Do lawyers such? [sic]

t byfield tbyfield at panix.com
Fri Jan 7 15:11:14 PST 2000



> Date: Fri, 07 Jan 2000 12:07:42 EST
> From: "Carl Remick" <carlremick at hotmail.com>


> I know there are other fans of the author William Gaddis on this list, and
> one thing that perplexes me about Gaddis is that I believe he had an abiding
> respect for the field of law, though his final novel, "A Frolic of His Own,"
> contains merciless commentary on legal machinations. I'm surprised by
> Gaddis's attitude because I know of no writer who better understands how
> language can be abused than he did, and no occupation -- apart from my own
> debased line of work, PR -- is as capable of such willful abuse of language
> as the law is.

i'm not sure why you're surprised. gaddis was totally fascinated by the ways in which language is defeated (or simply fails: _the recognitions_)--but from the standpoint of a novelist, whose work was to craft a language that surpasses and succeeds. so amidst the linguistic chaos of _frolic_ there's judge crease, whose rul- ings, despite their pathetic and absurd origins, are brilliant in every way.

cheers, t



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