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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Foreword: Livesof the Aestheticians xi
Murray Smith
Introduction 1
1. Aesthetic Experience and Artistic Value 15
A conversation with Jerrold Levinson
2. The Commonplace Raised to a Higher Power 49
A conversation with Arthur C. Danto
3. Inside Out: Portraits, Art, Science 83
A conversation with Cynthia Freeland
4. The Tasty, the Disgusting, and the Genuine 113
A conversation with Carolyn Korsmeyer
5. The Emotions in Art 145
A conversation with Jenefer Robinson
6. Sharing a Home in the World 179
A conversation with Roger Scruton
7. Stories and What They (Don’t) Teach Us 205
A conversation with Gregory Currie
8. Critical Encounters with the Past 229
A conversation with Paul Guyer
9. Art Practice, Art Criticism, and Philosophy of Art 257
A conversation with Noël Carroll
10. Aesthetics and Theory Construction 287
A conversation with Kendall Walton
Index 310
13.
Acknowledgements
I would liketo express my profound gratitude to all those who have
helped me in the process of writing this book. My editor, Peter Momtchiloff,
has been supportive from the start and patient until the end and I want to
thank him for taking up the idea of this volume in the first place.
Diarmuid Costello, Stacie Friend, Matthew Kieran, Dominic Lopes,
Alex Voorhoeve offered guidance and encouragement early on in the
project, while the following people have given me advice in preparing
individual chapters: Rafael de Clercq, Keren Godoreisky, Andrew Kania,
Paisley Livingston, Jennifer McMahon, Ted Nannicelli, Michael Newall,
and Rachel Zuckert. This book would be far poorer were it not for their
many helpful suggestions.
On a more practical level, I am indebted to the American Society for
Aesthetics and British Society of Aesthetics, for offering travel grants to
allow me to complete this project, and to the Aesthetics Research Centre
at the University of Kent, for hosting several of the philosophers who are
in this volume. Claire Anscomb went out of her way to make a beautiful
portrait of Noël Carroll, Irene Beazar helped me with some of the
logistics, and Angelo Cioffi did a great job putting together the index.
Heartfelt thanks are also due to Steve Pyke, whose brilliant photographs
add a whole new dimension to this volume. I had already been an
admirer of his work for many years, but it really dawned on me that he
would be the ideal partner for this project when I heard him say this in an
interview:
People talk about taking pictures. It’s a word I never ever use because ‘taken’ is
the wrong adjective. If it’s anything, it’s giving. You know, you’re giving pictures.
It’s a collaboration, it’s like a conversation . . . it’s going backwards and forwards,
we’re both learning different things about each other but also about what it is that
we do. It’s all about exchange.
Being able to have long conversations with delightfully smart philosophers
was both great fun and hugely instructive. I consider myself very
privileged indeed to have had this opportunity and I wish to thank
them all for taking time out of their busy schedules to make it happen.
14.
I am especiallygrateful to Jerrold Levinson, who not only agreed to be
interviewed but also agreed to read, advise, and provide feedback on the
entire manuscript—one of the many occasions where he has gone beyond
the call of the duty in helping me with a project or publication. (When
I took up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Maryland under
his supervision in 2005 I could not have foreseen what a positive impact
that would have on my development as a scholar. Hands down one of the
best decisions of my life.) I also owe special thanks to the second reader of
the manuscript, my colleague and good friend Murray Smith. Not only
have I profited immensely from his extensive and insightful comments but
he also kindly offered to write a Foreword to the book. I thank him for
putting the proverbial cherry on top and for showing such all-round
generosity.
My conversational skills (such as they are) did not develop overnight,
of course, and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my
debt to those who have granted me the pleasure of convivial debate in the
past and have helped me become a better discussant. They include Pieter
Adriaens, Paloma Atencia Linares, Henny Blomme, Peter Brems, Rafael
De Clercq, Jonathan Friday, Hans Jacquemyn, Els Meulemans, Michael
Newall, Marc Schönwiesner, Benny Vanleuven, Koen Vlaeminck. I am
also deeply grateful to my parents and my two brothers who were there
for my very first attempts at discourse and who have remained my
greatest supporters throughout.
Finally, this book is dedicated to the person who happens to be my
favourite conversation partner (and so much more). And to someone
who has joyfully entered both of our lives and with whom I hope to have
many conversations in years to come.
x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
15.
Foreword: Lives ofthe Aestheticians
Murray Smith
It wouldn’t take a visiting Martian too long to pick up on some distinct-
ive patterns in the behaviour of one of the more intelligent and prolific
species to be found on the Blue Planet. Alongside its capacity for
language, facility for tool-making and technology, and ability to accu-
mulate practical and theoretical knowledge across generations, our
Martian neighbours would doubtless notice a striking tendency among
Homo sapiens to invest large amounts of time and energy in activities
and experiences lacking any obvious practical payoff. These humans,
they might remark, spend hours on end engaged with made-up stories
told in books or projected on screens, gazing at pictures and objects in
buildings designed just for that purpose, and creating abstract sound
structures which transfix them. Often they move their bodies in syn-
chrony with these sonic creations. Even when apparently getting on with
the business of life, they sometimes pause to contemplate the environ-
ment surrounding them—apparently for its own sake—and they con-
sume an enormous variety of foods in endlessly diverse ways. They adorn
themselves and shape their bodies in ways that seem to transcend
practical ends. Martian anthropologists confirm that, even as the popu-
lation of the species has increased exponentially and its technology
advanced at a pace to match, these sorts of behaviours have been steadily
observed over thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years.
Our Martian observers have an earthly equivalent: the tribe known as
‘aestheticians’ or ‘philosophers of art’, a sub-group within the larger
community known as ‘philosophers’. Ten of the most eminent of them
are the subject of Hans Maes’ wonderfully engaging collection of inter-
views. These philosophers concern themselves with the two distinct but
intimately related and commonly overlapping phenomena referred to in
the title of the present volume: art, and the aesthetic. The aesthetic
dimension of an object or performance is that aspect of it that we value
for its own sake: classically its beauty or sublimity, but on a wider
16.
understanding, its charm,quirkiness, humour, grotesqueness, or any of
an indefinitely large number of properties that we are able to savour in
and of themselves. Importantly, such properties are not only found in
works of art: beauty is widely recognized as a property that can be
attributed to, among other things, faces, bodies, sporting achievements,
scientific theories, carefully wrought plans, cars, boots, toasters—indeed
just about any functional artefact. Aesthetic experience is not restricted
to special places or performances marked off as demanding sustained,
heightened attention. The pervasiveness of aesthetic experience is the
motivating force behind the contemporary ‘everyday aesthetics’ move-
ment; one school of Martian thought holds that the human species might
be more aptly labelled Homo aestheticus.
