The Joy and Miracle of Life

"All who have escaped in any degree from the rigidity and prissiness of our once national religion of negation owe a debt to Isadora Duncan's dancing."

That's the quote from Carnaval's website accompanying today's photo. And the photo is on the front cover of Liveright Publishing's autobiography and memoir of modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan's My Life (ISBN 9780871403186). I've read through this the last six weeks -- yes, I had to check it out from Minot Public Library again, and it's due back tomorrow! I wrote down a lot of references for me to go back to, and since we've got a few minutes here I'd like to share them. Enjoy!


David


The character of a child is already plain, even in its mother's womb. (opening sentence)

For I was never able to understand, then or later on, why, if one wanted to do a thing, one should not do it. For I have never waited to do as I wished. This has frequently brought me to disaster and calamity, but at least I have had the satisfaction of getting my own way. (44)


If audiences of today could have seen Ellen Terry in her prime, she would have been besieged with advice on how to become thin by dieting, etc., and I venture to say that the greatness of her expression would have suffered had she spent her time, as our actresses do now, trying to appear young and thin. She did not look slight or thin, but she was certainly a very beautiful example of womanhood. (50)


Perhaps he was a bit different from other people, but what really sympathetic person is not a little mad? (91)


Why do you want to go on the stage and wave your arms about? Why don't you stay at home and sharpen my lead pencils? (162)


After all, what is Art but a faint mirror for the Joy and Miracle of Life? (170)


The recent discoveries of mental telepathy have proven that brain-waves pass through these air-passages that are sympathetic to them and reach their destination, sometimes even without the consciousness of the sender. (201)


My life has known but two motives -- Love and Art -- and often Love destroyed Art, and often the imperious call of Art put a tragic end to Love. For these two have no accord, but only constant battle. (211)


No wonder that I felt inclined to become a Communist when I so often had exemplified for me the fact that for a rich man to find happiness was like Sisyphus trying to roll his stone upward from Hell. (218)


Such is the artist's life -- dark, sombre, tragic, but giving the white mantle from which spring man's aspirations. (261)


If I were a writer, and had written of my life twenty novels or so, it would be nearer the truth. And then, after I had written these novels, I should have to write the story of the artist, which would be a story quite apart from all the others. For my artist life and thoughts of Art have grown quite aloof, and grow still, like a separate organism, seemingly quite independent of what I call my Will. (288)


Art gives form and harmony to what in life is chaos and discord. A good novel works up artistically to a certain climax, and has no anti-climax. (291)


Especially do I resent the conclusion formed by so many women that, after the age of forty, a dignified life should exclude all love-making. Ah, how wrong this is! (319)