PDQ Bakhtin
@thenovelconscious.bsky.social
Center of Studies for the Postdialogic Novel
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#AgainsttheDay
#ThomasPynchon
“The question that arises is, where were you just before."
Lew squinted, perplexed. "Strolling down to the creek minding my business. Where else?"
"Couldn't have been the same world as the one you're in now."
#ThomasPynchon
“The question that arises is, where were you just before."
Lew squinted, perplexed. "Strolling down to the creek minding my business. Where else?"
"Couldn't have been the same world as the one you're in now."
January 10, 2026 at 12:03 PM
#AgainsttheDay
#ThomasPynchon
“The question that arises is, where were you just before."
Lew squinted, perplexed. "Strolling down to the creek minding my business. Where else?"
"Couldn't have been the same world as the one you're in now."
#ThomasPynchon
“The question that arises is, where were you just before."
Lew squinted, perplexed. "Strolling down to the creek minding my business. Where else?"
"Couldn't have been the same world as the one you're in now."
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
Out on the roads the pilgrims sank down and fell over and died and the bleak and shrouded earth went trundling past the sun and returned again as trackless and as unremarked as the path of any nameless sisterworld in the ancient dark beyond.
#SundaySentence
Cormac McCarthy / The Road
#SundaySentence
Cormac McCarthy / The Road
January 4, 2026 at 3:07 PM
Out on the roads the pilgrims sank down and fell over and died and the bleak and shrouded earth went trundling past the sun and returned again as trackless and as unremarked as the path of any nameless sisterworld in the ancient dark beyond.
#SundaySentence
Cormac McCarthy / The Road
#SundaySentence
Cormac McCarthy / The Road
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
My short critical book, Gilbert Sorrentino: An Introduction, is nearing completion. As of now, it will be available as a free ebook or pdf. Here is the final section, reflecting on Sorrentino's work by considering Splendide-Hotel (1974):
readexperience.net/2026/01/04/e...
readexperience.net/2026/01/04/e...
Epilogue to Gilbert Sorrentino: An Introduction
(This is the final chapter of my upcoming book, Gilbert Sorrentino: An Introduction. I do not currently have a publisher, so, tentatively, it will be available as a free ebook or pdf. More info to …
readexperience.net
January 5, 2026 at 3:08 PM
My short critical book, Gilbert Sorrentino: An Introduction, is nearing completion. As of now, it will be available as a free ebook or pdf. Here is the final section, reflecting on Sorrentino's work by considering Splendide-Hotel (1974):
readexperience.net/2026/01/04/e...
readexperience.net/2026/01/04/e...
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#TheCryingOfLot49
#ThomasPynchon
#Pynchon25
You're chicken, she told herself, snapping her seat belt. This is America, you live in it, you let it happen. Let it unfurl.
#ThomasPynchon
#Pynchon25
You're chicken, she told herself, snapping her seat belt. This is America, you live in it, you let it happen. Let it unfurl.
December 20, 2025 at 1:17 PM
#TheCryingOfLot49
#ThomasPynchon
#Pynchon25
You're chicken, she told herself, snapping her seat belt. This is America, you live in it, you let it happen. Let it unfurl.
#ThomasPynchon
#Pynchon25
You're chicken, she told herself, snapping her seat belt. This is America, you live in it, you let it happen. Let it unfurl.
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
"The world of the living contains enough marvels and mysteries as it is... I am too firm in my consciousness of the marvellous to be ever fascinated by the mere supernatural."
- Joseph Conrad
- Joseph Conrad
December 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM
"The world of the living contains enough marvels and mysteries as it is... I am too firm in my consciousness of the marvellous to be ever fascinated by the mere supernatural."
- Joseph Conrad
- Joseph Conrad
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#HeartofDarkness
#JosephConrad
I did not betray Mr. Kurtz—it was ordered I should never betray him—it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice. I was anxious to deal with this shadow by myself….
#JosephConrad
I did not betray Mr. Kurtz—it was ordered I should never betray him—it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice. I was anxious to deal with this shadow by myself….
December 4, 2025 at 1:21 PM
#HeartofDarkness
#JosephConrad
I did not betray Mr. Kurtz—it was ordered I should never betray him—it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice. I was anxious to deal with this shadow by myself….
