Mina Loy - Stories and Essays of Mina Loy

“come and live were” reads “come and live there were” —ed.

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“see a singing master. They” reads “see a singing master they” —ed.

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“up his head and opening his mouth” reads “up his and opening his mouth”— ed.

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“looked exceedingly” reads “looked as exceedingly” —ed.

GLORIA GAMMAGE

(6:164)

This short story is a sketch based on the American writer and wealthy socialite Mabel Dodge Luhan, here named Gloria Gammage. Dodge was one of Loy’s closest friends and influences in Florence, where Loy moved in 1907 ( BM 119–22). Loy writes “Mabel” in large hand near the top of the last page, which also yields an instance in which the name of Mabel’s first husband, the architect Edwin Dodge, can be discerned beneath “Antony,” Loy’s male protagonist. Most sheets of this handwritten manuscript conclude with a total word count for the page in question. While reading as a complete narrative, the piece begins mid-sentence, suggesting that a portion may be missing at the outset.

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Prior to the first paragraph, the manuscript reads: “ermine of her cloaks, — and feathers soft as her lashes — isolated her from the prevailing light—”

“Gammage” reads “Gammadge” in the first instance only —ed.

“hurry” reads “[ torn page ]urry” —ed.

“weeded in” was “weeded by”

“accesses of surfeit it was” reads “accesses of surfeit was” —ed.

“surfeit was” was “surfeit were”

After “personality” reads, partly crossed out: “(she picked up Esau and a couple of his sunset glows and stuffing them beside her in the car — off home with him.)” —ed.

All honorifics—“Mr. and Mrs. Gammage”—read “Mr and Mrs” —ed.

“out at official” reads “out official” —ed.

“Mr. Gammage advising” reads “Mr. Gammage — advising” —ed.

“who’s whos ruminated” reads “who who’s ruminated” and was “who who’s stare” —ed.

“glass ambush” was “the impregnable glass ambush”

“biology” was “anatomy”

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“emptiness” was “intuition”

“that her instincts” was “those instincts”

“marriage and the social prestige” was “marriage at Palms”

“budge” was “move”

“conscious of the men than most women who are” reads “conscious than of the men most women = who are” —ed.

“into conscious” reads “into consci[ torn page ]” —ed.

“irritations of longings” was “irritations towards actions”

“cannot sensitize” was “cannot clearly sensitize”

Loy draws a line between “sensitize—” and the paragraph that follows —ed.

“eyes searching” was “eyes roving”

“seemed to” reads “[ torn page ]eemed to” —ed.

“get under” was “get her fingers under”

“alike” reads “a[ torn page ]ke” —ed.

“fuller interpretations” was “higher interpretations”

“of the ‘whole vitality’. . fuller interpretations—” is underlined in Loy’s text —ed.

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“only woman” was “only person”

“blown herself up for” was “blown herself for”

“ostracism” was “isolation”

“bizarre ingredients” was “bizarre material—”

“inquisitive soul” reads “inquisitive soul.)—” —ed.

“amplitude and” reads “amplitude of and” —ed.

“when she was bored” was “when she was tired”

“Between her and Felicity” was “Felicity”

“provenance income” was “provenance and income”

“there had” was “had long their”

“degree of social parity” was “degree of parity”

“were with the” was “had with the”

“slower sociable” was “slower men”

“she phones” was “she calls”

“thrown her” was “thrown away”

“because they have no emotions” was “they have no emotions”

“types with which she” was “types she”

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“says her husband” reads “says her husbands” —ed.

“covered in priceless lace” was “covered with lace”

“delights to drop hot” was “delights in dropping hot”

“and is listless to her husband’s wooing” was “and is not listening to her husband’s persuasions”

“no man’s land of meaning” was “no mans landing of significance”

“anxious” was “determined”

“leaving Gloria” was “and leaves Gloria”

“to strike the population” was “to strike terror into half the popu- lation”

“Gloria, knowing” was “But Gloria, knowing”

“has invoked” was “has inadv”

“pale in significance” reads “pale into significance” —ed.

“an enormous overdose” was “an overdose”

“The commotion” reads “ [torn page] e commotion” —ed.

“in her extensive household” was “in her household”

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“finds Antony” was “finds Edwin”

“mooing around” reads “mooing [torn page] round” —ed.

HUSH MONEY

(6:160)

“Hush Money” is prefaced by a note in Loy’s hand which reads: “Daniel is Mina Loy when she went to see her father who was dying—”. Burke counters this claim by pointing out that when Loy’s father Sigmund Lowy died in England in 1917, Loy was residing in New York, and hadn’t seen him for five years ( BM 248). Although “Hush Money” remains fragmented and incomplete, it was clearly important to Loy; on meeting Freud in 1922, Loy gave him a copy of this story which the psychoanalyst duly read and pronounced “ ‘analytic’ ” ( BM 312–13).

In “Hush Money,” as in “The Three Wishes,” Loy uses a “+” to indicate a break between some narrative fragments; she also conducts careful word counts throughout. The surname “Bundy” reappears briefly in Loy’s “The Agony of the Partition”.

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All honorifics — as in “Mr. and Mrs. Bundy”—are “Mr and Mrs” in the original text —ed.

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In original, a blank line exists between “ashes.” and “Mrs. Bundy was appointed” —ed.

After “her keys” reads the following passage, crossed through:

There was another daughter who said nothing, she had of- ten desired death [but considered it her duty for fear of criticism to stay] but considered that to be a shirking of duty, for one of them must “stay” with father and mother.

She stayed.

Daniel left.

“seventh male nurse” was “male nurse”

After “male nurse” was “who was seventh in the series”

“prescribed for rotten patches” was “prescribed for him”

“still more” was “still greater”

“persuasiveness” was “persuasions”

“The poor half imbecile” was “he got positively”

After “approach” was “And had in the wordy”

“expert insults” was “expert verbal insults”

“which forced” was “which co”

“for protection” was “for their last protection” and “for their last ambush”

“justification — the truth—” reads “justification the truth” —ed.

“necessity for peace” was “necessity with his sons”

“Her next” was “In her”

“was incredible — a cheque” was “was a cheque” and reads “was incredible a cheque” —ed.

After “consciousness” was “had been eased as by confession”