Hybridity
from PART ONE - INBETWEENNESS
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 December 2017
Summary
Admittedly, to begin with hybridity is a perplexing prospect, not least because it connotes an impure mixture, infertility, monstrosity, that which is an eye-sore. On the other hand, in the light of several of the responses that Oka-leczenie (the first work that came to be know by the name of liberature) provoked, there seems to be no better option. Some critics, asked to review the book, admitted to mixed feelings and doubted if such an amalgam of language, typography, images, and unconventional binding could make any coherent sense at all. One reviewer explicitly described it as “neither fish nor fowl nor good red herring [or to use the literal, word for word translation: “neither dog, nor otter”],” declaring helplessness in the face of such a (monstrous) hybrid (Cuber 2003). The colloquial metaphor is suggestive of the reading since the etymology of “hybrid” can be traced back to a mongrel, something that apparently comes from the ancient Greek, and means “an insult or outrage, with special reference to lust” (Warren 1884: 501). Investigating the numerous semantic fields of the original Greek word, Josef Kuře adds to the definition a frighteningly impressive list of vices: “vainglory, pride, superciliousness, arrogance, profanation, maltreatment, high-handedness, degrade, abuse; […] debauchery, revelry, offence, malefaction, crime, injustice,” and concludes that “[t]here are not many Greek words that have such a broad palette of negative meanings as hybris” (2009: 12). Mythological hybrids represent a whole spectrum of monsters: from Minotaur, Chimera, Harpies, to seductive mermaids, centaurs, fauns, and the devil. And even in the case of angels and amiable divinities, such as Ganesha, there is still something uncanny about them. (Some liberatic books combine different arts, media, and materials, appearing strangely non-bookish.) In biology, the term denotes the (usually infertile) offspring of parents of different species, genera or, rarely, families. (Indeed, the generic status of liberature has sometimes been described as an abortive idea.) Perhaps hybrid cars have more positive connotations due to their environment-friendly nature? But they still fall behind petrol-fuelled vehicles when it comes to acceleration, maximum speed, and the price, too. (Liberatic works cannot be easily scanned and speed-read, for sure. Fortunately, though a little more expensive that “ordinary” books, the price of trade editions is not prohibitive.)
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- Liberature: A Book-bound Genre , pp. 25 - 30Publisher: Jagiellonian University PressPrint publication year: 2016