Jane Chord

Painting by Rick Mobbs

Doug Palmer in his inimitatable manner has presented us with a new postulate, or at least a new thought, that is like most new thoughts, a redeux rehash of somebody else's cognition and compostion.

In this case it is STRIKING THE CHORD by Bob Denvey. He wrote a decade ago:

Jane explained.

I first (and last) read about the Jane Chord in a little article somewhere years ago. Details are hazy. I remember the author was an editor, and the phenomenon had actually been identified by his wife. (Name of Jane.)

What exactly is the Jane Chord?

My definition would be: "The outcome obtained by juxtaposing the first and last words of a given book or other written work to create a two-word phrase or sentence."

Jane, plainly.

OK, so a Jane Chord is the first and last words of a book, put together. What good is it?

Well, Jane’s contribution to world literature is the demented hope that the resulting verbal unit may contain some relevance to -- even some revelation about -- the work it bisects.

As a sterling illustration of this concept, Doug wrote a compliation of past postings, easily recognized by FFTL readers:

You...drift

You west
Prelude Mundi
No night
Yeah this
Whattaboringday Yummy
To tomorrow
is can

Feel time
First street
The anyway
Last up
Once this
Wokoki canyon
Well dearheart

Folklife ciao
Today sera
Flagstaff Page
Before jacket
Went Flagstaff
Rather it
The drift.

Doug Palmer June 2008.

I, of course, had to respond with:

Doug....Ejaculated.

Doug disgruntled.
Polalie east.
Fidelio coast.
Gokwiess prop.
Meredith garden.
Glenn vebosity.
Keth busy.
Anonomann library.
Compositions resonate.
Computer irritant.
Cyberman vendeta.
G.W.Bush assassinated.
Formerly tomorrow.
Gambling constipation.
God bites.
Health soaring.
Poetry dregs.
Rice forgetaboutit!
Humor harpy.
Violin chunk.
Knuckle nut.
Squirrel grease.
Raven Poo.
Mesa Corners.
Navajo jip.
Mother frybread.
Enough ejaculated.

Glenn Buttkus June 2008.

Go figure, dear readers, what the minds of men can turn to next.