Abstract:
My title might require a very few explanatory notes, as might some other aspects of this project. Its source is obvious to the small group of people who are likely to see it. Although the Twentieth Century is far from my favorite poetical period, I feel obligated to point out that, in my humble opinion, said source is among the best of its a-poetical de-versification; no other conclusion can be drawn from my inability to resist a catchy phrase here. If I thought that this would be read by more than the four people who have already obligated themselves to do so, or that there were the remotest chance that it could burst the bonds of our Fresno, I would certainly give it a more universal title: Gruntapaedia, I think. This would be intended to suggest two things -- one obvious, one correct. I should like the first, which might be seen as an abbreviated form of "Encyclopedia of Grunt, " to carry almost all of the burden. Actually though, the suffix "-paedia" suggests instruction rather than cataloguing: as in Sterne's "Tristra-paedia, " which is intended for the edification of Tristram. I would prefer to minimize the weight that this second interpretation might carry. These stories are arranged in chronological order of first writing, but overlap in that respect as well as in content. I think I would rather consider them, taken together, to be closer to the novel (some continuous form at least) than to the usual accumulation of stories -gruntapaedia, as a matter of fact, might be a more appropriate name for my genre than either, as well as the real title of my project. Perhaps the most crucial disagreement that has developed in the submission of these stories has been over the spelling of the word "hugar. It is not to be found in any dictionary in this area, slang or standard, so I have managed to retain the form I prefer; notice also that it can claim a little strength in rhyming with "sugar, while "booger," "bugger, " "boogar, " etc. lack even that support.