#JosephConrad
I did not betray Mr. Kurtz—it was ordered I should never betray him—it was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice. I was anxious to deal with this shadow by myself….
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
My Oxford University Lifelong Learning course PHILOSOPHY OF MIND: THE BASICS runs in-person in Oxford next term. Info here: lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/phil...
@oxlifelonglearning.bsky.social
@oxlifelonglearning.bsky.social
Philosophy of Mind: The Basics
What, and where, is your mind? Is your mind your brain? Or are your conscious experiences something over and above what's going on physically? An introduction to key issues in The Philosophy of Mind w...
lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk
December 2, 2025 at 3:17 PM
My Oxford University Lifelong Learning course PHILOSOPHY OF MIND: THE BASICS runs in-person in Oxford next term. Info here: lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/courses/phil...
@oxlifelonglearning.bsky.social
@oxlifelonglearning.bsky.social
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#HeartofDarkness
#JosephConrad
What we could see was just the steamer we were on, her outlines blurred as though she had been on the point of dissolving, and a misty strip of water…The rest of the world was nowhere…swept off without leaving a whisper or a shadow behind.
#JosephConrad
What we could see was just the steamer we were on, her outlines blurred as though she had been on the point of dissolving, and a misty strip of water…The rest of the world was nowhere…swept off without leaving a whisper or a shadow behind.
November 26, 2025 at 10:49 AM
#HeartofDarkness
#JosephConrad
What we could see was just the steamer we were on, her outlines blurred as though she had been on the point of dissolving, and a misty strip of water…The rest of the world was nowhere…swept off without leaving a whisper or a shadow behind.
#JosephConrad
What we could see was just the steamer we were on, her outlines blurred as though she had been on the point of dissolving, and a misty strip of water…The rest of the world was nowhere…swept off without leaving a whisper or a shadow behind.
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
“. . . it is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one’s existence—that which makes its truth, its meaning—its subtle and penetrating essence. It is impossible. We live as we dream—alone. . . .”
#JosephConrad
Heart of Darkness (1)
#JosephConrad
Heart of Darkness (1)
November 22, 2025 at 9:39 PM
“. . . it is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one’s existence—that which makes its truth, its meaning—its subtle and penetrating essence. It is impossible. We live as we dream—alone. . . .”
#JosephConrad
Heart of Darkness (1)
#JosephConrad
Heart of Darkness (1)
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#HeartofDarkness
#JosephConrad
I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire…that swayed and drove men…But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw that…I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.
#JosephConrad
I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire…that swayed and drove men…But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw that…I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.
November 21, 2025 at 11:45 AM
#HeartofDarkness
#JosephConrad
I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire…that swayed and drove men…But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw that…I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.
#JosephConrad
I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire…that swayed and drove men…But as I stood on this hillside, I foresaw that…I would become acquainted with a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly.
One of our all-time favorites lines
What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth! . . . The dreams of men, the seed of commonwealths, the germs of empire.
[…]
“And this also,” said Marlow suddenly, “has been one of the dark places of the earth.”
#JosephConrad
Heart of Darkness
[…]
“And this also,” said Marlow suddenly, “has been one of the dark places of the earth.”
#JosephConrad
Heart of Darkness
November 18, 2025 at 12:00 AM
One of our all-time favorites lines
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
November 12, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Good song.
I don't know who will be the Democratic candidate in 2028, but I do know what their campaign song should be.
youtu.be/ifwtWF485HU
youtu.be/ifwtWF485HU
Leonard Cohen - Democracy (Official Live in London 2008)
YouTube video by LeonardCohenVEVO
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Good song.
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
Purchased my copy of this book directly from Deep Vellum to support this independent press during a time their national grant was denied.
November 6, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Purchased my copy of this book directly from Deep Vellum to support this independent press during a time their national grant was denied.
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
Finished #TheLostScrapbook
#EvanDara
-It's easy to hate a big chemical company (Advertisement)-
-And I see on the television…a train carrying wastes from a petrochemicals refinery crashed…sending fumes all over the town…and Billy, my son Billy…in front of the TV watching…at age eight…watching….