Where does that leave art? According to two of Maes’ interviewees,
Arthur Danto and Noël Carroll, the close identification of art with
the aesthetic is a misleading legacy of the influential Enlightenment
philosophers, above all Immanuel Kant, who established aesthetics as a
distinctive subdomain of philosophy. Danto stresses the role of art as a
special form of sensuous, embodied meaning-making; Carroll likewise
emphasizes the cognitive, moral, and political dimensions of art. Others
resist this picture, regarding art as the primary locus of aesthetic experi-
ence, and insisting on the complex character of such experience (a
position held by Guyer, Levinson, and Scruton in their different ways).
This perspective allows us to explain the way in which works embodying
religious or otherwise group-specific meanings and values, from the
stained glass windows of churches to the devotional lyrics of reggae
songs, may enjoy widespread and enduring appeal extending far beyond
the social groups committed to the values expressed by such works.
Aesthetics is neither the largest nor the best-known area of philoso-
phy, but Maes rightly argues in his Introduction to this volume that it
ought to command more attention. For as Carolyn Korsmeyer puts it in
her interview with Maes, aesthetics is ‘a hub field . . . a central area from
which you can do almost any kind of research in philosophy’. There are
at least two senses in which this is true. First, we can pose questions about
aesthetic phenomena from an ontological, epistemological, or phenom-
enological point of view; we can examine the methods and the logic of
aesthetic and artistic activities. In other words, conceived as a distinctive
domain of human experience and activity, we can examine it through
the lens of any of the major divisions of philosophy. But the field of
xii FOREWORD
17.
aesthetics is alsoa ‘hub’ in a second sense. As aesthetic experience is not
confined to the arts but rather suffuses everyday existence, exploring
aesthetic phenomena inevitably draws us into diverse adjacent and
overlapping matters, including the senses (in Korsmeyer’s work), the
emotions (a major focus for many of the interviewees in this volume),
morality and ethical life, and less obvious themes, like perversity (the
unexpected topic with which Maes begins his interview with Jerry
Levinson). Aesthetics, one might contend, is not only ubiquitous in
human affairs, but the secret heart of philosophy, a gateway into a wide
array of philosophical concerns and perspectives. As such, aesthetics is
best conducted ‘without borders’, in the words of Greg Currie.
All of the philosophers interviewed here work within the analytic
tradition of philosophy, broadly conceived. One of the virtues of that
tradition is its distrust of the academic star system. Certainly there are
luminaries in the lineage, but there is also a systematic resistance to the
culture of the guru. Specific fields of debate tend to be organized around
questions and problems rather than Big Names; introductions of
speakers at research sessions are often concise to the point of curtness,
stripping guests of anything but their name, affiliation, and topic. The
contrast is relative rather than absolute, of course, but it is nevertheless
striking: elsewhere in the academy, individuals will often be the object of
lengthy, fawning appreciations, while journal issues, books, and confer-
ences are devoted to the individual penseur. Respect for the achievements
of the individual all too often slides into uncritical reverence. One
consequence of this emphasis on problems and questions in the analytic
tradition, however, is that such philosophy can come across as highly—
sometimes problematically—impersonal. The well-motivated suspicion of
the academic superstar can tip over into a matching fallacy whereby we
deny altogether the significance of the personal dimension of philosophical
activity, as if philosophical theories emerged in a vacuum, or individual
philosophers were nothing more than so many vehicles for the ineluctable
emergence of Geist.
Conversations is a powerful antidote to any such tendency, for through
the interviews and photos comprising the volume Maes provides us with
a rich sense of the individuals behind the theories and debates that he
explores with them. Steve Pyke’s memorable portraits reveal one central
and ineliminable aspect of personal identity—physical appearance—and,
especially when set alongside the interviews, suggest much about the
FOREWORD xiii
18.
character of thesubjects (a topic tackled by Cynthia Freeland in her
theory of portraiture, a theory elaborated by Maes himself in other
publications). In the interviews themselves, Maes is sensitive to the
manner, tone, and rhythm of his interlocutors’ responses, the thoughtful
modesty of Korsmeyer coming across as strongly as the wry self-mockery
of Robinson. But more than demeanour is at stake here. We learn about
Noël Carroll’s Roman Catholic upbringing, Paul Guyer’s fascination
with his father’s modernist paintings, Jenefer Robinson’s early immer-
sion in literature and love of F. R. Leavis’ ‘great tradition’, the impact of
Imre Lakatos on a young Greg Currie, Cynthia Freeland getting ‘dizzy
and drunk’ on the fumes of darkroom chemicals, and the significance of
all of these experiences for their respective philosophical interests.
Arthur Danto’s reflections on his life and career also allow us to see
how much the personal becomes the philosophical, a fact echoed in
Maes’ moving remarks on the transformative impact of Danto’s work
on his own thought and career. As Maes notes, the contingencies of life—
and death—have shaped the interviews in a variety of ways. The mark of
life is thus found upon the aesthetics of the interview itself.
The varied form of the interviews and the diverse circumstances in
which they were conducted is matched by the notably varied profiles,
sensibilities, tastes, and politics of Maes’ interviewees. Some, like Danto,
are fully fledged public intellectuals; others, like ‘philosopher’s philoso-
pher’ Ken Walton, are less well known outside academia but command
enormous respect within it. Some, like Scruton, are defenders of the
canon and sceptical of the artistic claims of both popular and experi-
mental forms, especially those based on modern technologies of record-
ing (photography and film and rock ’n’ roll); others, like Carroll, evince a
wide-ranging taste encompassing everything from Buster Keaton to
Merce Cunningham. Scruton is also well-known for his defence of a
socially conservative political philosophy, one which contrasts starkly,
for example, with Korsmeyer’s insistence on the many ways in which
gender and other forms of social prejudice inflect and infect even the
most apparently rigorous philosophical thinking. There are philosoph-
ical foxes as well as hedgehogs here, but rhinos, flamingos, and lions
too—and doubtless a good many other species from the philosopher’s
bestiary.
Philosophy is often characterized as a conversation, a description
literalized and perhaps rooted in the dialogues of Plato and other
xiv FOREWORD
19.
classical philosophers. Thatanalogy has been embraced and extended by
Carroll beyond philosophy to encompass the interpretation of artworks.
For these reasons, the interviews presented here are an entirely fitting
form for the exploration of issues in aesthetics and the philosophy of art,
as well as the particular arguments and theories of Maes’ interviewees.
