'in praise of the written or spoken word...' (day2otrool)

'one may say what one likes in praise of the written or spoken word but there are very few occasions when it suffices.' 

- goethe, italian journey (ironically a bigger fan of drawing than the spoken or written word), 2nd january 1787.

things are already off to a good start. 

horsemouth usually praises the written word 

this is because he is not especially good 'on his feet'  with the spoken word (as a performer). but he fakes it well don't you think?

this is the usual debate. between the effects of the spoken word and the effects of the written word. drawing seldom gets a look in. 

horsemouth recognises the written word as a distraction from the present, as an offering to the skygods of language in a way that democratic face-to-face speech is not. the people will meet and debate, the message will reach the person it was intended for (and no other), assent or dissent will visibly occur. 

dates in 2026

friday, 13th of february 

friday the 13th march 

friday the 13th of november 

wolf moon visible from this evening. a strong and strange light. 

last night (well the night before last) he read (well re-read) the first two chapters of glyn hughes' millstone grit. 

'I am writing about, I am living in...' 

and he's off. his teachers, the interests that brought him there, he discovers its industrial history. in chapter two we get to the wrecked house he moves  into, the village and the strange plague of stray dogs, people of the village. he moves out of his house to go travelling (the bulk of the book) while it is being done up. 

time has gone on strangely this evening and it is time to pack up the laptop and to get back to reading chapter 3 (where hughes goes off travelling).