Persons attempting to find a "text" in this [story] will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a "subtext" in it will be banished; persons attempting to explain, interpret, explicate, analyze, deconstruct, or otherwise "understand" it will be exiled to a desert island in the company only of other explainers.
BY ORDER OF THE AUTHOR - Wendell Berry's introduction to Jayber Crow.
This article was posted to Jayber on 29 August 2008 by to the following categories: Feature, Stories.
An audio version of this article is also available.
Dear Friends: During the month of September, I plan to satisfy my hubris by drafting daily illustrations of mustachioed monsters. The set, in its entirety, will be called Monsters with Mustaches (MwM) and will contain 24 unique works. Each piece will have the dual characteristic of (A) containing one or more monsters, and (B) containing one or more mustaches.
The medium used will be Felt-Tip Pen on Paper and the dimensions will be 800x600. In reality, however, the size of each monster will vary considerably. Any variance in proportion will be attributed to manufacturing tolerances in the paper, as well as my shaky digits as they fumble over-sized scissors.
This type of refined, high-class, snooty art would normally require time, patience, and fine motor skills. Sadly, however, the artist has been queried in each of these key areas and has been found perilously wanting.
And it is with this that further justifications, apologies, rationale, and defensive posturing will cease. There will be no more explaining or analysis of the monsters, their origins, their meanings, or their mustaches. Feel free to commend or denigrate as you wish.
Monsters with Mustaches (MwM) - A Flickr Set, by Mark Benson