But Conversations is not merely a set of individual interviews. The Gang
of Ten, as we may think of them, represent a generation (or two) of
Anglo-American philosophers who have been in (often intense, usually
civil) conversation with one another for more years than they would
probably care to remember. Maes is always alert to both recognized
debates among them, as well as to more occult points of contact. Thus
we learn about the differences between Carroll’s ‘thin’ and Levinson’s
‘thick’ account of aesthetic experience, and Carroll’s related preference
for theorizing about particulars arts, notably contrasting with Levinson’s
interest in understanding ‘the broadest notion of art that we operate
with’. More generally, we see the differences in opinion on the value
of defining art—central for Levinson, but much more marginal for
Freeland, Korsmeyer, and Walton. We engage with the dispute over
the nature of musical expressiveness between Levinson and Scruton,
and that between Carroll and Guyer over the legacy of Enlightenment
aesthetics. Robinson’s account of literature’s capacity to teach us about
the world is countered by Currie’s scepticism on this score; Robinson in
turn doubts the possibility of ‘aesthetic disgust’ defended by Korsmeyer.
Robinson’s stress on the idea that the emotions we experience in
response to art are just like ordinary emotions contrasts with Walton’s
attention to the differences between emotions prompted by real, and
represented, events; Carroll’s pursuit of the intentions of the actual
author contrasts with the intentions of a hypothetical author posited
by Levinson and Robinson; Walton’s appreciation of ‘big theories’ is set
in relief by Carroll’s preference for the ‘piecemeal’ exploration of delim-
ited problems.
By exploring these and many other debates among the interviewees,
Conversations gives us a family portrait as well as a collection of indi-
vidual portraits. Still more remarkably, it furnishes us with a community
portrait, for here we learn not just about the philosophical views of these
ten individuals, but through them, about the dozens of other individuals
with whom they sustain the philosophical dialogue on art and aesthetics,
many of whose names appear in the interviews themselves and in Maes’
FOREWORD xv
20.
commentaries. The Gangof Ten represent only the tip of an iceberg
comprised of both historical and contemporary figures. We are
reminded of the subtlety and complexity of major figures such as Kant,
as well as the significant contributions of neglected philosophers, like
Ethel Puffer (both discussed in the interview with Guyer).
So Conversations provides the reader with a portrait of the historical
and contemporary community of aestheticians, as well as ten individual
philosophers. That is an ambitious feat of representation, by any meas-
ure. We ought, then, to turn our attention to the skills of Maes himself—
interviewer, editor, and portrait artist. To those I’ve already noted in
passing, including his ability to find the points of concord and discord
among his interviewees and to generate a virtual dialogue among them,
we need to add several more. First is his ability to ask a succession of
good questions, questions which compel his subjects to express their
ideas in accessible ways, to identify leitmotifs in their work, and to
address existing or potential criticisms. A close second is his quiet
tenacity, evident in his frequent pressing for clarification and challenging
of weak, complacent, or evasive responses (though happily there are few
of these). Often these characteristics go hand in hand with another key
virtue displayed by Maes—the ability to bring into play apt and resonant
examples, sometimes making an abstract idea concrete, sometimes act-
ing as a challenge, sometimes turning the conversation in a new direction
(as with the possibility of aesthetic ‘chills’ beyond the domain of music,
raised through the devastatingly off-hand revelation of the death of
George Osborne in Vanity Fair, cited by Maes in the interview with
Levinson). The lucid summaries of highly complex theories (Robinson
on emotion, for example, or Korsmeyer on the senses) or philosophical
positions dispersed across many publications (Levinson’s contextualism)
or dauntingly large and diverse oeuvres (as with Carroll and Scruton),
provided by Maes in the introductions, interjections, and reference
sections, reveal yet another attribute critical to the depth and coherence
of the volume in your hands.
Putting all of this together allows us to see that Maes pulls off
something rather remarkable with Conversations: a book which works
well as both an introduction and as a more advanced text. In part this
arises from the fact that Maes fully exploits the potential of conversation,
at once the possession of all of us, and a major tool for philosophical
inquiry. For the novice and the lay person, on the one hand, the format of
xvi FOREWORD
21.
the conversation encouragesdirectness and simplicity, for as it unfolds a
conversation requires a high degree of ongoing, mutual comprehension on
the part of its participants in order to continue; at least in its original live
incarnation, a conversation offers no opportunity to pore over lengthy
statements. For the expert, on the other hand, there is an equally great
reward, for the informality of the interview encourages a cut-to-the-chase
clarity and no-beating-around-the-bush frankness, compelling interviewees
to lay their cards on the table.
In Conversations Maes has gathered together and interviewed at
length a group of aestheticians of the top rank, and in doing so he has
created a unique introduction to and overview of contemporary aesthet-
ics and the philosophy of art. Other books might have other strengths,
but no book will give you a richer and more dialectical account of the
state of contemporary aesthetics, a more wide-ranging exploration of its
diverse objects of study or the variety of stances taken towards them.
FOREWORD xvii
23.
Introduction
‘what is theuse of a book,’ thought Alice, ‘without pictures or
conversations?’
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
The question that a sulking Alice asks herself at the beginning of her
adventures is one that I, luckily, do not have to answer. For the book that
lies before you contains both pictures and conversations. To be more precise,
it contains the photographic portraits of ten world-leading philosophers of
art and a record of my conversations with them over the past decade.
People make aesthetic choices and judgements all the time: when they
choose what to wear for work, when they play a song they like in the car,
when they tidy up their desk or buy some flowers to liven up the office,
when they admire the sunlight falling through the window, when they
rave about a new TV series, when they take selfies at a party, when they
delete the ugly pictures afterwards, when they select a movie to watch in
the evening or a book to read in bed—not to mention when they make
more consequential decisions such as buying a car, picking a holiday
destination, getting a tattoo, finding a place to live, or choosing a partner.
Since aesthetic deliberations are so pervasive and impactful in everyday
life, one would perhaps expect aesthetics to be a core philosophical
discipline, taking pride of place in any general philosophy journal or
philosophy programme. Yet nothing could be further from the truth.
While many philosophical giants of the past, including Plato, Aristotle,
Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, wrote extensively about
art and aesthetics, the majority of contemporary philosophers (and
philosophy journals) seem to ignore the field altogether. Similarly, and
no less surprising, there is a lack of interest in philosophical aesthetics
among art critics, art collectors, and artists. Barnett Newman’s quip that
24.
‘aesthetics is forartists what ornithology is for the birds’ has unfortu-
nately been proven accurate time and again. Thus, philosophy of art and
aesthetics often remain terra incognita, even for many people with a
professional interest in art and philosophy. And the authors collected in
this volume, and the theories they have developed, are not nearly as well
known outside of aesthetics as I think they should be. Hence the first big
objective of this book: to give these philosophers the extra exposure they
deserve—not only metaphorically, but literally, by including Steve Pyke’s
wonderful portraits of them—and to provide a broad and accessible
overview of what this thriving subfield of philosophy has to offer.
A lofty ambition, certainly, but how to implement this in practice? To
provide the necessary context for each conversation, I have bookended
them with an introduction, which briefly sketches the author’s place in
and contributions to aesthetics, and a succinct annotated bibliography,
which lists the titles mentioned in the text and the sources I used in
preparing my questions. Readers who are not familiar with the work of
these philosophers may also benefit from the explanatory paragraphs
I have sometimes added in the main body of the text. The occasional
‘petite histoire’ and informal conversational tone will hopefully help to
bring the material alive and make the book more personal and less dry
than, say, the average academic handbook.
