Original Franzen Harper's essay

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In the introduction to his 2002 collection of essays "How to be alone" Jonathan Franzen wrote:

"I decided to pull together an essay collection that would include the complete text of "Perchance to Dream" and make clear what I had and hadn't said in it. But when I opened the April 1996 Harper's I found an essay, evidently written by me, that began with a five-thousand-word complaint of such painful stridency and tenuous logic that even I couldn't quite follow it."

And:

"Because a little of this goes a long way, I've exercised my authorial license and cut the essay by a quarter and revised it throughout. (I've also retitled it "Why Bother?") Although it's still very long, my hope is that it's less taxing to read now, more straightforward in its movement. If nothing else, I want to be able to point to it and say, "See, the argument is really quite clear and simple, just like I said!""

Does anyone know if the original Harper's essay can be found on the web? (I've tried searching for it using Google but no luck so far)

Also, have you read the original version and is it significantly different from his revised version? And, if so, is it worth tracking down? Thanks in advance for any help with these questions.

― RR (restandrec), Thursday, 15 April 2004 02:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I seem to remember that at one point prior to the recent redesign, the Harper's page mentioned a digital subscription service(generally offered to and accessed through universities) allowing access to the magazine's archived contents. Does this sound familiar to anyone at all, and is it still offered? I hadn't gone to the site in ages, since it was pretty much useless before. There's absolutely no mention of it that I can find in the current site.

Someone recently gave me a box of Harper's going back through 1994. Guess which single issue is missing from 1996. *grumble* I've poked around some and haven't seen the original out in the wild, but if you're set on reading the thing, back issues are only ten bucks(wouldn't try with something this old), or fifteen for a specific article.

― Su (BoredInsomniac), Saturday, 17 April 2004 12:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks for the info. The access to their archives via digital subscription isn't familiar to me though I am going to see if any libraries have their own Harper's archives to offer. If not I might just bite the bullet and try ordering the back issue or even spring for that 15 dollar-per-article rip-off rate -ah, the joys of being a Franzen addict...

― RR (restandrec), Monday, 19 April 2004 20:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Also try used magazine shops (or even eBay for that matter).

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Good advice -cheers (just searched eBay with no luck but never mind).

― RR (restandrec), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 22:00 (twenty-one years ago)

i might have a digital copy of this saved at home. don't think i ever actually read it. bump to the top to see if i can remember to look.

― andrew s (andrew s), Tuesday, 27 April 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Bumping as requested and obviously would love to get a copy of this if you do have it. I've also just sent you an e-mail about it -yes, I know, I have no life...

― RR (restandrec), Friday, 30 April 2004 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

bump bump bump

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Sunday, 23 October 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

I have that Harper's (kept it for just this reason) and my friend has a scanner, so if you can wait a few more days I can put up a copy.

I never thought the logic of the original was tenuous; it would be interesting to compare the two. Franzen is obsessive -- he writes blindfolded, I heard? -- and I'm sure a brutal self-editor.

― Paul Eater (eater), Sunday, 23 October 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

Thos is the thread where we typer with our eyes shut

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 24 October 2005 05:19 (twenty years ago)

"They say love is blind, and reportedly, Franzen wrote The Corrections wearing a blindfold. Any connection? "That's not right about the blindfold," Franzen says. Silence. Then: "Perhaps only ten or twelve total pages of that book were written blindfolded." A pause. "Or at least the first draft came out blindfolded." Franzen then explains the blindfold -- here come the cigarettes: "I quit smoking ... Cigarettes are both a cleverness enhancer and a suppressor of emotion. The next big turn for me between where I was as a writer and where I was going was toward greater receptivity to emotion." After he quit smoking, he found it harder to concentrate; he donned the blindfold to force himself to focus."

-from Book magazine interview: link.

― RR (restandrec), Monday, 24 October 2005 17:59 (twenty years ago)

Sorry, here's the link: interview.

― RR (restandrec), Monday, 24 October 2005 18:05 (twenty years ago)

"Cigarettes are both a cleverness enhancer and a suppressor of emotion."

wtf??

― John (jdahlem), Monday, 24 October 2005 18:59 (twenty years ago)

Anybody tried writing blindfolded? I tried it a bit today. My touch-typing is not quite good enough, so I keep having to whip off the mask and correct the parts where my fingers were in the wrong place. But it's a great anti-distraction tool! Completely keeps me from looking at things I shouldn't.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

Maybe it's best to revise your previous tactic of writing in a field of copulating adolescents?

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 18:17 (twenty years ago)

It was a dark and stormy ni god that is a hot adolescent.

― wmlynch (wlynch), Tuesday, 25 October 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

Let us go then, you and I, when the evening is oh my god would you look at those. would you look at. Those. Oh.

― tom west (thomp), Wednesday, 26 October 2005 14:04 (twenty years ago)

So I asked my friend if I could use her scanner, and she said sure, but you know that article's online in several places, such as for example weirdly here.

― Paul Eater (eater), Friday, 4 November 2005 15:53 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

ON FRANZEN SUM STRAIT UP BULLSHIT H8 THIS NIGGA CALLIN MY PHONE POSSESSIN MY BODY FUK THIS HO &I HE GOT SUM SRS MIND CONTROL ISSUES IN THAT ONE BOOK DISCOMFORT ZONE NIGGA FUCK THIS I CALL HIM A NIGGA AND IM RELATED TO HIM SO FUCK T HIS FAGGOT AND I DONT DOUBT HE GONNA SUE ME FOR SAYIN IT BUT FOR REAL HE REMIND ME OF THIS NIGGA IN A MAROON TRUCK AT THE STORE WHO WAS LOOKIN AT THE PORNOS AND GOT SOMETHIN WITH BLACK CHICKS AND SUBVOCALIZED "U LICK MY DUKE? --BAD BOYAS HE WAS WALKING OUT FUCK THIS NIGGA IMHO AND IF HE COME LOOK IN ASS FOR ME ILL FIRE ON HIM KILL HIM BOTH OF THEM AAMOF I SAY THIS UNDER MY REAL NAME FUCK THIS MOTHERFUCKER I THINK HES A FALSE FLAG REICHSTAG ASS MOTHERFUCKER CALL NIGGER ON THIS MOTHERFUCKING BASTARD CULT ASS MIND CONTROL NIGGER

― THE PICTURE OF OPRAH GRAY (usic), Wednesday, 4 March 2009 15:33 (sixteen years ago)

nice try tuomas

― Jesus Lulz (special guest stars mark bronson), Wednesday, 4 March 2009 15:35 (sixteen years ago)

maybe i need to reread it

― THE PICTURE OF OPRAH GRAY (usic), Wednesday, 4 March 2009 15:36 (sixteen years ago)

what do u think of david foster wallace luriqua

― homie bhabha (max), Wednesday, 4 March 2009 15:49 (sixteen years ago)

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