I’ve been gathering fragments from Norman O. Brown’s vatic, somewhat insane Love’s Body and wondering about the aesthetic they imply:

“Broken speech; speech broken by silence.”

“Stretch yourself, to the breaking point. It is not true unless it hurts.”

“Aphorism is exaggeration, extravagant language; the road of excess that leads to the palace of wisdom.”

“Exaggeration or extravagance; not to count the cost. Go for broke. Aphorism is recklessness; it goes too far. Intellect is courage; the courage to risk its own life; to play with madness.”

“Broken form. Against beauty as such. No form nor comeliness. Abrupt; uneven; inconsistent.”

Lastly, his quotation of Francis Bacon: “Aphorisms, representing knowledge broken, do invite men to inquire farther; whereas Methods, carrying the show of a total, do secure men, as if they were at farthest.”