What ties all of the chapters together are the two notions mentioned in
the title. So, each conversation will in some way help to shed light on the
concept of art and the realm of aesthetics broadly speaking. That said,
each chapter will also move beyond these most central and fundamental
notions to address more specific topics, some of which relate to individ-
ual art forms, such as architecture or music, or to certain genres, like
horror or portraiture, or to issues that span several genres and forms of
art—I’m thinking for instance of the so-called paradox of fiction, or the
paradox of aversion, or questions like: What is a narrative? Should we
take into account the intention of the artist when we’re interpreting a
work of art? Are aesthetic judgements purely subjective? Can we learn
from art? What is the role of gender in art and art theory? What is the
relation between art and morality? Can art be sublime?
Sometimes, I should note, the discussion will not relate to art at all
but will rather focus on the aesthetics of nature, the aesthetics of food
and wine, or the potential links between aesthetic experiences and
religious experiences or erotic experiences. This wide variety of topics
INTRODUCTION
25.
is deliberate. Itis meant to reflect the rich diversity of research in the
field. Accordingly, I have divided each conversation into subsections,
which allows the reader to dip into a chapter here and there, guided by
her particular interests in a particular topic or theme, while not prevent-
ing others from reading the entire chapter from beginning to end.
It was clear from the beginning that if I was to capture the variety
of interests that have motivated these individual philosophers, and if
I was to have a genuine conversation with them, I could not rely on a
one-size-fits-all questionnaire. So, apart from a handful of very general
questions that recur in most of the exchanges, I have approached each
interviewee with tailor-made questions targeted at their specific philo-
sophical concerns and claims. In those conversations that centre around
one monograph in particular (as was the case with Currie and Freeland)
my questions are closely interrelated and the chapter has a unifying
theme. In other encounters, such as the ones I had with Scruton,
Danto, and Carroll, I introduce a dozen different topics of discussion,
relating to different parts of the author’s oeuvre, to highlight the breadth
and complexity of their work.
In addition to these planned differences in set-up and the deliberate
diversity of conversation topics there are the somewhat less deliberate
(but not entirely unwelcome) varieties in pace and length of the individ-
ual conversations. These are due to the inherently unpredictable charac-
ter of conversations where each answer may elicit follow-up questions
which in turn may call forth a rejoinder and where it is often impossible
to foresee which questions will elicit a short answer, which questions an
elaborate to-and-fro, and which questions no uptake at all. This spon-
taneity and uncontrollability is of course partly what makes the conver-
sational format so attractive. And for philosophical conversations in
particular, the format has the added bonus (again, compared to standard
introductory handbooks) of manifesting the process of philosophical
deliberation and not just the outcomes of those deliberations.
A few points of clarificationneed to beadded atthis juncture, just to avoid
any misplaced expectations. First, these are conversations about art and
aesthetics in general, not so much about individual works of art or artists.
To be sure, many examples are mentioned and discussed, ranging from
George Eliot’s Middlemarch and Bresson’s Une Femme Douce to Janet
Cardiff’s 40 Part Motet and Joe Cocker’s You Are So Beautiful. But they
always serve the purpose of illustrating some broader philosophical claim.
INTRODUCTION
26.
Second, when Italk about philosophy of art in this book, I mean
analytic philosophy of art, unless otherwise stated. Here and there the
reader will find references to continental thinkers, and I have made a
point of asking my interlocutors about the relation between continental
and analytic philosophy, but the focus of this volume is squarely and
explicitly on the latter. The reason is simple: it is the only research area
and methodology that I can claim to have some expertise in. (Needless to
say, I would very much welcome and look forward to a similar volume
dedicated to continental philosophers of art.)
A conversation is above all an exchange of ideas, rather than just an
exchange of anecdotes or pleasantries. Consequently, the ‘human inter-
est’ factor in this volume, it must be said, is rather low. Readers who are
expecting juicy gossip or much in the way of personal stories will no
doubt be disappointed. (They may find out how one philosopher tried
psychedelic drugs and another philosopher learned a life lesson from
Jane Austen. But here, too, it will be obvious that such reminiscences
mainly serve to illustrate some further philosophical idea.)
The conversations laid down in this book differ considerably from
‘ordinary’ conversations one has with friends or colleagues. To begin
with, they have been meticulously prepared and conducted with a well-
defined aim in mind and so will feel more ‘orchestrated’ than conversa-
tions in everyday life. They are also more polished as a result of a long
and thorough editing process. The first stage in this editing process was
the transcription of the audio files. Here I could already leave out any
dead ends or digressions and any questions that fell flat.1
At the next
stage I would send the transcriptions to the interviewees and give them
the opportunity to revise the text. Some authors would make only
minimal changes, others would rewrite whole parts of the conversation,
and often there would be a repeated back and forth until both parties
were happy with the end result. I am mentioning the combined effort
that went into the editing also to underline that it was never my intention
to catch the authors off guard and make them say things they really don’t
want to say. It’s not that kind of book.
1
This is one reason why I chose to do the transcribing myself, the other being the need
for accuracy (when the company I initially used transcribed ‘old masters’ as ‘old bastards’
I thanked them for their services). I should also note here that two of the interviews were
conducted via email and so did not require any transcribing. Yet I trust that this difference
in procedure has not affected the quality and flow of these conversations.
INTRODUCTION
27.
Finally, while theseconversations are indicative of the current state of
affairs in aesthetics and philosophy of art, they do not pretend to be
exhaustive in any way. This is in part because I could only include ten
philosophers in the book. And while it’s beyond dispute that all of them
are leading figures in the field—eight are Past Presidents of the American
Society for Aesthetics and the two British scholars are no less eminent—it
is also a regrettable but unavoidable fact that many prominent thinkers
were not included. Furthermore, due to the overall word limit of the book
and the time limits on my conversations (and, yes, sometimes simply
due to an oversight on my part) I did not ask all the questions I wanted
to ask or should have asked. As a result, there are quite a few significant
topics within philosophy of art that are not at all discussed here. But
I console myself with the thought that, if this book leaves the reader
wanting more—wanting to explore other topics in aesthetics or read
other works by these philosophers or books by other philosophers of
art—it will have achieved at least one of its central aims.
The second main objective of this book is to stimulate new work in
aesthetics and philosophy of art. Of course, current research is rarely
conducted or communicated in the form of conversations. Some of the
historical milestones in the field of aesthetics have come to us in the form
of dialogues (think of Plato’s and Shaftesbury’s dialogues). But that is
largely a thing of the past. Moreover, fictional dialogues carefully com-
posed by one author are still quite different from real conversations
between two scholars that are transcribed and edited afterwards. How
could the latter fit with and feed into a contemporary research culture
which is very much dominated by the format of the journal article?
