The Words of Others: From Quotations to Culture PDF
Preview The Words of Others: From Quotations to Culture
Th e Words of Others The Words of Others From Quotations to Culture GARY SAUL MORSON New Haven and London Copyright © 2011 by Gary Saul Morson. All rights reserved. Th is book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers. Yale University Press books may be purchased in quantity for educational, business, or promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected] (U.S. offi ce) or [email protected] (U.K. offi ce). Set in Minion type by Integrated Publishing Solutions. Printed in the United States of America. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Morson, Gary Saul, 1948– Th e words of others : from quotations to culture / Gary Saul Morson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-300-16747-4 (alk. paper) 1. Quotations—History and criticism. 2. Quotation in literature. 3. Epitaphs—History and criticism. I. Title. PN171.Q6M67 2011 080.9—dc22 2010034293 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Th is paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992 (Permanence of Paper). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Michael Have you ever noticed . . . that man is surrounded by tiny inscriptions, a sprawling anthill of tiny inscriptions: on forks, spoons, saucers, his pince-nez frames, his buttons, and his pencils! No one notices them. Th ey’re waging a struggle for survival. —Yuri Olesha, Envy Contents Acknowledgments ix Prologue Cleopatra’s Nose 1 Introduction Verbal Gems and Treasuries 9 PART I Th e Market for Quotations ONE What Is an Anthology? 23 TWO Quotationality and Former Quotations 37 PART II Th e Nature of Quotations THREE What Is a Quotation? 71 FOUR Making a Quotation 92 FIVE What Is a Misquotation? 114 SIX More Th an Words Alone 123 SEVEN Mis-misquotations 141 EIGHT How and Where Quotations Live 155 viii Contents PART III Quotations of Occasion NINE Famous Last Words 173 TEN Epitaphs 198 PART IV Literary Composition and Decomposition ELEVEN Th e Anthology as Literature 221 TWELVE Whole and Part 257 Conclusion 281 List of Abbreviations 285 Notes 289 Index 307 Acknowledgments Th ough the people are gone, the thoughts and words of Wayne Booth, Victor Erlich, Aron Katsenelinboigen, and Stephen Toul min continue to shape my thought and expression. I hear their voices as I write. Th e late Lawrence B. Dumas helped make Northwestern University the sort of place that inspired the best research and teaching. Th e idea of writing a book on quotations occurred to me some fi ft een years ago, when I imagined that I had at last found a topic I could handle quickly. Fortunately, I was delayed by many whose wisdom, written and spoken, helped me to see complexities I had missed: Elizabeth Cheresh Allen, James Sloane Allen, Robert Alter, Carol Avins, Dan Ben-Amos, Bracht Branham, Bud Bynack, Caryl Emerson, Dilip Gaonkar, Boris Gasparov, Marcia Gealy, Gerald Graff , Th omas Greene, Rob- ert Gundlach, Robert Hariman, the late Dell Hymes, Norman Ingham, Robert Louis Jackson, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Julie Lasky, Robert Lerner, Lawrence Lipking, Daniel Lowen- stein, Kathe Marshall, Susan McReynolds-Oddo, Clara Clai- borne Park, Janice Pavel, Th omas Pavel, Sarah Pratt, Martin x Acknowledgments Price, Alfred Rieber, Kenneth Seeskin, Helen Tartar, Herbert Tucker, Meredith Williams, and Michael Williams. I cannot possibly list all the former students to whom I owe much, but they include Elena Aleksandrova, Lindsay Sar- geant Berg, Wendy Cheng, Michael Denner, Andrew Gruen, the late Robert Gurley, John Mafi , Lori Singer Meyer, Matthew Morrison, Joanne Mulcahy, Karthik Sivashanker, Trish Suchy, Ryan Vogt, Cindy Wang, Justin Weir, and Jennifer Yeung. Nava Cohen and John Knapp continue to off er help, as well as friendship, beyond the call. As the years go by, I only grow more indebted to, as well as appreciative of, Robert Belknap, Frederick Crews, Robin Feuer Miller, and William Mills Todd. Th eir generosity and decency, as well as intelligence and insight, serve as a model. I repeatedly discussed quotations with the always quot- able Joseph Epstein, whose powerful writing and wise spirit keep my prose and prosaics much better than they otherwise would be. At one time or another, I benefi ted from close reading and important suggestions by Frances Padorr Brent, Emily Mor- son, Jane Morson, Andrew Wachtel, and the two anonymous readers for Yale University Press. Jonathan Brent decisively shaped this book from its in- ception to its completion. Discussion by discussion, he led me to realize that what I had taken to be a mere prologue to my main argument should be a separate book. With his encour- agement, I postponed what I had originally planned, and then, with his feedback, arrived at the present title. He and Frances Padorr Brent remind me, in many ways, of what the words of some others can do. However far he may be, Kenneth Mischel is always close. I can only cite, never imitate, the courage and energy of Dalya
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