PATAPHYSICS-THE-POETICS-OF-AN-IMAGINARY- SCIENCE_C_Bok

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bicycles:
Christ racing uphill against a velocipede toward
a crucifixion (1965:124) and Marceuil racing overland
against a locomotive toward an electrocution (1964:79).
Marinetti seems to swerve from the path of such cyclists, as
if to deploy the 'pataphysics of Jarry in order to parody
the 'pataphysics of Jarry. Marinetti in effect dramatizes
the principle of Bloom that 'pataphysics is itself a science
of influence, insofar as Futurism must reverse the flou of
cause and effect, denouncing the nostalgia for a prototype
in order to replace it with the prognosis of an ectype.
An
antecedent device (the Futurist automobile) must evade the
obstacle of a precedent device (the Symbolist velocipede).
Burliuk has observed that, despite such antagonism,
"[elvery Symbolist has a Futurist tucked under his srrn"
(96)--particularly when we take into account that Jarry (a
friend to Symbolists) does indeed inspire Marinetti (an
enemy to Symbolists).
Both Futurism and Symbolism do
criticize science 'pataphysically by proposing a
synaesthetic transvaluation of rationalism, but Marinetti
must, nevertheless, insist upon staging a duel (if not a
race) between Futurism and Symbolism, given that he plays a
game of chicken in order to see which artist, which driver,
first loses the nerve to enact a collision between two
different categories of vehicle that can convey poetic