From:
       "John V. Knapp" <[log in to unmask]>

Mon 4:40 PM


Hi folks --

Re:  "A little head."  There I was, deep in the bowels (no Freudian pun
allowed) of the NIU Founder's Library when I discovered this hitherto
unpublished poem.  It was in a language I had never heard of before, but a
beautiful Princess from this outlandish country happened to be doing her
dissertation on "Lacanian Thinkers: Who IS the Father of Them All?" and
graciously consented to translate it for me;  she was, as the saying goes,
fast! and her pen literally flew o'r the paper. Here it is. I might add,
parenthetically, that were my marital circumstances otherwise, I might
have invited the Princess for a cup of tea, or a turn on the local dance
floor, but that is another whole ball of wax, not to put too fine a point
on the whole matter.

Here is the very rough translation:

There once was a little head named Dick,
Whose colleagues often thought him a prick.
'Cause frequently when metaphors abound
A little head can get twisted around,
Though others think the whole thing is sick!


JVK
*******************


On Thu, 28 Mar 2002, Norman Holland wrote:

> From:
>        Daniel Sapen <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Wed 10:27 PM
>
>
> This was a perfectly accurate use of irony.  Guy walks down the street.
> Sees girl he is familiar with, has leeway with, says to her, "hey honey,
> you're hot".  She, knowing they have a certain freedom with each other,
> says "How dare you!", Slaps him and laughs.  Playing with irony.
>
> "A little head never hurt" - Alternate meaning - fellatio is good.
> Addressing the irony by ignoring it, I say "sometimes it does", meaning
> some women fail to watch out for their teeth.  Maybe some men's penises
> have overly large heads, leading to risk of painful fellatio.  The subtext
> of the whole thread, with the cross-reference to castration-fear, the
> ambiguity of ownership of  a conspicious genital for which one will be
> punished (the pain of failed "head")  and penis-envy issues.

cut ...

******************
John V. Knapp

Professor, Dept. of English;
Editorial Board, *Style;*        [log in to unmask]
Northern Illinois University     http://www.niu.edu/english/jvk/knapp.htm
330 Reavis Hall                  Office Phone: (815) 753-6632
Dekalb  60115  USA

        To depreciate a Book maliciously, or even wantonly, is
        at least a very ill-natured office; and a morose snarling
        Critic may, I believe, be suspected to be a bad Man.
                Henry Fielding,  *Tom Jones.*