Mina Loy - Stories and Essays of Mina Loy

PAGE 117

“ ‘got our pride’ ” reads “ ‘got out pride’ ” —ed .

“ ‘Our own ’Ide’ ” was “ ‘Our own little ’Ide’ ”

“ ‘might a bin’ ” was “ ‘might be’ ”

PAGE 118

The sentence beginning “The mission house” reads: “The mission house and The Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Children, all this society’s wards are children who fail to reform their parents, took up this case.” —ed .

“ ‘Criminals you say, dear me!’ ” reads “ ‘Criminals’ you say, dear me!’ ” —ed .

After “enquired Hyde willingly” reads “?” —ed .

PAGE 119

“own conception, exactly” was “own, exactly”

PAGE 120

“ ‘a criminolo — —’ ” was “ ‘a criminologist’ ”

“ ‘He will understand this case’ ” was “ ‘he will understand your case’ ”

The “+” between “ ‘case’ ” and “Mrs. Bates” is not in the original text, although Loy leaves a space between these paragraphs— ed .

“ ‘would get’ ” was “ ‘would getting’ ”

PAGE 121

“ ‘I should discourage it’ ”—“ ‘I should’ ” is crossed out in text —ed .

After “ ‘Oh certainly’ ” was “said the doctor”

“ ‘make his attempt’ ” reads “ ‘[ torn page ]ake his attempt’ ” —ed.

PAGE 122

After “reprovingly” reads “(sententiously?)” —ed .

“ ‘Which has made’ ” was “ ‘Which makes’ ”

“ ‘Criminals.’ She harped” reads “ ‘Criminals’ She” and was “ ‘Crimi- nals’ she” —ed.

PAGE 123

“ ‘And don’t ’ ” was “ ‘and don’t ’ ”

PAGE 124

“pressed upon him” was “pressed against him”

PAGE 125

“he saw them” may read “He saw them” —ed .

“convulsion” reads conv[ torn page ]sion” —ed .

“of all the actualities” was “of the actualities”

“magic that might spread” was “magic to spread”

PAGE 126

“realising” was “knowing it”

PAGE 128

“far distant pub” reads “far distant Pub” —ed .

“ ‘quicker than the lot’ ” reads “ ‘quicker that the lot’ ” —ed .

PAGE 129

“town, and tonight” reads “town, tonight” —ed .

PAGE 130

“Jacky had hauled” was “Jacky was hauling”

PAGE 131

“he looked” was “he was”

PAGE 132

“And he seemed. . had been told” is a later addition

“said Jacky, looking round the room, ‘you’ ” was “said Jacky, ‘you’ ”

PAGE 134

“and given him” was “and she had given him”

“ ‘with it—“rich” ’ ” reads “ ‘with it, — “rich” ’ ” —ed .

After “+” the last three quarters of the remaining page is torn away —ed .

A scrap between pages, largely crossed out, reads:

Leah Sloan — is a thief

artists model

the artist approves—

of her stealing—

“The ego” was “But the ego”

PAGE 135

“coins that so much” was “coins so much”

After “shop-keeper” a long horizontal line is drawn across the page —ed .

“ ‘simulacrum of our understanding’ ” was “ ‘simulacrum of under- standing’ ”

“ ‘out of his eye’ ” was “ ‘out of the artist’s eye’ ”

“of their home” reads “of the[ torn page ] home” —ed .

“Their household. . their names” is a later addition

Before “Counterpoised and empty” was “They harmonised in perfectly”

PAGE 136

“years” reads “yea[ faded page ]” —ed .

“had” reads “ha[ scratched out letter ] —ed .

“reference” reads “refer-[ torn page ]” —ed .

“rather to have” was “rather have”

Above “antedating” reads “ceding?” —ed .

“Praxiteles had been raising” is “Praxiteles ha[ torn page ] raising” —ed .

PAGE 137

“courtyard where Ian had found them” was “courtyard”

“busy students became” was “busy students were” and “busy stu- dents now”

“disinterestedness” was “disinterest”

“most probable” was “just possible”

“They behaved” was “So they behaved”

“the parties” was “the flamboyant parties”

The “+” between “about” and “And” is not in the original, although Loy leaves a space between these paragraphs —ed .

“And when the Professor” was “When the Professor”

“isolated monomaniac” was “monomaniac in his isolation”

“wag, appraising” was “wag their” or “wag them”

“bourgeois” reads “bourg” —ed .

PAGE 138

“that he was coming” was “him coming”

“lifted off the long leg” was “lifted the leg”

“over the wooden stool” was “off the wooden stool”

“attention” reads “attenti[ torn page ]” —ed .

“ ‘I suppose you know’ ” was “ ‘you know’ ”

After “ ‘a woman’ ” Loy leaves a blank line in the manuscript — ed .

PAGE 139

“It occurred to him. . woman unclothed” is a later addition

“except the vast” reads “except th[ torn page ] vast” —ed .

“chest with” was “chest of drawers with”

“three yards” reads “three yds” —ed .

“volatile mountain” was “floating volatile mountain”

“lay diffused in” was “lay buried under”

TRANSFIGURATION.

(6:180)

“Transfiguration.” consists of an incomplete typescript that has been edited in Loy’s hand; many paragraphs throughout end with a pencilled “x”—perhaps denoting that they have been checked and approved. It is likely that the story draws on Loy’s 1917 journey from New York to Mexico to meet Arthur Cravan, whom she married shortly thereafter ( BM 251, 255).

A boxer and a fond purveyor of outrageous impromptu performances, Cravan wrote for and published the little magazine Maintenant in Paris (1913–15), and came to New York in 1917, where he met Loy. Cravan has been hailed as one of the earliest proponents of Dada; a sample of his writing and a discussion of his relationship to the movement can be located in The Dada Painters and Poets: An Anthology (Robert Motherwell, ed. 2 nded. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard UP, 1981).

Dan Leno, who is briefly referenced in “Transfiguration.” was a music-hall comedian and performer who lived and worked in England in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

PAGE 140

“Outside” was “Out of”

The sentence beginning “The scout-train” was “The scout-train preceded us for a space of danger with its barefoot soldiers standing watchful on the roof; shunted off somewhere into the steaming sunset.”

“inch of earth that bound” reads “inch of earth: that bound”— ed.

“Now that it was no longer protected, our train” was “No longer protected, and our train”

“a compartment” was “one compartment” and “our compartment”

PAGE 141

“while contours” was “their contours”; “while” is unclear, and could be “which” or “white”— ed.

“reminded me how” was “and I remembered how”

“ ‘— — it hasn’t got’ ” reads “ ‘— —’t hasn’t got’ ”— ed.

After “ ‘face’ ” reads an incomplete amendment that begins “And then as I said staring at”— ed.