Radium of the Word: A Poetics of Materiality

261 Pages·2020·7.542 MB·English

by  Craig Dworkin

Radium of
the WoRd
thinking LiteRatuRe
A series edited by Nan Z. Da and Anahid Nersessian
Radium of
the Word
a Poetics of mateRiaLity
Craig Dworkin
The University of Chicago Press
Chicago and London
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2020 by The University of Chicago
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except
in the case of brief quotations in critical articles and reviews. For
more information, contact the University of Chicago Press, 1427
East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
Published 2020
Printed in the United States of America
29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 1 2 3 4 5
isBn- 13: 978- 0- 226- 74342- 4 (cloth)
isBn- 13: 978- 0- 226- 74356- 1 (paper)
isBn- 13: 978- 0- 226- 74373- 8 (e- book)
doi: https:// doi .org /10 .7208 /chicago /9780226743738 .001 .0001
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Dworkin, Craig Douglas, author.
Title: Radium of the word : a poetics of materiality / Craig
Dworkin.
Other titles: Thinking literature.
Description: Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2020. |
Series: Thinking literature | Includes bibliographical references
and index.
Identifiers: Lccn 2020018399 | isBn 9780226743424 (cloth) |
isBn 9780226743561 (paperback) | isBn 9780226743738 (ebook)
Subjects: Lcsh: Poetics. | Literary style.
Classification: Lcc Pn1042 .d75 2020 | ddc 808.1—dc23
Lc record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020018399
♾ This paper meets the requirements of ansi/niso Z39.48- 1992
(Permanence of Paper).
this Book is dedicated to maRjoRie,
my fiRst ReadeR, foR thiRty yeaRs.
and to anne and miLes,
Who encouRaged eveRy WoRd.

Contents
List of figuRes ix
intRoduction 1
one  •  The Prosaic Imagination 21
tWo  •  The Onomastic Imagination 48
thRee  •  The Logic of the Work (on P. Inman) 79
fouR  •  The Logic of Print (on Russell Atkins) 101
five  •  The Logic of Spacing (on N. H. Pritchard) 143
six  •  The Logic of Registration (on Andy
Warhol) 170
acknoWLedgments 189
notes 191
index 243

Figures
1 Daniel- Henry Kahnweiler colophon (1907) 54
2 Pablo Picasso, Daniel- Henry Kahnweiler (1910) 60
3 Pablo Picasso, Daniel- Henry Kahnweiler (1910) (detail) 61
4 Pablo Picasso, The Poet (1911) 62
5 Pablo Picasso, The Poet (1911) (detail) 63
6 Russell Atkins, “Spyrytual” (1966) 102
7 Russell Atkins, “A Storm Shall Break” (1967) 113
8 T. L. Kryss, “Winter Rain and Purple Rainbow” (1967) 114
9 T. L. Kryss, “monsoooooooooon” (1967) 116
10 T. L. Kyrss, untitled poem (1967) 117
11 Russell Atkins, “Spyrytual” (2016) 125
12 D. A. Levy, from Plastic Saxophone Found in an Egyptian Tomb
(1966) 128
13 D. A. Levy, untitled poem (1967) 129
14 rjs, untitled poem (1967) 132
15 T. L. Kryss, “i wisht i cd play the beautiful instrument” (1967) 135
16 Don Thomas, “2 Above, 3 Below” and “Homage to Issa” (1967) 136
17 Russell Atkins, from The Saundaryalahari, or Flood of Beauty
(1967) 138
18 Russell Atkins, from Spyrytual (1966) 139
19 Russell Atkins, Spyrytual (title page, 1966) 140
20 N. H. Pritchard, “junt” (1971) 144
21 N. H. Pritchard, “”” (1970) 147