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Bibliographic Information
Xray
by Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven
Original Source
Encoded documents and images are derived from manuscripts in the Papers of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven in Special Collections at the University of Maryland, College Park, Libraries. In addition, individual pages or leaves of manuscripts are identified by the corresponding reel and frame numbers of the microfilm edition of the Freytag-Lorinhoven Papers.
The one printed version of Xray appeared in transition 7 (October 1927): 135.
Witness List
- First: this version appeared in transition 7 (October 1927): 135. There is no image for this version.
- Second: Reel 5, Frame 514
- Third: Reel 5, Frame 1130
- Fourth: Reel 5, Frame 188
- Fifth: Reel 5, Frame 23
- Sixth: Reel 5, Frame 1132
- Seventh: Reel 5, Frame 1136
- Eighth: Reel 5, Frame 1131
- Ninth: Reel 5, Frame 1134
- Tenth: Reel 5, Frame 1133
Textual Notes
Drafts of this poem occupy series 3, box 4, folder 44. The Sixth version appears on the verso of a version of "Navigation" in series 3, box 3, folder 3. The Seventh version appears on the verso of a version of "Orchard Farming" in series 3, box 3, folder 14. The Eighth version appears on the verso of "Sermon on Life's Beggar Truth" in series 3, box 3, folder 43. It was written between 1923 and 1927. The Tenth version was published alongside "Café du Dôme" in transition 7 (October 1927): 135.
Electronic Edition Information:
Responsibility Statement:
- Text Encoding by Tanya Clement
- Proofing and Additional Encoding by Tanya Clement
- TIFF images scanned at 600 dpi from manuscript pages and JPEGS derived byTanya Clement
Publication Details:
Published by Tanya Clement.
Office of Digital Collections and Research (DCR), University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven's poetry is printed here with the support of the University of Maryland Libraries. Permission to reproduce images of Freytag-Loringhoven's manuscripts has also been generously granted by the libraries.
This poem and manuscript drafts are available from this site for demonstration purposes only. Though the intellectual property of Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven is in the public domain, all annotations and editorial commentary are copyrighted. They may not be reproduced without explicit permission from the copyright holder. For copyright information, please contact Tanya Clement.
Encoding Principles
DTD constructed from TEI P5 poetry base with tagsets for linking, figures, analysis, transcr, textcrit.
Line numbers have been included to reflect the numbering across all versions. Thus, some line numbers are missing on versions which do not include all lines within the text.
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Critical Introduction
Critical Introduction
The poem “Xray" was published in transition (October 1927: 134-135). There are ten extant versions (including the published text). Across the versions there are some phrases that remain more or less the same, some that change course and change back, and still others that evolve quite dramatically in a perceptive, linear fashion.
In “Psychoanalytic Reading and the Avant-texte” Jean Bellemin-Noël sites “chance” as the salient element within the textual event that mollifies the need to reproduce temporality in the genetic edition. If we paraphrase his words, it is enough to engage temporal uncertainty and the element of chance by engaging space. He writes, "we absolutely must substitute spatial metaphors for temporal images to avoid reintroducing the idea of teleology" (Bellemin-Noël in Genetic Criticism. Ed. Jed Deppman, Daniel Ferrer, and Michael Groden. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004: 31). For instance, in version three of “Xray,” readings (“Suns [sic] radioinfused soil,” “Radio’s soil secret,” “Radio’s sun message,” and “Radio’s sunimpregnated soil”) may be understood as alternative readings for the same point in a line of text because of their spatial arrangement on the manuscript page, all radiating around the word “soil.” In addition, since the text appears between the second and third line of text, it appears that the word cluster is a kind of brainstorming cluster that may or may not have helped the writer develop the phrase “Dumb radiopenetrated soil” that appears, for the first time in any version, on the line beneath the cluster.
The difference between the text and the image and the dialogic these differences engage generates the element of temporal uncertainty that Bellemin-Noël requires. These deformations open a space for conversation (and play) between the digital surrogates at work (the images and the encoded texts) which, in turn, produces an environment, based on the underlying TEI encoding, that facilitates textual performance.
XWitness
This fragment is a manuscript version of Freytag-Loringhoven's compilation poem "Ostentatious: Westward: Eastward: Agog."
X - RAYS..????X-RAY.