Well, the first thing to note is that, despite the obvious differences in
presentation, there are also strong similarities between the discussions
that take place in philosophy journals and the discussions laid down in
this volume. The same basic sequence—X defends a claim, Y formulates
objections, X responds to objections—is really at the heart of both.
Moreover, it’s not too much of a stretch to see the debates that take
place in philosophy journals as ongoing conversations between scholars.
Looked at it this way, it is not the incongruity but precisely the continuity
between the two formats that appears striking.
It shouldn’t be a surprise then that the conversations in this volume are
sometimes just a continuation of a discussion that began in some journal.
Especially when I would come across an objection in the literature that
INTRODUCTION
28.
I felt authorshad yet to address (e.g. Christy Mag Uidhir’s claim that
Levinson’s intentional historical definition of art cannot accommodate
failed art) I would use the interview as an opportunity to raise the issue.
That said, most of my questions do not derive from existing debates,
but rather from a personal reading of the authors’ work. They are the
sort of queries and objections that otherwise might have led me to write a
critical notice, essay review, or research article, but that I could now put
directly to the authors. The authors, in their turn, were free to respond
in a variety of ways, and again the parallels with journal discussions
are obvious. Sometimes authors would simply clarify their views and in
so doing offer a fresh perspective on some of their best-known claims.
Walton does this, for instance, by appealing to the distinction between
‘appearing to be different’ and ‘appearing differently’ to explain the import
of categories of art, or by explaining how his claim about the transparency
of photographs is not a claim about the English word ‘seeing’. Other times
authors would be more defensive and would argue how certain objections
are based on a misunderstanding or a false premise (Carroll and Guyer
are particularly adept at this strategy). When an objection hits home, an
author may opt to qualify his or her view in order to dispel the concern, as
when Scruton insists that his notion of ‘tasting in’ should be distinguished
from Wollheim’s notion of ‘seeing in’ or when Freeland specifies that her
definition of portraiture is not meant to be extensionally adequate.
Authors may also indicate the need to revise or amend their view. For
example, Danto acknowledges that he should have done more work
on the notion of embodiment and Robinson concedes that the idea of
a non-cognitive appraisal has an air of paradox and that alternative ways
to conceptualize the crucial bodily ‘appraisal’ that sets off the emotional
response may need to be considered. Levinson’s pitch for a new inten-
tionalist theory of art and Korsmeyer’s reconsidering of her stance on
aesthetic disinterestedness could also be mentioned here.
However, the parts in my exchanges that I found most satisfying are
undoubtedly those where authors were prompted to genuinely break new
ground and where our conversation became a joint effort to solve a
particular problem. This happened, for instance, when I spoke with
Korsmeyer about the aesthetics of genuineness, with Carroll about the
success of horror comedies, with Levinson about musical chills, and with
Robinson about the double stereotyping taking place in sentimentalized
tender emotions. Such instances of genuine collaboration did not always
INTRODUCTION
29.
result in adefinitive answer. But at the very least they helped to enhance
my understanding of the issue at hand. Moreover, any unresolved
matters in our discussion present exciting opportunities for future
research. Some of these ‘loose ends’—if you want to call them that—
have already been picked up by myself or the authors I spoke with (my
meeting with Freeland led me to write an article on portraiture, for
instance, and Robinson refers to our conversation when she returns to
the example of Maus in a recent essay). But I also hope that readers of
this book will be inspired and encouraged to look further into some of
the issues that have emerged from these conversations. To list just a few
of the questions that are left hanging in this volume: Can a work of art
itself be ‘contaminated’ by the kitschy artefacts it has inspired and
become kitsch itself? Or: How can a work of art fail in its central aim
and still be a great work of art? (Freeland suggests that Lucian Freud’s
portraits are great art even though they are not great portraits.) Are there,
as Levinson suggests, any ethical grounds for listening to Bach instead of,
say, James Blunt and for trying to educate those who are unfamiliar with
the music of Mozart or Beethoven? Do spine-tingling chills also occur in
our engagement with other art forms besides music and, if so, can they be
explained in the same way?
Up to now I have tried to show how what happens in conversations is
not too different from, and can in fact lead to similar results as, the
discussions that take place in academic journals. However, I believe that
the conversational format also has some distinct advantages over the
now dominant format of the journal article. I’d like to highlight six ways
in particular in which this collection could prove a unique and useful
resource for further research.
First, in today’s research culture where scholars are prompted to
publish separate essays, rather than present grand philosophical systems,
it is easy to lose sight of the underlying ideas and overarching themes that
hold their work together. The conversation format has made it possible for
me to ask authors directly about the overall coherence of their work. And
some of the answers I received were surprising. Levinson, for instance,
begins by saying that contextualism—the idea that the context of cre-
ation is crucial in determining the identity, art status, and meaning of a
work of art—is the central thread running through his work. But when
I ask him what distinguishes his views from other contextualist views
he mentions how he tends to foreground experience and value more
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER VI. DISAPPOINTMENT
Theother side of the mountain—Disappointment—Inventory of
articles brought from the ship—Division of the stock of bread—
Appearance of the interior of the island—A discovery—A ravine and
waterfalls—A sleepless night—Further discoveries—My illness—A
Marquesan landscape.
CHAPTER VII. A WILD-GOOSE CHASE
The important question, Typee or Happar?—A wild-goose chase—My
sufferings—Disheartening situation—A night in the ravine—Morning
meal—Happy idea of Toby—Journey towards the valley.
CHAPTER VIII. INTO THE VALLEY
Perilous passage of the ravine—Descent into the valley.
CHAPTER IX. CAUTIOUS ADVANCE
The head of the valley—Cautious advance—A path—Fruit—Discovery
of two of the natives—Their singular conduct—Approach towards the
inhabited parts of the vale—Sensation produced by our appearance
—Reception at the house of one of the natives.
CHAPTER X. MORNING VISITORS
Midnight reflections—Morning visitors—A warrior in costume—A
savage Æsculapius—Practice of the healing art—Body-servant—A
dwelling-house of the valley described—Portraits of its inmates.
CHAPTER XI. ADVENTURE IN THE DARK
Officiousness of Kory-Kory—His devotion—A bath in the stream—
Want of refinement of the Typee damsels—Stroll with Mehevi—A
Typee highway—The Taboo groves—The hoolah hoolah ground—The
Ti—Timeworn savages—Hospitality of Mehevi—Midnight musings—
Adventure in the dark—Distinguished honours paid to the visitors—
32.
Strange procession, andreturn to the house of Marheyo.
CHAPTER XII. ADVENTURE OF TOBY
Attempt to procure relief from Nukuheva—Perilous adventure of Toby
in the Happar Mountains—Eloquence of Kory-Kory.
