Quisquilia: Lib. nov.

Brooklyn. (p. 171)
1 Village (pop. 2,568), SW Ill., on the Mississippi above East St. Louis. An all-Negro town. Post office is Lovejoy. 2 Borough (land area 71 sq. mi.; pop. 2,738,175), of New York city, SE N.Y., on SW end of Long Isl. adjoining Queens borough. Settled 1636-37 by Walloons and Hollanders; hamlet of Breuckelen estab. c. 1645; absorbed various settlements (e.g., Flatbush, a 17th-cent. Dutch village, now a residential section) until it became coextensive with Kings Co. (estab. 1683); became a New York city borough 1898. Separated from downtown Manhattan by East R. (many bridges, e.g., Brooklyn Bridge, and tunnels), from Staten Isl. by the Narrows of New York Bay. Though largely residential, borough has important port facilities - New York Naval Shipyard (commonly Brooklyn Navy Yard), Bush Terminal - and industrial establishments (machinery, textiles, paper, chemicals, shoes, processed foods). Seat of Brooklyn Col. (see New York, College of the City of); Pratt Institute; Long Isl. Univ. (nonsectarian; coed. [NB: print text misses period]; chartered 1926, opened 1927); St. John’s Univ. (R.C., Vincentian; partly coed.; opened 1870, chartered 1871); Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences; and Long Isl. Historical Society. Here are Prospect Park (see Long Island, Battle of); Ebbets Field (home of Brooklyn Dodgers); Coney Isl., farmed beach resort and amusement center; and many noted churches. 3 City (pop. 6,317), NE Ohio, a S suburb of Cleveland.

ex:
The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (in 2 volumes),
The Viking Press / Columbia University Press: New York 1953

Manhattan. (p. 765)
1 City (pop. 19,056), NE Kansas [...] 2 Borough (land area 22 sq. mi.; pop. 1,960,101) of New York city, SE N.Y., coextensive with New York co. Composed chiefly of Manhattan isl. (c. 12 mi. long and 2 mi. wide at greatest width), but also including islands in East R. and in New York Bay (Governors Island; Ellis Island; Bedloe’s Isl., with Statue of Liberty); bounded on W by Hudson R., NE and N by Harlem R. and Spuyten Duyvil Creek. Many bridges, tunnels, ferries link it to the other boroughs and to N.J. Dutch West India Company bought Manhattan from Manhattan Indians in 1626 for trinkets worth $24; first known as New Amsterdam, it became New York under the English 1664; its boundaries were those of New York city until 1874, when several Westchester co. communities were inc. into city; became a New York city borough 1898. Commercial, cultural, financial heart of the city, with extensive and diversified mfg., tremendous wholesale and retail trade, major distribution facilities (rail, ship, truck), banking and finance establishments. Here are Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History, Museum of Modern Art; hq. of New York Public Library; numerous theaters (theatrical center of the country) and institutions of music, Columbia University, parts of College of the City of New York and of New York University, New School for Social Research, Juilliard School of Music, theological seminaries and medical schools, Cooper Union; Trinity Church (chartered 1697), Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, Riverside Church, Temple Emanu-El. Famous areas: Harlem, Greenwich Village, the Bowery; streets: Broadway, Fifth Avenue, Wall Street; parks: the Battery, Central Park, Fort Tryon Park (with the Cloisters). Some of the much-visited buildings are: Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Jumel Mansion, and UN hq.

ex:
The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (in 2 volumes),
The Viking Press / Columbia University Press: New York 1953

Staten Island (p. 1212)
(57 sq. mi.; pop. 191,555), SE N.Y., in New York Bay, forming (with small adjacent islands) Richmond borough (since 1898) of New York city and Richmond co. of N.Y. state. N and W, bridges cross to N.J. over Kill Van Kull and Arthur Kill; ferries connect with Manhattan (NE) and Brooklyn. Generally residential, with some semirural sections and resort beaches (SE shore). Industries (shipbuilding and repairing, oil refining, lumber milling) mainly in N. Trade centers are St. George, Stapleton (site of first U.S. free port), Port Richmond. Staten Isl. visited by Henry Hudson 1609; permanent community estab. by 1661. Early buildings include Billopp (or Conference) House (built before 1688), where Lord Howe negotiated with Continentals in 1776; Church of St. Andrew (founded 1708); Garibaldi House (Italian liberator lived here in 1850s).

ex:
The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (in 2 volumes),
The Viking Press / Columbia University Press: New York 1953

