4.0123 General Notes and Queries (3/73)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Thu, 24 May 90 16:16:54 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0123. Thursday, 24 May 1990.


(1) Date: Thu, 24 May 90 07:00:47 CST (48 lines)
From: "Robin C. Cover" <ZRCC1001@SMUVM1>
Subject: HELP ON TOPOS: WHAT IS MAN?

(2) Date: Thu, 24 May 90 20:01:30 -0100 (11 lines)
From: vincent b.y. OOI <eib014@CENTRAL1.LANCASTER.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Classes & Lectures

(3) Date: Thu, 24 May 90 12:59:39 EDT (14 lines)
From: Ed Haupt <haupt@pilot.njin.net>
Subject: query

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 May 90 07:00:47 CST
From: "Robin C. Cover" <ZRCC1001@SMUVM1>
Subject: HELP ON TOPOS: WHAT IS MAN?

HELP WANTED: Rhetorical Irony on "What is man...?"

Can fellow HUMANISTS supply some classical/medieval/modern literary
parallels to the memorable biblical passage (in sexist RSV language):

What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
And the son of man, that thou dost care for him? (Psalm 8:4 - Heb 8:5)

These lines have several fascinating twists already in the biblical
corpus, with evidence that the "original" lines were misunderstood or
deliberately mis-represented quite early. The most celebrated example
is Job's complaint ("bug off, God"):

What is man, that thou dost make so much of him
And that thou dost set thy mind upon him
(That thou dost) visit him every morning
And test him every moment. (Job 7:17-18, RSV)

Paul Dion in <cit>SR</> 16/2 cites two passages in Kipling which are
reflexes of this "what is man...?" topos. One is from the first Jungle
Book, where "Bagheera the black panther recites to Mowgli, 'What is Man
that we should care for him...'" and the second is from Kipling's
"Harp Song of the Dane Women" in Puck of Pook's Hill, "What is a woman
that you forsake her?"

I'd appreciate any other literary reflexes known to HUMANISTS, especially
usages embodying irony. More generally: how does one go about finding
such kinds of parallels? Were I to have access to all world literature
on computer, I can think of some queries on patterns in various
languages... but failing that (or Lou Burnard's offer to run a few
queries against the entire Oxford Archive), how does one find such
things? The Stith Thompson motif index (haven't checked) is too much
focused on folklore, I imagine. Your specific or general help will be
gratefully received (in support of a very noble cause -- unmentionable,
but known disdainfully in our family as "the D-thing"). Willard -- you
seem to have some interest and expertise in studying literary topoi?
Dredging up quotations and allusions?

Robin Cover
BITNET: zrcc1001@smuvm1
INTERNET: robin@txsil.lonestar.org
UUCP: attctc!utafll!robin
UUCP: attctc!cdword!cover
UUCP: texbell!txsil.robin
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------23----
Date: Thu, 24 May 90 20:01:30 -0100
From: vincent b.y. OOI <eib014@CENTRAL1.LANCASTER.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Classes & Lectures

I'm interested in reading the report that Germaine Warkentin (Hi!) cites
for the figures of school-leavers going on to university in Canada, the
States, and Britain: could I have the reference please? Also, does
anyone else have similar figures?

Regards, Vincent

(3) --------------------------------------------------------------25----
Date: Thu, 24 May 90 12:59:39 EDT
From: Ed Haupt <haupt@pilot.njin.net>
Subject: query

Does anyone know 1) who is the source, 2) what is the most commonly
accepted English translation of Wie die Leber die Galle, so erzeugt das
Gehirn das Denken. Any recent sources on the history of materialism in
19th-century German/continental science would be welcome

Ed Haupt
Department of Psychology
Montclair State College
Upper Montclair NJ 07043
haupt@pilot.njin.net