Mina Loy - Stories and Essays of Mina Loy

Loy’s handwritten corrections can be found throughout the typescript of “Monde Triple-Extra,” and the visible edits are documented below; the majority are indecipherable, as they have been blacked out with a heavy hand.

PAGE 57

“left corner” was “left hand corner”

PAGE 58

“harem or a” was “harem”

“For as the” was “For the”

“soldier beside” was “soldier next to”

“must fall” was likely “must die”

“so had each eager lady dismissed” was “so did each eager lady dismiss”

“those ladies attending upon” was “the ladies attendant on”

“a firmness” was “such firmness”

“and fluent curve of rosy thigh” was “such fluent curve of ivory thigh”

PAGE 59

“wandering fingers” was “long white hand”

“ geste négligent ” reads “ ‘geste negligent’ ” —ed .

PAGE 60

“a skirt revealing” was “her skirt which revealed”

“weary of—). And her loose” was “weary of) whose loose”

“cloud in a wind” was “cloud in the wind”

“thither. And as” was “thither and as”

“made of a metal” reads “made of a mettle” —ed.

“moon. While the” was “moon while the”

PAGE 61

“under that name” was “in that name”

“the wand; allowing” was “the wand allowing”

“alabaster, enrapturing” reads “alabaster, enraptured” —ed .

“Adoration” was “adoration”

“from her with the mop” was “from her the mop”

PAGE 62

“Youth is occasionally incapable” was “Youth in the majority is incapable”

NEW YORK CAMELIO

(6:177)

This character sketch was probably written in the late twenties or very early thirties; it is embedded in a notebook otherwise dominated by another story and a few drafts of a poem called “The Widow’s Jazz” that Loy read aloud at the Paris salon of American writer Natalie Barney in 1927, and published in 1931 ( Lost LB 95–97).

Loy has titled both pages of the handwritten manuscript, which wittily demarcates in miniature many of her writerly concerns, including failed romance, abjection, excess, and self-dissolution. The protagonist’s name is variously written as “Cameleo” and “Camelio”—“Camelio” is used in the title.

PAGE 64

“The woman is meditating” reads “the woman is meditating” and “the woman. . how” appears to be a later addition —ed .

“of life that drew man out” was “of desire that drew Life out”

“Do you” was “Now do you”

“behave yourself” was “control yourself”

“profile of” was “profile like”

“Camelio has — Camelio” reads “Camelio has [a] Camelio”—the dash is uncertain —ed .

PAZZARELLA

(6:171 & 172)

“Pazzarella” is modelled on Loy’s relationships with the leaders of Italian FUTURISM Giovanni Papini and F. T. Marinetti, with whom she became close in 1913 while living in Florence ( BM 151). There is ready evidence for this supposition: a “Mafarka” appears in Loy’s story, and Marinetti published a novel entitled Mafarka the Futurist in 1910. Additionally, under the title of her handwritten draft, Loy writes: “Parody of Gio’s Work”; above it she notes: “Dedicated to the great Tuscan — the most sympathetic of misogynists.” Lastly, some of the content of “Pazzarella” overlaps with that of Loy’s well-known poem sequence, “Songs to Joannes,” which is widely believed to refer to Loy’s ill-fated romance with Papini ( Lost LB 53–68).

There are two available manuscripts of “Pazzarella”: one handwritten, one typed. The differences between the two are slight, and where three pages are missing from the typed version, the sense is readily continued via reference to the handwritten draft. At the top of the typescript, Loy has pencilled a note correcting the spelling of her female protagonist’s name; “Pazzerella” is used throughout, but Loy has written “should be / spelled Pazzarella / Pazz / meaning slightly / mad woman”.

The letters in this narrative are translated from the French by Martin Crowley; the original versions can be located in the editorial notes below.

PAGE 67

“ ‘My affection’ ” was “ ‘But my affection’ ”

PAGE 68

Above “embraced me ceremoniously” reads, by hand, “or cer- emonially?”— ed .

“to my mind.” reads “to my mind-.-” —ed .

PAGE 69

“ ‘No — you trust’ ” was “ ‘No — no you trust’ ”

“ ‘ You have chosen me!’ ” was “ ‘ You chose me!’ ”

“ ‘me after all—’ ” reads “ ‘me after all—.’ ” —ed .

PAGE 70

Above “those intelligent eyes” reads “or so recently awakened?”— note also that “intelligent” is in parentheses —ed .

“ ‘hardly relevant,’ ” was “ ‘hardly advisable’ ”

After “freedom again” there is a gap in the typescript from pages nine to eleven; the sense continues seamlessly in the handwrit- ten draft which is used here

After “ ‘world—’ ” was “etc.” followed by a blank space occupying about a quarter of the page —ed .

“I had prescribed” was “I prescribed”

PAGE 71

Typescript resumes at “out of mere contrariness”

PAGE 72

“ ‘I in no way’ ” reads “ ‘I, who in no way’ ” —ed .

“ ‘yourself — outraging’ ” reads “ ‘yourself. outraging’ ” —ed .

“ in extremis ” reads “in extremis” and was “in the extremis” —ed .

“ ‘your flesh—’ ” reads “ ‘your flesh—.’ ” —ed .

PAGE 73

Above “ ‘illuminated lovers’ ” reads “illumined?” —ed .

“ ‘at its goal—’ ” reads “ ‘at its goal—.’ ” —ed .

“ ‘affinity—’ ” reads “ ‘affinity—.’ ” —ed .

“ ‘takes nostalgic leave’ ” was “ ‘takes a nostalgic leave’ ”

“ ‘ humblest ’ ” was “ ‘humblest’ ”

“ ‘And, doesn’t exist—’ ”—Loy leaves these quotations intact in the typescript, rendering the speaker uncertain —ed .

PAGE 74

In the typescript, after “ ‘I shall murder you’ ” there is no break be- fore the next paragraph —ed .

“ ‘a brute—’ ” ” reads “ ‘a brute—.’ ” ” —ed .

PAGE 75

“ ‘or a theoretical ethic’ ”—“theoretical” is written by hand into what appears to be a blank space in the typescript —ed .

After “ ‘theoretical ethic?’ ” there is a gap in the typescript of two pages; again, the sense continues seamlessly in the handwritten draft, which is used here —ed .

“ ‘Futurist ethics’ ” reads “ ‘futurist ethics’ ” —ed .

After “ ‘postponement’ ” was “ ‘The public may learn if it waits long enough.’ ”

“ ‘have been kept waiting’ ” was “ ‘are kept waiting’ ”

After “ ‘always waited?’ ” was “ ‘Has nothing to wait for— / She has always been waiting’ ”

“Mafarka” has been changed to “Brontoloni”; later in the script, Mafarka is the name to which Loy returns, and hence is used here —ed .

PAGE 76

After “ ‘she blushed?’ ” the bottom of the page is torn off, and a line or two of dialogue may be missing —ed .

“ ‘rather that not being’ ” reads “ ‘rather (that) not being’ ” —ed .