Bronx, the, (p. 170-171)
northernmost borough (land area 41 sq. mi.; pop. 1,451,277) of New York city, SE N.Y. Settled 1641 under Dutch West India Co., became a New York city borough in 1898 and a co. of N.Y. state in 1914. On peninsula NE of Manhattan and S of Westchester co.; bounded on W by Hudson R., SW by Spuyten Duyvil Creek and Harlem R., S by East R., and E by Long Isl. Sound. Many bridge and tunnel connections to Manhattan and Queens. Mainly residential, though industrialized along Harlem R. Numerous parks include Bronx (zoo, botanic gardens), Van Cortlandt and Pelham Bay. Seat of Fordham University, Manhattan Col. (R.C., Christian Brothers; for men; opened as academy 1849, chartered as college 1863); parts of New York University, and Hunter Col. (see New York, College of the City of). Has Yankee Stadium and Poe cottage.

ex:
The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (in 2 volumes),
The Viking Press / Columbia University Press: New York 1953

Berlin, (p. 124-125)
[...] former cap. of Germany and of Prussia; N Germany, in Brandenburg (from which it is administratively separate), on the Spree and Havel rivers. City area (344 sq. mi.) includes large forests and lakes. Until its virtual destruction in World War II Berlin was second largest city of Europe; political, economic, cultural center of Germany. [...] Originating in two Wendish villages, Berlin and Kölln (merged 1307), city rose as member of the Hanseatic League; became cap. of Brandenburg (15th cent.) and of Prussia (1701); underwent phenomenal growth after becoming cap. of Germany. Has been occupied by Russo-Austrian forces (1760); by the French (1805); and by the Allies (1945-). [...] Berlin experienced a vigorous intellectual and artistic revival in postwar period. [...]

Marlowe, Christopher, (p. 776)
1564-93, English dramatist and poet. Leader of a “radical” group, he was accused of atheism and blasphemy, and possibly a plot led to his being stabbed to death by a drinking companion. For dramatic power and development of blank verse into most expressive English meter, he is regarded as greatest Elizabethan playwright next to Shakespere. [...]

Directoire style, (p. 341)
in French interior decoration and costume, the style of the Directory (1795-99); transition between Louis XVI and Empire styles. Departed from ornateness of aristocratic regime and emphasized classic design (esp. Pompeian forms). Furniture was more massive, with painted or waxed wood surfaces. [...] Wallpaper and plain walls replaced tapestries and wainscoting. Women wore tight skirts, low necklines, and high waistlines.

ex:
The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (in 2 volumes),
The Viking Press / Columbia University Press: New York 1953

Kant, Immanuel, (p. 649)
1724-1804, German philosopher, one of the greatest figures in the history of philosophy. He lived a quiet life at Königsberg, becoming professor of logic and metaphysics at the university and quietly evolving a system of thought that influenced all succeeding philosophers in one way or another. [...] In [his works] he set forth intricate and well-knit arguments that defy brief summary. [...]

Paris, (p. 952)
[...] Intellectually and artistically, Paris led the W world in the 17th-19th cent. and in some respects retains a unique position (”city of light“). [...] A fishing hamlet at the time of Caesar’s conquest, ancient Lutetia Parisiorum soon grew to an important Roman town. It became (5th cent. A.D.) a cap. of the Merovingian kings but was devastated by Norse raids in the 9th cent. With the accession (987) of Hugh Capet, count of Paris, as king of France, Paris became the national cap. It flowered as a medieval commercial center and as the fountainhead of scholasticism but suffered severely during the Hundred Years War (English occupation 1420-36). Throughout its history, Paris displayed a rebellious and independent spirit. [...]

kingbird, (p. 662)
North American flycatcher. Eastern species, also called tyrant flycatcher and bee martin, eats some bees but chiefly noxious insects. It is dark gray above, light gray and white below with a white-banded black tail and an orange crest.

ex:
The Columbia Viking Desk Encyclopedia (in 2 volumes),
The Viking Press / Columbia University Press: New York 1953

Sprung zum Glauben

“Sjelden høres en alvorligere Røst, der formaner Enhver at tage mod Livets Underviisning og at lade sig opdrage i Gjenvordighedens Skole, en prøvet Tale, der med al Eftertryk spørger: skulde en Riig frelses, skulde den Mægtige gaae ad den trange Vei, skulde den Lykkelige fornegte sig selv, skulde den Lærde og Kloge annamme den foragtede Sandhed.”

(Søren Kierkegaard: Tre opbyggelige Taler, Kjøbenhavn 1843, S. 46)

“Manche Hähne glauben, daß die Sonne ihretwegen aufgeht.”
(Theodor Fontane: Fundstelle des Zitats nicht ausgewiesen)

Es ist keineswegs ein Zeitgeistphänomen, daß ein Sieger und Himmelsstürmer sich zunächst und zuvörderst als ebensolcher inszeniert - und damit (sich) den Weg ebnet zu Werdegang und Fortkommen. Nicht umsonst ist die Geschichte vom Emporkömmling aus der Dürftigkeit paradigmatisch für unser Verständnis von Erfolg; der “amerikanische Traum” schließt in sich das klassische Narrativ von Streben und Disziplin, Biß und Tatkraft, aber auch immer auch ein Bewußstein von Selbsterwählt- und Selbstbestimmtheit des jeweiligen Geschicks; neben die Hoffnung tritt die Hybris.

