Thursday 25 April 2013

V is for ... VEUILLEZ TROUVER CI-INCLUS


So today is the 25th of April, which must mean that it's the twenty-second day of the A to Z challenge.  I've decided to share my love of writing through this challenge, and hopefully introduce people to the world of Oulipo.  I first heard about Oulipo when I was at university, and I was fascinated by their approach to writing that I decided to delve deeper into the world of experimental writing.

In a nutshell, this group of writers likes to assign constraints to their work in order to push creative boundaries.  Not only is this fun to do (the process of writing something with a constraint really does open the mind), the results are brilliant.



*****

V is for ... VEUILLEZ TROUVER CI-INCLUS
"This first section opens with an account of a dog whose owner, while speaking to someone else, noticed the animal unexpectedly sit up as if called.  He realised that he had inadvertently spoken the dog's name: the familiar sound had been formed by the last syllable of one word fusing with the first syllable of the next." 
Oulipo Compendium ed. Harry Matthews & Alastiar Brotchie (London: Atlas Press, 2005) page 87.
*****

Basically 'veuillez trouver ci-inclus' translates to 'please find enclosed', and it is a method of writing one thing, but hiding other things within the text.

I wrote this poem, and hid the names of five Oulipians (Italo Calvino, Georges Perec, Raymond Queneau, Jacques Roubaud, Harry Mathews) within the text.


Peek-a-boulipo

A piece of your prose poses as literature
yet your poetry, knowingly, doesn’t keep pace
and, tho’ slated, snaps back at back handed
attacks with matter of fact tactics and flat
classics that hang their hats at the feet
of the satirical poet.

A long winded, strong worded, extended
song of comical venosity that ferociously
sickens those who have written pretty gritty
lyrics and jaw gelling villanelles which
whisper eccentricity and eclectically
prosper, possibly.

A classless vast array, mundane refrains
of pain and hate and razor blades, lacking
sanguine nouns and catchy sounds yet
splurge active platitudes on a surge of
shameful clichés; a half-arsed, slap dash,
mish mash of crap.

A blue rant in red and black, alack, alack,
a fanatic lament, anticlimactic in sentiment,
unlike the true bold statements of those in
the know – the Oulipo – who marry method
with madness and make a mathematic mess
with expressive finesse.

A satisfying aftermath using sassy chaps, fancy
tracks, actual tags and the practicality that
originality isn’t criminal.  Fascinate, stimulate,
educate, postulate and experimate until your
brain aches and your inane tastes evacuate
and make page space for me.

**
(and here are the answers if you didn't spot them!)

Peek-a-boulipo

A piece of your prose poses as literature
yet your poetry, knowingly, doesn’t keep pace
and, tho’ slated, snaps back at back handed
attacks with matter of fact tactics and flat
classics that hang their hats at the feet
of the satirical poet.

A long winded, strong worded, extended
song of comical venosity that ferociously
sickens those who have written pretty gritty
lyrics and jaw gelling villanelles which
whisper eccentricity and eclectically
prosper, possibly.

A classless vast array, mundane refrains
of pain and hate and razor blades, lacking
sanguine nouns and catchy sounds yet
splurge active platitudes on a surge of
shameful clichés; a half-arsed, slap dash,
mish mash of crap.

A blue rant in red and black, alack, alack,
a fanatic lament, anticlimactic in sentiment,
unlike the true bold statements of those in
the know – the Oulipo – who marry method
with madness and make a mathematic mess
with expressive finesse.

A satisfying aftermath using sassy chaps, fancy
tracks, actual tags and the practicality that
originality isn’t criminal.  Fascinate, stimulate,
educate, postulate and experimate until your
brain aches and your inane tastes evacuate
and make page space for me.

et a lo cal veno = Italo Calvino
jaw ge per ec = Georges Perec
ray mund guine no = Raymond Queneau
ge ac rue bo = Jacques Roubaud
arry math us = Harry Mathews


4 comments:

  1. I had to read this again n again. But learning so much this month.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's supposed to be a subtle inclusion, so the words/names aren't obvious to spot.

      Delete
  2. love this post:

    I was driving to the store the other day, but had to pull over to check my tires. But then I saw a cat hissing at me. I said, "Stop! O, Stop!" but it just kept hissing, so I left. :)

    #atozchallenge, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hahahaha, I hope this is a true story! :D

    ReplyDelete