X - RAYRADIO
NATURE INTENDSINTENDS ??CAUSES CAUSES BRASS TO CORODE OXIDIZE - Nature causes brass to oxidize PEOPLE POLISH WITH INDEFATIGABLE RUB AGAINST PRIMITIVE COROSION
NATURE INTENDS INTENDS CAUSES CAUSES NATURE CAUSES POEPLE
TO AMASS - - -AMASS CONGEST CONGEST - People to congest - POEPLE
KILL WITH INDEFATIGABLE
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
RADIO'S
SOIL SECRET
SOIL
SUN MESSAGE
PENETR SUNIMPREGNATED
BECAUSE OF RADIO BECAUSE OF RADIO - LATENTLATENTDORMANT DORMANT IDEAL OF BRILLIANCY -BRILLIANCYDORMANT WITHIN SOIL FOR PROGRESS' DUMB BY DULL RADIOPENETRATED SOIL By dull-radiopenetrated soil
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
WITH INDEFATIGEABLE RUBB AGAINST PRIMITIVE PRIMITIVEPRIMITIVE COROSION - DESTINNED Destined
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
FATE FLURY ONTO SPIRIT PRESS
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
Cosmic hand's dynamic gang
POLISH - Polish -
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
This added span, from "Polishing brass knockers .
. . to civilizations progress" appears on the manuscript before
the frist line "Nature intends . . ."
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
FOR CIVILISATIONS ADVANCEPROGRESS PROGRESS -BY DESTINY FOR FASTIDIOUS TASTE PALATE LORD For fastidioius BOSS'
NATURE AG CONTRA NATURE 'S FINISHING FINISHING PROCESS ProgressFOR SHINE LORD CONTRA CHAOSLORD CONTRA CHAOS FOR
QUALITYFOR FASTIDIOUS BRILLIANT BOSS' IDEE FIX SUM TOTAL : DIVINE IDÉE FIX Brilliant boss' "idee fixe "
LORD CONTRA CHAOS.RADIANCEOUR DESTINY DIVINE IDÉE FIX
Radiance
IDEAL OF PERFECTIONc
The following excerpt is a manuscript version of Freytag-Loringhoven's poem "Christ - Don Quixote - St. George." This poem is part of a larger compilation of poems called "Contradictory Speculations on My Own Hook's Fallibility".
HOW CAME CONCEPTION OF CHIVALRY INTO CHRIST FIRST DON QUIXOTE IN FIGHTINGDEFYING ATTACKING ELEMENTALLY DRIVEN DRIVEN FORCED BRUTAL ROTATING WINDMILL
ROTATION OF LORDS BEASTS ACTIVE FORCED
- INTO CHIRST DON QUIXOTE I. BY SPIRITUAL DESIRE OF ELEMENT SHACKLED
LORD BEASTS UNATAINABLE IN MATERIAL
DIMENSION SPIRIT LORD IS IN CHRIST -
ALL HIS DISCIPLES ARE ARE COMPROMISED USED FOR
DIGESTION ON EARTH ?? DEVOURED BY BEASTS LORD BEAST LORD BEASTS DEPENDANCE ON ENTRAILS VITALS MATTER STOMACH ELEMENTAL
VITALS TO BE DEVOURED HE MUST EAT. HERE IS
LORDGOD BODY LORD - CRUCIFYING DESTROYINGHAZING PITYING DON QUIXOTE BUT REMOVAL
OF ENTRAILSDIGESTING VITALS IS FOR ??LORDS PERFECTION BENEFIT DON QUIXOTES
RISE TO FIRM ESTATE POOR PESTERED LORD - ELEMENT THRALL LORD OFBY THY HAS NEED THINE
HIS COMPROMISED BARBARIL TO HIS CREATIONS?? MEDIUMS NECESSITY
BUT THY MESSAGE IS HEARD - THY SIGN IS BEHELD THEY OMNIPOTENCY PLENISHED BY BEASTS APPETITE BECOMES
VOLUMINOUS MORE CONFIDENTLY THY DON QUIXOTERY GROWINGS ASCENDANCY
WITH THY ASSEMBLEDSPIRITS HEROES ASSEMBLAGE - IS RECOGNIZE WE
HELP THEE FIGHTING BEASTLY WITH BEAST PURPOSE IN CONSCIOUS - GLORY NESS FOR GLORY FOR THY REDEMPTION
XWitness
This fragment is a manuscript version of Freytag-Loringhoven's compilation poem "Ostentatious: Westward: Eastward: Agog."
X - RAYS..????X-RAY.