“Ich hatte damals und habe heute noch eine unbegrenzte Hochachtung vor dieser unbestürmbaren Sicherheit gewisser Menschen, deren Selbstbewußtsein niemals zu weichen scheint, und obgleich ich wohl weiß, daß sie es sehr oft allein den Beschränkungen ihres Wesens verdanken und der glücklichen Blindheit für alle Hindernisse und für die Hemmungen der Andächtigeren, bleibt die Wirkung im Augenblick doch bestehen. Die Unfähigkeit solcher Menschen, einen Fehler bei sich vermuten zu können, gibt ihnen in den ärmlichen Schranken einer praktischen Frage oft einen Halt und Kraft zu raschen Entscheidungen, wie überhaupt nun einmal im Lauf der Welt ein mit Geschicklichkeit verbundener Nachteil oft weit mehr gilt und ausmacht als ein mit Ungeschick gepaarter Vorteil.”

ex: Waldemar Bonsels: Menschenwege, in: Notizen eines Vagabunden
Verlag von Th. Knaur Nachf., Berlin 1930, S. 9

Wie trefflich charakterisiert hier der uns heute fast gänzlich in Vergessenheit geratene Waldemar Bonsels jenen Zug, der erlaubt, Mittelmäßigkeit des Talents umzumünzen in (beruflichen, medialen, politischen) Aufstieg, aus Selbstüberschätzung eine Success Story zu spinnen und Verdienst und Anerkennung in der Errungenschaft des Leidlich-Gewöhnlichen zu generieren. Es ist das Selbstbewußtsein als Dafürhalten und Statement, nicht jenes im ersten, direkteren Sinne, das in Reflexion dauert und kümmert und kauert, sondern dieses, das überbordend, unbegrenzt und quasi apotheotisch die Gestalt der Selbstbehauptung annimmt, des Status, des sich Erfindens. Setzt es sich in Szene, geriert es rasch zum Bluff, Bockmist also oder Bull.

“The average millionaire is only the average dishwasher dressed in a new suit.”
(George Orwell: Down and Out in Paris and London, London 1933)

Hinzu gesellt sich ein markant materielles Verständnis von Ruhm und Vermögen. Wer die Gelegenheit am Schopf greift, und wer nur daneben steht, darin scheidet sich, wer auf Gedeih und Verderb im Weh bleibt und wer im Wohl zu seines eigenen Glückes Schmied wird. Dies Versprechen und Bekenntnis, das selbst eine unvergleichliche, unbeirrbare Erfolgsgeschichte ist, spornt jenen an, der sich im Vorbild verkörpert sieht und sehen will (als künftiger Geschäfts- oder Staatsmann, Medienmogul oder Duce), es inspiriert und erzieht zum Glauben - an sich und nochmals an sich selbst.

Einlösen können werden es nur wenige. Erfolg bleibt, in all seiner Gewöhnlichkeit heutigen Zuschnitts, emblematisch.

And a retreating Whisper, as I wake - / “The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.”

And once again there gather’d a scarce heard / Whisper among them; as it were, the stirr’d / Ashes of some all but extinguisht Tongue, / Which mine ear kindled into Living Word.

Ex: The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám of Naishápúr
2nd edition 1868, stanza XXVIII, verses 3-4, and XC, verses 1-4

Originally a spammer used these verses for a comment on one of my earlier entries; I decided to not give him the credit yet reproduce these awe-inspiring, splendid poetic lines. I am fairly impressed, though, with the meticulous design of the spam algorithm which mirrored the poetry it identified by just the same literary genre, strikingly so, citing from a work corresponding to the tone of its point of attack.

Frankreich trage ich im Herzen und öffne mich der ganzen Welt.

Et la plus belle est la fille du Roi des rois, la Reine-Enfant,
Reine du Sud ombreux et du Matin en l’an de l’ascension.
Son nom est cousu dans les bouches: j’en donne les masques mouvants.
Elle a l’éclat du diamant noir et la fraîcheur de l’aube, et la légèreté du vent.

(Léopold Sédar Senghor: 359)

Heureux du moins si cette existence qu’on a meurtrie
Demeure ainsi dans la murmurante patrie
Dont m’entoure depuis toujours le doux peuple des mots.

(Jacques Réda: 425)