#EvanDara
-It's easy to hate a big chemical company (Advertisement)-
-And I see on the television…a train carrying wastes from a petrochemicals refinery crashed…sending fumes all over the town…and Billy, my son Billy…in front of the TV watching…at age eight…watching….
October 28, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Finished #TheLostScrapbook
#EvanDara
-It's easy to hate a big chemical company (Advertisement)-
-And I see on the television…a train carrying wastes from a petrochemicals refinery crashed…sending fumes all over the town…and Billy, my son Billy…in front of the TV watching…at age eight…watching….
#EvanDara
-It's easy to hate a big chemical company (Advertisement)-
-And I see on the television…a train carrying wastes from a petrochemicals refinery crashed…sending fumes all over the town…and Billy, my son Billy…in front of the TV watching…at age eight…watching….
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
The twelfth issue of Socrates on the Beach is live. Thank you to the authors and the translator and those who helped with the issue. socratesonthebeach.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
The twelfth issue of Socrates on the Beach is live. Thank you to the authors and the translator and those who helped with the issue. socratesonthebeach.com
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#TheLostScrapbook
#EvanDara
-At Love Canal, the Hooker Chemical Corporation was found guilty of monstrous violations of the law,I heard him say…
-Of dumping chemicals almost indiscriminately, with no regard for public health and safety, I heard him say…
-For that was their business,I heard him say…
#EvanDara
-At Love Canal, the Hooker Chemical Corporation was found guilty of monstrous violations of the law,I heard him say…
-Of dumping chemicals almost indiscriminately, with no regard for public health and safety, I heard him say…
-For that was their business,I heard him say…
October 22, 2025 at 9:45 AM
#TheLostScrapbook
#EvanDara
-At Love Canal, the Hooker Chemical Corporation was found guilty of monstrous violations of the law,I heard him say…
-Of dumping chemicals almost indiscriminately, with no regard for public health and safety, I heard him say…
-For that was their business,I heard him say…
#EvanDara
-At Love Canal, the Hooker Chemical Corporation was found guilty of monstrous violations of the law,I heard him say…
-Of dumping chemicals almost indiscriminately, with no regard for public health and safety, I heard him say…
-For that was their business,I heard him say…
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
🎬 Join us on Nov. 7 for a special screening of Werner Herzog’s "Theater of Thought" at the Allen Institute, followed by a panel with leading neurotech experts.
🎟️ RSVP: alleninstitute.org/events/theat...
🎟️ RSVP: alleninstitute.org/events/theat...
October 14, 2025 at 8:08 PM
🎬 Join us on Nov. 7 for a special screening of Werner Herzog’s "Theater of Thought" at the Allen Institute, followed by a panel with leading neurotech experts.
🎟️ RSVP: alleninstitute.org/events/theat...
🎟️ RSVP: alleninstitute.org/events/theat...
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#ShadowTicket
#ThomasPynchon
“…while the Hitlerboys would be cranked up to unnatural levels of speed…by the latest pills…some still under research at IG Farben.”
IG Farben,chemical manufacturer who aided Nazi war efforts.
#Gravity'sRainbow
#TheMakingoftheAtomicBomb
#RichardRhodes
#ThomasPynchon
“…while the Hitlerboys would be cranked up to unnatural levels of speed…by the latest pills…some still under research at IG Farben.”
IG Farben,chemical manufacturer who aided Nazi war efforts.
#Gravity'sRainbow
#TheMakingoftheAtomicBomb
#RichardRhodes
October 15, 2025 at 4:15 PM
#ShadowTicket
#ThomasPynchon
“…while the Hitlerboys would be cranked up to unnatural levels of speed…by the latest pills…some still under research at IG Farben.”
IG Farben,chemical manufacturer who aided Nazi war efforts.
#Gravity'sRainbow
#TheMakingoftheAtomicBomb
#RichardRhodes
#ThomasPynchon
“…while the Hitlerboys would be cranked up to unnatural levels of speed…by the latest pills…some still under research at IG Farben.”
IG Farben,chemical manufacturer who aided Nazi war efforts.
