street, but more likethe leisurely and contemplative stroll in silence of

    e wa er n ew or en ra ar or y eshores of Lake Louise in Canada.

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    6/13

    (contd) (part 3)

    9. Each of themany independent autonomous units stands on its own andspeaks its own clear, distinct, individual truth in its own distinct, individual voice and manner, yet all of themany independent autonomous unitsmu ua y expan an commen upon one ano er, mu ua y re n orce,illuminate, reflect and complement one another ,in consonance ordissonance , like the blended harmony and dissonance of the independentinstruments of a symphonic orchestra the woodwinds, the brass, thedrums, the strings, the piano mutually reinforce, mutually expand andadvance the unified theme of a symphony with a new movement (or return

    recursivel for a fuller re-inte ration or further develo ment of an earliermovement with the new movement). The whole symphony, distinct ineach of its notes and instruments, is yetsynergistic (in its essence), bringing the combined richness and diversity of its content into one artisticunity:the whole greater with power and resonance, feeling (in itsplaying and reception) and beauty than the sum of its parts.

    10. The Symphonic Assemblage is therepresentative, necessary, andn spens e art orm express ve o t e e exper ence an tas s o

    our time in history . As a character in one of Shakespeares plays observes,Our virtue lies in the interpretation of the time.

    This time in history is the Age of Maturity for humanity on this planet. When an organism is mature,all its powers and capacities reach theplenitude of their fulfillment. This means the organism integrates all itsreviousl se arate com onent arts and as ects and ex eriences into the

    focused purpose and pursuit of its destiny. As humanity experiences itsmaturity in our time, the peoples, races, genders, and nationalities gather,come together, and come home to bring to fruition the grand, integrated Assemblage of Humanity as a whole. Human beings assemble andintegrate the previously separated disciplines of learning, cultures, anddivisions that have hitherto separated humanity by too frequent occasionsof violence, aggression, and wasteful, unproductive conflicts. Maturepeople do not invoke aggression and violence to solve problems anddisputes; they face, find, and forge answers to problems and openpossibilities previously unimagined. The 21st and succeeding centuries will witness the Grand Assemblage of Humanity in peace and unity, and that Assemblage is heralded, prepared for, and catalyzed by Symphonic

    everywhere on the planet.

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    7/13

    Assemblage (contd) (part 4)

    11. Is the Symphonic Assemblage an inventive and original work of creation?Should the compiler of the Assemblage be called theauthor,or theassembler , thecompiler , or theorchestrator ?

    Inasmuch as most of the content of a Symphonic Assemblageconsists of a putting together of the writings of others, how can thecompiler of the assemblage be called anauthor ? Even if they may contribute some or a considerable portion of their own original writing tothe content of the Assemblage, does that small contribution entitle them

    ,not consist only or solely in their original writings as part of the Assemblage, but in the perception, insight, and imaginative constructivepower that has enabled them to select only the most excellent andcompressed brilliant writings of others, so that from those autonomousunits of meaning that they first discovered, they were able to imagine andconstruct a greater whole to which the units belonged in a very particularand concrete sequence of mutual resonance and organization.

    They did not create and write all or even most of the autonomousunits of meaning in the Assemblage, but they did envision and constructthe symphonic whole from the autonomous units that they firstdiscovered in all their compressed excellence. And they embraced andsurrounded and embedded those autonomous units in the silence that

    .In short, the name doesnt matter here. Whether you call the one

    who puts the Assemblage together theauthor ,compiler , orassembler whatever the name he or she has demonstrated critical acumen, arefined taste and sensibility, and an imaginative power of conception andconstruction of a new literary form.

    12. The S m honic Assembla e is a roduct that evolves over time throu h widespread reading across disciplines and genres, by continuousreflection , and as a consequence of integral awareness, vision, andimagination.

    Often an Assemblage is so vast in scope that it requires and nurturescollaboration between several compilers or authors. Thus, it heralds theadvent of a time when mutual and cooperative projects may be broughto ru on y peop e wor ng armon ous y oge er, ra er an y

    isolated individuals pursuing fame and fortune.