CHAPTER XIII. A GREAT EVENT
A great event happens in the valley—The island telegraph—
Something befalls Toby—Fayaway displays a tender heart—
Melancholy reflections—Mysterious conduct of the islanders—
Devotion of Kory-Kory—A rural couch—A luxury—Kory-Kory strikes a
light à la Typee.
CHAPTER XIV. KINDNESS OF THE ISLANDERS
Kindness of Marheyo and the rest of the islanders—A full description
of the bread-fruit tree—Different modes of preparing the fruit.
CHAPTER XV. MELANCHOLY CONDITION
Melancholy condition—Occurrence at the Ti—Anecdote of Marheyo—
Shaving the head of a warrior.
CHAPTER XVI. IMPROVEMENT
Improvement in health and spirits—Felicity of the Typees—A skirmish
in the mountain with the warriors of Happar.
CHAPTER XVII. A STRANGER ARRIVES
Swimming in company with the girls of the valley—A canoe—Effects
of the taboo—A pleasure excursion on the pond—Beautiful freak of
Fayaway—Mantua-making—A stranger arrives in the valley—His
mysterious conduct—Native oratory—The interview—Its results—
Departure of the stranger.
CHAPTER XVIII. BATTLE OF THE POP-GUNS
33.
Reflection after Marnoo’sdeparture—Battle of the pop-guns—
Strange conceit of Marheyo—Process of making tappa.
CHAPTER XIX. DANCES
History of a day as usually spent in the Typee valley—Dances of the
Marquesan girls.
CHAPTER XX. MONUMENTS
The spring of Arva Wai—Remarkable monumental remains—Some
ideas with regard to the history of the pi-pis found in the valley.
CHAPTER XXI. A FESTIVAL
Preparations for a grand festival in the valley—Strange doings in the
Taboo Groves—Monument of Calabashes—Gala costume of the
Typee damsels—Departure for the festival.
CHAPTER XXII. THE FEAST OF CALABASHES
The Feast of Calabashes.
CHAPTER XXIII. RELIGION OF THE TYPEES
Ideas suggested by the Feast of Calabashes—Effigy of a dead
warrior—A singular superstition—The priest Kolory and the god Moa
Artua—Amazing religious observance—A dilapidated shrine—Kory-
Kory and the idol—An inference.
CHAPTER XXIV. BEAUTY OF THE TYPEES
General information gathered at the festival—Personal beauty of the
Typees—Their superiority over the inhabitants of the other islands—
Diversity of complexion—A vegetable cosmetic and ointment—
Testimony of voyagers to the uncommon beauty of the Marquesans
—Few evidences of intercourse with civilized beings—Dilapidated
musket—Primitive simplicity of government—Regal dignity of Mehevi.
34.
CHAPTER XXV. MARRIAGECUSTOMS
King Mehevi—Conduct of Marheyo and Mehevi in certain delicate
matters—Peculiar system of marriage—Number of population—
Uniformity—Embalming—Places of sepulture—Funeral obsequies at
Nukuheva—Number of inhabitants in Typee—Location of the
dwellings—Happiness enjoyed in the valley.
CHAPTER XXVI. SOCIAL CONDITIONS
The social condition and general character of the Typees.
CHAPTER XXVII. FISHING PARTIES
Fishing parties—Mode of distributing the fish—Midnight banquet—
Timekeeping tapers—Unceremonious style of eating the fish.
CHAPTER XXVIII. NATURAL HISTORY
Natural history of the valley—Golden lizards—Tameness of the birds
—Mosquitoes—Flies—Dogs—A solitary cat—The climate—The cocoa-
nut tree—Singular modes of climbing it—An agile young chief—
Fearlessness of the children—Too-too and the cocoa-nut tree—The
birds of the valley.
CHAPTER XXIX. TATTOOING
A professor of the fine arts—His persecutions—Something about
tattooing and tabooing—Two anecdotes in illustration of the latter—A
few thoughts on the Typee dialect.
CHAPTER XXX. MUSIC
Strange custom of the islanders—Their chanting, and the peculiarity
of their voice—Rapture of the king at first hearing a song—A new
dignity conferred on the author—Musical instruments in the valley—
Admiration of the savages at beholding a pugilistic performance—
Swimming infant—Beautiful tresses of the girls—Ointment for the
35.
hair.
CHAPTER XXXI. CANNIBALISM
Apprehensionsof evil—Frightful discovery—Some remarks on
cannibalism—Second battle with the Happars—Savage spectacle—
Mysterious feast—Subsequent disclosures.
CHAPTER XXXII. ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE
The stranger again arrives in the valley—Singular interview with him
—Attempt to escape—Failure—Melancholy situation—Sympathy of
Marheyo.
CHAPTER XXXIII. THE ESCAPE
The escape
SEQUEL
NOTE.—The Author of “Typee” was more than two years in the
South Seas, after escaping from the valley, as recounted in the last
chapter. Some time after returning home the foregoing narrative was
published, though it was little thought at the time that this would be
the means of revealing the existence of Toby, who had long been
given up for lost. But so it proved. The story of his escape supplies a
natural sequel to the adventure, and as such it is now added to the
volume. It was related to the Author by Toby himself.
APPENDIX
PART I
CHAPTER I.MY RECEPTION ABOARD
CHAPTER II. SOME ACCOUNT OF THE SHIP
CHAPTER III. FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE JULIA
CHAPTER IV. A SCENE IN THE FORECASTLE
CHAPTER V. WHAT HAPPENED AT HYTYHOO
CHAPTER VI. WE TOUCH AT LA DOMINICA
CHAPTER VII. WHAT HAPPENED AT HANNAMANOO
CHAPTER VIII. THE TATTOOERS OF LA DOMINICA
CHAPTER IX.
WE STEER TO THE WESTWARD—STATE OF
AFFAIRS
CHAPTER X.
A SEA-PARLOUR DESCRIBED, WITH SOME OF ITS
TENANTS
CHAPTER XI.
DOCTOR LONG GHOST A WAG—ONE OF HIS
CAPERS
CHAPTER XII. DEATH AND BURIAL OF TWO OF THE CREW
CHAPTER XIII. OUR DESTINATION CHANGED
CHAPTER XIV. ROPE YARN
CHAPTER XV. CHIPS AND BUNGS
CHAPTER XVI. WE ENCOUNTER A GALE
CHAPTER XVII. THE CORAL ISLANDS
CHAPTER
XVIII.
TAHITI
CHAPTER XIX. A SURPRISE—MORE ABOUT BEMBO
CHAPTER XX. THE ROUND ROBIN—VISITORS FROM SHORE
39.
CHAPTER XXI. PROCEEDINGSOF THE CONSUL
CHAPTER XXII. THE CONSUL'S DEPARTURE
CHAPTER
XXIII.
