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Mallarme on CD-ROM: Un coup de des jamais n'abolira le hasard (review)

2003; University of Nebraska Press; Volume: 32; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/ncf.2003.0055

1536-0172

Charles D. Minahen,

French Literature and Critical Theory

Given the significance of the virtual in Mallarmé's Un coup de dés, with its indefinite hypothetical, conditional, and subjunctive elements, it would seem a particularly appropriate candidate for transposition to the virtual space of the computer, a feat Penny Florence has imaginatively and resourcefully accomplished in this hybrid booklet/cd-rom publication. The experimental nature of the project is in keeping with the spirit of Mallarmé's poem, but, as often happens with experiments, there are both successful and unsuccessful results. Some of the latter stem from production or technical flaws: the booklet fell apart in my hands after turning a few pages, and all five of the "Readings," in which vocal renditions are, in principle, synchronized with the text on screen, were frustratingly out of synch, with, by the end, the voice halfway through the following page before the screen switched to it. The audio of the reading in French by Nicole Ward Jouve also broke off abruptly in the middle of the poem's ninth page. While on the subject of the readings, I must hasten to add that they are nonetheless enlightening pairings of text and voice in various French-French, English-English, and French-English versions. Yves Bonnefoy's reading in French is par-ticularly stirring and beautiful, and listening to Florence's English while following the text in French allows for a direct, immediate assimilation and comparison of the translation.