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    8/13

    Tips and Notes on the

    Assemblage Process1. Most pieces of writing conform to certain established forms or

    genres that arose in response to certain conditions, opportunities, orneeds found in society. In the case of Assemblage, a clear explanationof the process may well help the public discover, appreciate, andappropriate this new genre as a genre of choice. Making anAssemblage can be done simultaneously while working on other

    pieces of writing in other genres, and one should not shorten or stopones stride in mastering those other genres. Assemblage is just newavenue, immensely suitable for the Integral Age.

    2. Each good piece of writing is an independent whole unto itself,with its identifiable merits and characteristics. There is a sense of completeness and robustness, breadth and depth in it.

    3. Each good piece of writing consists of various components pieces(chapters, scene, verse, chorus, summary, hypothesis, observations,implication, evidence, etc) that are put together. These parts, althoughthey may share a consistent level of quality throughout the passage,do differ in their merit: Some parts exceed others because of theirmerit, their insight, their use of the language, their association. Not allparts of a composition are created equal. Different passagesstrike different chords with different folks. .

    4. The process of noticing good passages in any type of composition(scientific, journalistic, fiction, drama, etc) is a skill that leads toconnections being made between passages that have very different parentage. This assembling of such passages together in a welllaidout, meticulously masoned arrangement, rather than detract fromeach passage's weight and merit, in fact intensifies or strengthens itsmerit and weight.

    5. Read actively, actively notating gems for possible later use in anassemblage : Making an Assemblage is something that starts withactive reading. Passages worthy of note are marked or labeled or

    digitized and stored online for future reference, even should theirimmediate use or relevancy be apparent. Follow your intuition, and if

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    9/13

    you think a passage should be clipped, then one should take steps tomake sure that it is inventoried for future usage and reference. Anexcellent place to store bits online is at docs.google.com using their

    webware word processor. (Could this be called cloud clipping or cloud composting or cloud composing ?)

    Be sure to note the source carefully, and if possible, note the wordcount of the passage, since passages of greater than 250 or 300 wordsare beyond the limits of fair use and would require copyright permission. Cost of copyright can vary from nothing to as much as$500 for a passage. So, when reading, go for the pith. When writing,strive for cogency, lucidity, words that are sparse in number but convey magnitudes in meaning .

    It takes years to put together a good Assemblage. You and your coassemblers (collaborators) must have patience, and must be open forchance surprise discoveries or discoveries that seem to fall out of thesky from nowhere, but do in fact connect with welded strength to oneof the pivoted and angular paths you have started in your reading andresearch.

    6. Index occasionally : After a substantial number of cloudclipped unitsare in ones assemblage storage box ( boxsite?) , one can start to create(possibly by using a spreadsheet) a written list of titles or indexnumbers that refer to the passages. One can clump together titles orindex numbers of passages that seem to fit together, not necessarilyfor similarity of content (although that is allowable), but also fordivergent content, content that contrasts or challenges, content that reflects an equally valid viewpoint or a fresh find from the labs of research, or a cherished literary artifact from another culture, anotherplace, another time.

    Lorine Niedeckerfrom Collected Works UCalPress

    Grandfather advised me:

    Learn a tradeI learned

    to sit at desk and condense

    No layoff from thiscondensary

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    10/13

    Of course, one could just compile without doing this early piecingtogether of puzzle pieces; just let the whole thing incubate, inanticipation of a grand gestation down the road.

    7. Interesting Fact: The process of assembling parallels the processof thinking (on a neurobiological level). The mind does not storeimages and memories as entire units (see Mother Tongue , andDomasio Descartes 94). . . . 100 memory is reconstructive . . . Thisreplication of the excellent piece in a new setting, with new neighbors,perhaps even in a neighborhood with a much higher status of occupants, puts the assemblage unit (the original passage) in anentirely fresh light. Because of its original setting or date of composition, it may show remarkable insight or precociousknowledge far ahead of its time.