THE SECOND NIGHT OFF PAPEETEE
CHAPTER XXIV. OUTBREAK OF THE CREW
CHAPTER XXV. JERMIN ENCOUNTERS AN OLD SHIPMATE
CHAPTER XXVI. WE ENTER THE HARBOUR—JIM THE PILOT
CHAPTER
XXVII.
A GLANCE AT PAPEETEE—WE ARE SENT ABOARD
THE FRIGATE
CHAPTER
XXVIII.
RECEPTION FROM THE FRENCHMAN
CHAPTER XXIX. THE REINE BLANCHE
CHAPTER XXX.
THEY TAKE US ASHORE—WHAT HAPPENED
THERE
CHAPTER XXXI. THE CALABOOZA BERETANEE
CHAPTER
XXXII.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE FRENCH AT TAHITI
CHAPTER
XXXIII.
WE RECEIVE CALLS AT THE HOTEL DE
CALABOOZA
CHAPTER
XXXIV.
LIFE AT THE CALABOOZA
CHAPTER XXXV. VISIT FROM AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE
CHAPTER
XXXVI.
WE ARE CARRIED BEFORE THE CONSUL AND
CAPTAIN
CHAPTER
XXXVII.
THE FRENCH PRIESTS PAY THEIR RESPECTS
CHAPTER
XXXVIII.
LITTLE JULIA SAILS WITHOUT US
CHAPTER
XXXIX.
JERMIN SERVES US A GOOD TURN—FRIENDSHIPS
IN POLYNESIA
40.
PART II
CHAPTER XL.WE TAKE UNTO OURSELVES FRIENDS
CHAPTER XLI. WE LEVY CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE SHIPPING
CHAPTER XLII. MOTOO-OTOO A TAHITIAN CASUIST
CHAPTER XLIII. ONE IS JUDGED BY THE COMPANY HE KEEPS
CHAPTER XLIV.
CATHEDRAL OF PAPOAR—THE CHURCH OP THE
COCOA-NUTS
CHAPTER XLV.
MISSIONARY'S SERMON; WITH SOME
REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER XLVI. SOMETHING ABOUT THE KANNAKIPPERS
CHAPTER
XLVII.
HOW THEY DRESS IN TAHITI
CHAPTER
XLVIII.
TAHITI AS IT IS
CHAPTER XLIX. SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED
CHAPTER L. SOMETHING HAPPENS TO LONG GHOST
CHAPTER LI.
WILSON GIVES US THE CUT—DEPARTURE FOR
IMEEO
CHAPTER LII. THE VALLEY OF MARTAIR
CHAPTER LIII. FARMING IN POLYNESIA
CHAPTER LIV.
SOME ACCOUNT OF THE WILD CATTLE IN
POLYNESIA
CHAPTER LV. A HUNTING RAMBLE WITH ZEKE
CHAPTER LVI. MOSQUITOES
CHAPTER LVII. THE SECOND HUNT IN THE MOUNTAINS
41.
CHAPTER LVIII.
THE HUNTING-FEAST;AND A VISIT TO
AFREHITOO
CHAPTER LIX. THE MURPHIES
CHAPTER LX. WHAT THEY THOUGHT OF US IN MARTAIR
CHAPTER LXI. PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY
CHAPTER LXII. TAMAI
CHAPTER LXIII. A DANCE IN THE VALLEY
CHAPTER LXIV. MYSTERIOUS
CHAPTER LXV. THE HEGIRA, OR FLIGHT
CHAPTER LXVI. HOW WE WERE TO GET TO TALOO
CHAPTER
LXVII.
THE JOURNEY ROUND THE BEACH
CHAPTER
LXVIII.
A DINNER-PARTY IN IMEEO
CHAPTER LXIX. THE COCOA-PALM
CHAPTER LXX. LIFE AT LOOHOOLOO
CHAPTER LXXI. WE START FOR TALOO
CHAPTER
LXXII.
A DEALER IN THE CONTRABAND
CHAPTER
LXXIII.
OUR RECEPTION IN PARTOOWYE
CHAPTER
LXXIV.
RETIRING FOR THE NIGHT—THE DOCTOR
GROWS DEVOUT
CHAPTER LXXV. A RAMBLE THROUGH THE SETTLEMENT
CHAPTER
LXXVI.
AN ISLAND JILT—WE VISIT THE SHIP
CHAPTER
LXXVII.
A PARTY OF ROVERS—LITTLE LOO AND THE
DOCTOR
CHAPTER
LXXVIII.
MRS. BELL
CHAPTER
LXXIX.
TALOO CHAPEL—HOLDING COURT IN POLYNESIA
42.
CHAPTER LXXX. QUEENPOMAREE
CHAPTER
LXXXI.
WE VISIT THE COURT
CHAPTER
LXXXII.
WHICH ENDS THE BOOK
By Herman Melville
InTwo Volumes
Vol. I
1864
CONTENTS
PREFACE
MARDI
CHAPTER I Foot In Stirrup
CHAPTER II A Calm
CHAPTER III A King For A Comrade
CHAPTER IV A Chat In The Clouds
CHAPTER V Seats Secured And Portmanteaus Packed
CHAPTER VI Eight Bells
CHAPTER VII A Pause
CHAPTER VIII They Push Off, Velis Et Remis
CHAPTER IX The Watery World Is All Before Them
CHAPTER X
They Arrange Their Canopies And Lounges, And Try
To Make Things
CHAPTER XI Jarl Afflicted With The Lockjaw
CHAPTER XII More About Being In An Open Boat
45.
CHAPTER XIII
Of TheChondropterygii, And Other Uncouth Hordes
Infesting The South Seas
CHAPTER XIV Jarl's Misgivings
CHAPTER XV A Stitch In Time Saves Nine
CHAPTER XVI They Are Becalmed
CHAPTER XVII
In High Spirits, They Push On For The Terra
Incognita
CHAPTER
XVIII
My Lord Shark And His Pages
CHAPTER XIX Who Goes There?
CHAPTER XX Noises And Portents
CHAPTER XXI Man Ho!
CHAPTER XXII
What Befel The Brigantine At The Pearl Shell
Islands
CHAPTER
XXIII
Sailing From The Island They Pillage The Cabin
CHAPTER XXIV
Dedicated To The College Of Physicians And
Surgeons
CHAPTER XXV Peril A Peace-Maker
CHAPTER XXVI Containing A Pennyweight Of Philosophy
CHAPTER
XXVII
In Which The Past History Op The Parki Is
Concluded
CHAPTER
XXVIII
Suspicions Laid, And Something About The Calmuc
CHAPTER XXIX
What They Lighted Upon In Further Searching The
Craft, And The
CHAPTER XXX Hints For A Full Length Of Samoa
CHAPTER XXXI Rovings Alow And Aloft
CHAPTER
XXXII
Xiphius Platypterus
CHAPTER
XXXIII
Otard
46.