X - RAYRADIO
NATURE INTENDSINTENDS ??CAUSES CAUSES BRASS TO CORODE OXIDIZE - Nature causes brass to oxidize PEOPLE POLISH WITH INDEFATIGABLE RUB AGAINST PRIMITIVE COROSION
NATURE INTENDS INTENDS CAUSES CAUSES NATURE CAUSES POEPLE
TO AMASS - - -AMASS CONGEST CONGEST - People to congest - POEPLE
KILL WITH INDEFATIGABLE
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
RADIO'S
SOIL SECRET
SOIL
SUN MESSAGE
PENETR SUNIMPREGNATED
BECAUSE OF RADIO BECAUSE OF RADIO - LATENTLATENTDORMANT DORMANT IDEAL OF BRILLIANCY -BRILLIANCYDORMANT WITHIN SOIL FOR PROGRESS' DUMB BY DULL RADIOPENETRATED SOIL By dull-radiopenetrated soil
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
WITH INDEFATIGEABLE RUBB AGAINST PRIMITIVE PRIMITIVEPRIMITIVE COROSION - DESTINNED Destined
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
FATE FLURY ONTO SPIRIT PRESS
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
Cosmic hand's dynamic gang
POLISH - Polish -
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
This added span, from "Polishing brass knockers .
. . to civilizations progress" appears on the manuscript before
the frist line "Nature intends . . ."
Alternate spelling: PEOPLE
FOR CIVILISATIONS ADVANCEPROGRESS PROGRESS -BY DESTINY FOR FASTIDIOUS TASTE PALATE LORD For fastidioius BOSS'
NATURE AG CONTRA NATURE 'S FINISHING FINISHING PROCESS ProgressFOR SHINE LORD CONTRA CHAOSLORD CONTRA CHAOS FOR
QUALITYFOR FASTIDIOUS BRILLIANT BOSS' IDEE FIX SUM TOTAL : DIVINE IDÉE FIX Brilliant boss' "idee fixe "
LORD CONTRA CHAOS.RADIANCEOUR DESTINY DIVINE IDÉE FIX
Radiance
IDEAL OF PERFECTIONc
The following excerpt is a manuscript version of Freytag-Loringhoven's poem "Christ - Don Quixote - St. George." This poem is part of a larger compilation of poems called "Contradictory Speculations on My Own Hook's Fallibility".
HOW CAME CONCEPTION OF CHIVALRY INTO CHRIST FIRST DON QUIXOTE IN FIGHTINGDEFYING ATTACKING ELEMENTALLY DRIVEN DRIVEN FORCED BRUTAL ROTATING WINDMILL
ROTATION OF LORDS BEASTS ACTIVE FORCED
- INTO CHIRST DON QUIXOTE I. BY SPIRITUAL DESIRE OF ELEMENT SHACKLED
LORD BEASTS UNATAINABLE IN MATERIAL
DIMENSION SPIRIT LORD IS IN CHRIST -
ALL HIS DISCIPLES ARE ARE COMPROMISED USED FOR
DIGESTION ON EARTH ?? DEVOURED BY BEASTS LORD BEAST LORD BEASTS DEPENDANCE ON ENTRAILS VITALS MATTER STOMACH ELEMENTAL
VITALS TO BE DEVOURED HE MUST EAT. HERE IS
LORDGOD BODY LORD - CRUCIFYING DESTROYINGHAZING PITYING DON QUIXOTE BUT REMOVAL
OF ENTRAILSDIGESTING VITALS IS FOR ??LORDS PERFECTION BENEFIT DON QUIXOTES
RISE TO FIRM ESTATE POOR PESTERED LORD - ELEMENT THRALL LORD OFBY THY HAS NEED THINE
HIS COMPROMISED BARBARIL TO HIS CREATIONS?? MEDIUMS NECESSITY
BUT THY MESSAGE IS HEARD - THY SIGN IS BEHELD THEY OMNIPOTENCY PLENISHED BY BEASTS APPETITE BECOMES
VOLUMINOUS MORE CONFIDENTLY THY DON QUIXOTERY GROWINGS ASCENDANCY
WITH THY ASSEMBLEDSPIRITS HEROES ASSEMBLAGE - IS RECOGNIZE WE
HELP THEE FIGHTING BEASTLY WITH BEAST PURPOSE IN CONSCIOUS - GLORY NESS FOR GLORY FOR THY REDEMPTION