Something does, on occasion, fall from a torch. A bit of pitch.
Karl Kraus (F 279-280: 5)

  blog  

post № 24

1 June 2015

 

New translation: A prejudice, a premature judgment

A prejudice, a premature judgment” (1913) is a translation of the gloss entitled “Ein Vorurteil” (F 378-380: 24) and is, to the best of my knowledge, the first English translation of this gloss. Should this be false, kindly let me know where I can find an existing translation. I would be very interested in reading it.

 

This gloss is, in a number of ways, classic Kraus. He begins with an apparently harmless report supported by certain evidence (an eye-witness account), proceeds to measure that report against the facts, and finds it wanting. The author of the report claims to have seen and heard Ms. Pasqué on stage. But the report is incommensurate with the facts—not because the eye-witness account of the performance somehow gets the facts of the performance wrong; Kraus even admits that they’re right. The report is incommensurate with the facts because it itself is not what it purports to be: it purports to be an eye-witness account of a performance, but no eye had been capable of bearing witness to that performance. It is, as it were, a true lie in praise of dulcet tones and art, but a lie all the same. The truth is all that matters and is no matter here—a wonderful play by Kraus.

comments

your post
your e-mail address will not be published:

your name
your comment*


* are required fields