CHAPTER
XXXIV
How They SteeredOn Their Way
CHAPTER
XXXV
Ah, Annatoo!
CHAPTER
XXXVI
The Parki Gives Up The Ghost
CHAPTER
XXXVII
Once More They Take To The Chamois
CHAPTER
XXXVIII
The Sea On Fire
CHAPTER
XXXIX
They Fall In With Strangers
CHAPTER XL Sire And Sons
CHAPTER XLI A Fray
CHAPTER XLII Remorse
CHAPTER
XLIII
The Tent Entered
CHAPTER XLIV Away
CHAPTER XLV Reminiscences
CHAPTER XLVI The Chamois With A Roving Commission
CHAPTER
XLVII
Yillah, Jarl, And Samoa
CHAPTER
XLVIII
Something Under The Surface
CHAPTER XLIX Yillah
CHAPTER L Yillah In Ardair
CHAPTER LI The Dream Begins To Fade
CHAPTER LII World Ho!
CHAPTER LIII The Chamois Ashore
CHAPTER LIV A Gentleman From The Sun
CHAPTER LV Tiffin In A Temple
CHAPTER LVI King Media A Host
47.
CHAPTER LVII TajiTakes Counsel With Himself
CHAPTER LVIII Mardi By Night And Yillah By Day
CHAPTER LIX Their Morning Meal
CHAPTER LX Belshazzar On The Bench
CHAPTER LXI An Incognito
CHAPTER LXII Taji Retires From The World
CHAPTER
LXIII
Odo And Its Lord
CHAPTER LXIV Yillah A Phantom
CHAPTER LXV Taji Makes Three Acquaintances
CHAPTER LXVI With A Fair Wind, At Sunrise They Sail
CHAPTER
LXVII
Little King Peepi
CHAPTER
LXVIII
How Teeth Were Regarded In Valapee
CHAPTER LXIX
The Company Discourse, And Braid-Beard
Rehearses A Legend
CHAPTER LXX
The Minstrel Leads Off With A Paddle-Song; And A
Message Is Received
CHAPTER LXXI They Land Upon The Island Of Juam
CHAPTER
LXXII
A Book From The Chronicles Of Mohi
CHAPTER
LXXIII
Something More Of The Prince
CHAPTER
LXXIV
Advancing Deeper Into The Vale, They Encounter
Donjalolo
CHAPTER
LXXV
Time And Temples
CHAPTER
LXXVI
A Pleasant Place For A Lounge
CHAPTER
LXXVII
The House Of The Afternoon
48.
CHAPTER
LXXVIII
Babbalanja Solus
CHAPTER
LXXIX
The CenterOf Many Circumferences
CHAPTER
LXXX
Donjalolo In The Bosom Of His Family
CHAPTER
LXXXI
Wherein Babbalanja Relates The Adventure Of One
Karkeke In The Land
CHAPTER
LXXXII
How Donjalolo, Sent Agents To The Surrounding
Isles; With The Result
CHAPTER
LXXXIII
They Visit The Tributary Islets
CHAPTER
LXXXIV
Taji Sits Down To Dinner With Five-And-Twenty
Kings, And A Royal Time
CHAPTER
LXXXV
After Dinner
CHAPTER
LXXXVI
Of Those Scamps The Plujii
CHAPTER
LXXXVII
Nora-Bamma
CHAPTER
LXXXVIII
In A Calm, Hautia's Heralds Approach
CHAPTER
LXXXIX
Braid-Beard Rehearses The Origin Of The Isle Of
Rogues
CHAPTER XC Rare Sport At Ohonoo
CHAPTER XCI Of King Uhia And His Subjects
CHAPTER XCII The God Keevi And The Precipice Op Mondo
CHAPTER
XCIII
Babbalanja Steps In Between Mohi And Yoomy;
And Yoomy Relates A
CHAPTER XCIV
Of That Jolly Old Lord, Borabolla; And That Jolly
Island Of His,
CHAPTER XCV
That Jolly Old Lord Borabolla Laughs On Both Sides
Of His Face
49.
CHAPTER XCVI SamoaA Surgeon
CHAPTER
XCVII
Faith And Knowledge
CHAPTER
XCVIII
The Tale Of A Traveler
CHAPTER XCIX "Marnee Ora, Ora Marnee"
CHAPTER C The Pursuer Himself Is Pursued
CHAPTER CI The Iris
CHAPTER CII They Depart From Mondoldo
CHAPTER CIII As They Sail
CHAPTER CIV
Wherein Babbalanja Broaches A Diabolical Theory,
And, In His Own
By Herman Melville
InTwo Volumes
Vol. II.
1864
CONTENTS
MARDI
CHAPTER I. Maramma
CHAPTER II. They Land
CHAPTER III. They Pass Through The Woods
CHAPTER IV. Hivohitee MDCCCXLVIII.
CHAPTER V. They Visit The Great Morai
CHAPTER VI.
They Discourse Of The Gods Of Mardi, And Braid-
Beard Tells Of One Foni
CHAPTER VII. They Visit The Lake Of Yammo
CHAPTER
VIII.
They Meet The Pilgrims At The Temple Of Oro
CHAPTER IX. They Discourse Of Alma
CHAPTER X.
Mohi Tells Of One Ravoo, And They Land To Visit
Revaneva, A
CHAPTER XI. A Nursery-Tale Of Babbalanja's
52.
CHAPTER XII.
Landing ToVisit Hivohitee The Pontiff, They
Encounter An
CHAPTER
XIII.
Babbalanja Endeavors To Explain The Mystery
CHAPTER XIV. Taji Receives Tidings And Omens
CHAPTER XV. Dreams
CHAPTER XVI. Media And Babbalanja Discourse
CHAPTER
XVII.
They Regale Themselves With Their Pipes
CHAPTER
XVIII.
They Visit An Extraordinary Old Antiquary
CHAPTER XIX. They Go Down Into The Catacombs
CHAPTER XX.
Babbalanja Quotes From An Antique Pagan; And
Earnestly Presses It Upon
CHAPTER XXI. They Visit A Wealthy Old Pauper
CHAPTER
XXII.
Yoomy Sings Some Odd Verses, And Babbalanja
Quotes From The Old
CHAPTER
XXIII.
What Manner Of Men The Tapparians Were
CHAPTER
XXIV.
Their Adventures Upon Landing At Pimminee
CHAPTER XXV. A, I, AND O
CHAPTER
XXVI.
A Reception Day At Pimminee
CHAPTER
XXVII.
Babbalanja Falleth Upon Pimminee Tooth And Nail
CHAPTER
XXVIII.
Babbalanja Regales The Company With Some
Sandwiches
CHAPTER
XXIX.
They Still Remain Upon The Rock
CHAPTER
XXX.
Behind And Before
53.
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