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Re: Fwd: Ada's "Black Belfry group"
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Ada Readers,
In reading Ted Frushour's musings about the Black Belfry group and Poe's
"The Devil in the Belfry," another possible association occurred to
me: Robert Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." The title
of Browning's poem comes from mention by Edgar in "King Lear" of such a
song. I seem to recall some mention of black dragon wings in Browning's
Wasteland-like poem, which I do not have before me at present. Might be
worth looking into.
Barry Warren
At 01:30 PM 2/19/2005, you wrote:
>Hello list,
>
> I've been picking away at Ada's part 1, chapter 30, the "Mascodagama"
>chapter, and note this on page 183:
> "The work of a poet, and only a poet, ("especially of the Black Belfry
>group," as some wit said) could have adequately described a certain macabre
>quiver that marked Van's extraordinary act."
> Who is this Black Belfry group? At first I thought the phrase
> recalls the
>"Black Mountain group," but that didn't lead me anywhere interesting. The
>phrase also points to "bats in the belfry," which makes a bit more sense,
>given
>the chapter's references to Demon: "wings, enormous and black," "the
>swoosh of
>nameless wings" (183). But the real gem is one step further. The "Black
>Belfry
>group" may point to Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Devil in the Belfry,"
>which is about a strange Dutch (Veen connection) hamlet which is invaded by a
>mischevious Devil who inhabits the clock tower, disrupting the villagers sense
>of time, just as Van does on stage as Mascodagama.
> So my question is, am I coming late to this party or have I made a
>discovery?
>
>Ted Frushour
>
>----- End forwarded message -----
>EDNOTE. The Poe association might be new--if well founded. You might find VN
>1923 story "Wingstroke" worth looking at.
Barry Warren
<bwarren@uclink4.berkeley.edu>
642-5002
----- End forwarded message -----
In reading Ted Frushour's musings about the Black Belfry group and Poe's
"The Devil in the Belfry," another possible association occurred to
me: Robert Browning's "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came." The title
of Browning's poem comes from mention by Edgar in "King Lear" of such a
song. I seem to recall some mention of black dragon wings in Browning's
Wasteland-like poem, which I do not have before me at present. Might be
worth looking into.
Barry Warren
At 01:30 PM 2/19/2005, you wrote:
>Hello list,
>
> I've been picking away at Ada's part 1, chapter 30, the "Mascodagama"
>chapter, and note this on page 183:
> "The work of a poet, and only a poet, ("especially of the Black Belfry
>group," as some wit said) could have adequately described a certain macabre
>quiver that marked Van's extraordinary act."
> Who is this Black Belfry group? At first I thought the phrase
> recalls the
>"Black Mountain group," but that didn't lead me anywhere interesting. The
>phrase also points to "bats in the belfry," which makes a bit more sense,
>given
>the chapter's references to Demon: "wings, enormous and black," "the
>swoosh of
>nameless wings" (183). But the real gem is one step further. The "Black
>Belfry
>group" may point to Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Devil in the Belfry,"
>which is about a strange Dutch (Veen connection) hamlet which is invaded by a
>mischevious Devil who inhabits the clock tower, disrupting the villagers sense
>of time, just as Van does on stage as Mascodagama.
> So my question is, am I coming late to this party or have I made a
>discovery?
>
>Ted Frushour
>
>----- End forwarded message -----
>EDNOTE. The Poe association might be new--if well founded. You might find VN
>1923 story "Wingstroke" worth looking at.
Barry Warren
<bwarren@uclink4.berkeley.edu>
642-5002
----- End forwarded message -----