#Gravity'sRainbow
#TheMakingoftheAtomicBomb
#RichardRhodes
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#Underworld
#DonDeLillo
“I take my students into garbage dumps and make them understand the civilization they live in. Consume or die. That's the mandate of the culture. And it all ends up in the dump….”
#DonDeLillo
“I take my students into garbage dumps and make them understand the civilization they live in. Consume or die. That's the mandate of the culture. And it all ends up in the dump….”
September 29, 2025 at 11:32 AM
#Underworld
#DonDeLillo
“I take my students into garbage dumps and make them understand the civilization they live in. Consume or die. That's the mandate of the culture. And it all ends up in the dump….”
#DonDeLillo
“I take my students into garbage dumps and make them understand the civilization they live in. Consume or die. That's the mandate of the culture. And it all ends up in the dump….”
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
Check out my selection of reviews/essays "On Experimental Fiction" on the new version of The Reading Experience: readexperience.net/on-experimen...
On Experimental Fiction
On Experimental Fiction The Limits of Coherence It is hard to imagine that many readers of John Trefry’s massive novel, Massive, would attempt to read every word in the book (There reall…
readexperience.net
October 1, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Check out my selection of reviews/essays "On Experimental Fiction" on the new version of The Reading Experience: readexperience.net/on-experimen...
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick’s second film, was released today — in 1978.
Ian Nathan joins me to discuss the film
open.spotify.com/episode/3iw0...
Ian Nathan joins me to discuss the film
open.spotify.com/episode/3iw0...
The Malick Hours: DAYS OF HEAVEN
open.spotify.com
September 13, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Days of Heaven, Terrence Malick’s second film, was released today — in 1978.
Ian Nathan joins me to discuss the film
open.spotify.com/episode/3iw0...
Ian Nathan joins me to discuss the film
open.spotify.com/episode/3iw0...
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#TheTunnel
#WilliamHGass
The bigot believes in details…So let me get to the teachings of my father…The strangers were strangers…they encouraged their kids to continue with their own language…their own customs and habits…they became economically competitive…outscoring us at school….
#WilliamHGass
The bigot believes in details…So let me get to the teachings of my father…The strangers were strangers…they encouraged their kids to continue with their own language…their own customs and habits…they became economically competitive…outscoring us at school….
September 6, 2025 at 10:01 AM
#TheTunnel
#WilliamHGass
The bigot believes in details…So let me get to the teachings of my father…The strangers were strangers…they encouraged their kids to continue with their own language…their own customs and habits…they became economically competitive…outscoring us at school….
#WilliamHGass
The bigot believes in details…So let me get to the teachings of my father…The strangers were strangers…they encouraged their kids to continue with their own language…their own customs and habits…they became economically competitive…outscoring us at school….
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
#Underworld
#DonDeLillo
Marian and I saw products as garbage even when they sat gleaming on store shelves...We said,What kind of garbage will that make…Can the package be recycled...We asked whether it is responsible to eat a certain item if the package the item comes in will live a million years.
#DonDeLillo
Marian and I saw products as garbage even when they sat gleaming on store shelves...We said,What kind of garbage will that make…Can the package be recycled...We asked whether it is responsible to eat a certain item if the package the item comes in will live a million years.
September 4, 2025 at 10:20 AM
#Underworld
#DonDeLillo
Marian and I saw products as garbage even when they sat gleaming on store shelves...We said,What kind of garbage will that make…Can the package be recycled...We asked whether it is responsible to eat a certain item if the package the item comes in will live a million years.
#DonDeLillo
Marian and I saw products as garbage even when they sat gleaming on store shelves...We said,What kind of garbage will that make…Can the package be recycled...We asked whether it is responsible to eat a certain item if the package the item comes in will live a million years.
Reposted by PDQ Bakhtin
My essay on Drexler's fiction: www.thereadingexperience.net/tre/2017/06/...
Sad and Bad and Mad: The Fiction of Rosalyn Drexler
Perhaps it is because her most lasting accomplishment may turn out to be her paintings that Rosalyn Drexler is now so very little known as a writer of fiction. Although she did attract attention with ...
www.thereadingexperience.net
September 4, 2025 at 5:11 PM
My essay on Drexler's fiction: www.thereadingexperience.net/tre/2017/06/...