    8. The process of assembling can also be seen as the differencebetween shallow and deep ecology . Shallow ecology looks at (perhaps) a single species and studies all its behaviour andcharacteristics. Deep ecology looks at its relationship to otherorganisms, and how that one species is but one of many that areinteracting interdependently, maintaining and keeping alive the webof life. If we look at literature as the collection of all writtendocuments ever recorded in every area from history to political,from science to the literary arts, from personal and private to publiclyshared and prized then the obvious parallel with deep ecologywould be to widen the scope of one's radius of observation and onessphere of sensitivity.

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    11/13

    Types of As Assem ages , as a new itfollowing characteristics:

    1. Level 1 Culled Asse A Culled Assemblage is a wellexcerpts notable for their coinsight, wisdom, and knowledgexpertise. A Culled Assemblag

    ,mediocre selections as well ascollection is not informed by a

    2. Level 2 Re-Cast Ass A Re-Cast Assemblage is a nopreviously Culled Assemblagelimited amount of new materiameaning and resonance to thelacement of the arts and arra

    3. Level 3 Novel and A Novel and Original Assemof important novel, original, enand valuable material to a previ be created by the Assembler alor under-appreciated sources o

    4. Level 4 -SymphonicThe Symphonic Assemblage inlesser Assemblages into a unifitheme, a guiding metaphor, anguiding metaphor, along with tfeatures of the Symphonic Ass

    5. Level 5 -Grand SymThe Grand Symphonic Assem would be an Assemblage of sev Cross-disciplinary, cross-cultu wou e vas n scope, as gmaterial, and insightful as an icomprehensive overview of thhistory.

    emblageserary genre, s are t e

    blage-ordered selection of excellentpressed and felicitous expression of

    e from a single field of learning oris not a mere listing or collection of

    xcellent ones. Moreover, a mere y artistic principle of organization.mblage

    vel and creative arrangement of a(possibly with expansion with al from new sources), giving new ssemblage by virtue of the fresh

    n ement of the whole.

    riginal Assemblagelage consists of the sizable additionriching, augmenting, amplifying,ous Assemblage. The additions may ne, or selected from unrecognizedr distant cultures.ssemblage

    volves the interweaving of severald whole with one central guidingrecurring image reflective of thee other seven characteristic

    mblage presented previously.honic Assemblagelag, only at a conceptual stage now,

    eral Symphonic Assemblages.al, across both genre and gender, itas a moun a n n e range o saginative third eye could be in itssweep and bearing of human

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    12/13

    Lesser Asse

    What we conceptualize as aSympmagnum opusin two volumes, inlesser assemblages as listed belo

    1. A systematic Assemblage of for sentence forms

    2. Assemblage of Sentence For

    others3. Assemblage of Student Paragand others

    4. Assemblage of Student Essay others

    5. Assemblage of Student Biogrexperiences for new students

    6. Assem age o Quotations a well as unrecognized writers

    7. Assemblage of Essays and Pa8. Assemblage of Poems by fam9. Assemblage of Figures of spe

    models for new students10. Assemblage of black and whi

    e uman wor

    11. Assemblage of the 22 Kinds12. Assemblage of scholarly Souform of an annotated, organi

    13. Assemblage of visually appeacharts

    14. Assemblage of mind maps

    blages Within

    honic Assemblage , thisoeuvreorolves the interweaving of several:ewly invented, memorable names

    s as models for new students and

    raphs as models for new students

    s as models for new students and

    aphies as cross-cultural peerand others

    s orter Excerpts rom amous as

    sages by professional writersous as well as unrecognized writersch (metaphor, analogy, irony) as

    e photos of Forms of Nature and

    f Intelligencesces (Research Round-up) in theed, and prioritized bibliography ing summary and explanatory

  • 8/6/2019 Introduction to Symphonic Assemblage

    13/13

    Black and Whiof the For

    TheSymphonic Assemblageof thof several lesser assemblages of

    1. Flowers2. Trees3. Buildings.

    5. Assorted other

    The Yin andand White P

    Black

    Black and white photography more than just the opposite w Unlike in color photography,highlights two other examplesnamel , ne ative s ace ositi world|the visible world.

    te Photographss of Nature

    is book involves the interweavingorms of Nature as listed below:

    orms

    ng of Black otography

    k | White

    corresponds to yinand yang inrd meanings of black and white.lack and white photography of yin/yang oppositions:e s ace, and the invisible