Notes on the syllabus in postmodern literature and common law

By Antarah Crawley

NACOTCHTANK, OD — Circa February 2013, I was reading a lot of postmodern American novels leading up to and during the publication of Title 1 C.S.R. Pharmacon of the Spirit, which was my contribution to the genre American postmodernism.

Postmodern literature is a form of literature that is characterized by the use of metafiction, unreliable narration, self-reflexivity, intertextuality, and which often thematizes both historical and political issues. This genre is best exemplified by the works of Jorge Luis Borges, James Joyce’s Ulysses (often considered modernist), Flann O’Brien’s At Swim-Two-Birds, William Gaddis’s The Recognitions, William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch, Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Gabriel García Márquez’s The Autumn of the Patriarch, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, Don Delillo’s Mao II, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, William Gass’s The Tunnel, David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest, Thomas Pynchon’s Mason & Dixon, Dave Eggers’s A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything is Illuminated, Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, and (in my opinion) Blake Butler’s 300,000,000, among many (but not countless) others. Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus is an excellent precursor to the genre from the 1830s.

Now I can’t say that I’ve read every page of each of these magnum opuses (indeed, anyone who says they have is likely full of it – even if they’re not lying). But I will say that it was the spirit of these works – the spirit of the “late modern” times – which bore a hole in me and fulled me with inspiration. It certainly beat What Masie Knew in GW’s English lit courses. In short, you can say that “Postmodern literature” means all of the most exciting literature this side of World War II.

At that time, I wanted to throw my hat into the ring a major figure in American postmodern literature, and an “African American” to boot. However, after querying New York agents and reading the manuscript over, I determined, alas, it was not very good. But my judgement at that time would belie itself, since the events of the novel, though not good enough to publish, were good enough to live. I ultimately would end up doing the things in my life that Walter Kogard did in Title 1 and thereafter, including live in New York, found a Secret School, and become editor of the Black Market Press (1 C.S.R. pgs. 278-282). How’s that for American postmodernism?

Recently, while researching McGirt v. Oklahoma and other Indian affairs, I came across the phenomenon of a legal “syllabus” which is a preliminary section of a court ruling, preceding the legal opinion of the court, that outlines the core facts and issues of the case and the path that the case has taken prior to reaching the present court. They are, in effect, summaries, and are not to be considered part of the actual decision of the case and are not precedential. This new information struck a chord in me, as my organization of the New Syllabus had proceeded from research focused on postmodern literature and print publishing to occult and esoteric studies to pseudo-law, equity, and sovereignty. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court writes, “All opinions in a single case are published together and are prefaced by a syllabus prepared by the Reporter of Decisions that summarizes the Court’s decision.” This got me thinking about the origin of the name New Syllabus.

I chose the name New Syllabus for this deeply personal academic endeavor in 2013 in homage to the postmodern American novel Giles Goat-Boy or The Revised New Syllabus of George Giles our Grand Tutor by John Barth. Again, I can’t say I read much of this book either, and what I did read I forgot until just moments before writing this article. But as I refreshed my recollection I realized that I must have subconsciously adopted the novel’s conceit as a premise on which to navigate the real world. The Plot summary reads:

George Giles is a boy raised as a goat who rises in life to be Grand Tutor (spiritual leader or messiah) of New Tammany College (the United States, or the Earth, or the Universe).  He strives for (and achieves) herohood, in accordance with the hero myth as theorized by Lord Raglan and Joseph Campbell. […]

The principle behind the allegorical renaming of key roles in the novel as roman à clef is that the Earth (or the Universe) is a university. Thus, for example, the founder of a religion or great religious leader becomes a Grand Tutor (in German Grosslehrer)

Wiki

It seems to me that I have (unintentionally) mimicked the novel’s narrative, from establishing a school after the model of the world to automating that school using a system of codes and algorithms (the “computer”):

Giles Goat-Boy marks Barth’s emergence as a metafictional writer.^[3] The metafiction manifests itself in the “Publisher’s Disclaimer” and “Cover-Letter to the Editors and Publisher” which preface the book, and which each try to pass off the responsibility for authorship onto another: the editors implicate Barth, who claims the text was given to him by a mysterious Giles Stoker or Stoker Giles, who in turn claims it was written by the automatic computer WESCAC.

Wiki

It is as if the “Publisher’s Disclaimer” is the legal syllabus to Barth’s Revised New Syllabus, and the N∴S∴ Director is the Reporter of Decisions of American belles-lettres, courts of law and equity, and historical dialectics.

At this time, I cannot say if Barth’s vision of the Universe is wholly “metaphysical” or not – it certainly has panned out accurately for me in the material realm, although few others understand my “research.” I have indeed reared up a school and filled its halls with tomes (and sat alone hearing the echo of my voice). Borges says the Universe is often called the “Library,” another objective correlative which became engrained in the New Syllabus starting at Title 3. All in all, the postmodernists Barth and Borges have firmly anchored their symbols in my worldview … for better or for worse.

(last modified 23 Oct 2023 24 Oct 2023)

Notes on the Public Trust of the Moorish People

By Antarah Crawley

NACOTCHTANK, OD — The Consular Court of al-Maghreb al-Aqsa, Trustee, of the Public Trust of the Moorish People, Heirs Beneficiary, to the People of Anacostia, Washington District, Send Greetings and Peace.

The land east of the Eastern Branch of the river Potomac is called Nacotchtank-on-Potomac, and the people there are one village. This village is within the federal district of the Ouachita Confederacy of indigenous peoples of North America (which are registered under many names), in the jurisdiction of the Farthest West (al-Maghreb al-Aqsa), being the lands and waters from the Barbary States to the westernmost continent of the Americas (al-Morocco), which is called “the land of large buffalo.”

NATIONALITY: The Moorish people are an autochthonous people (descended from this land) indigenous to both Africa and the Americas. The United States of America (USA) has a trust responsibility to the Moors, as it would to any American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal nation, insofar as it has a responsibility not to infringe on their treaty rights. And whereas AI/ANs do not believe in legal titles in land, the equitable use title to land and stock is found in the nature of a sincerely-held belief and religious, ritual, or ceremonial customs. And whereas AI/ANs do believe in birthright inheritance, this right is further enshrined in the Constitution of the USA which upholds the sanctity and protection of life, liberty, and property.

AUTHORITY: This consular court is authorized under treaty between the United States of America (USA) and the Kingdom of Morocco to represent the moorish nationals domiciled on the land governed as USA. It is a religious institution insofar as it is an assembly of the faithful believers in the dogma of redemption and of the ancient moorish science, and an organization of religious/education colleges and orders. 

DOGMA: The people are the church, and the church is the body of Christ, ergo the people are the body of Christ, who is their counselor, judge and king before God the Father, and whose ministers are their representatives on the earth. Those who will say that He is the Sovereign of the earth are indemnified by Him from the penalty of sin in this life and in the hereafter. Those who follow His law of divine reciprocity shall receive mercy on the Day of Judgment.  (The Divine Mother and the Holy Spirit are also to be praised.)

OPERATION: The legal name and owner of the courthouse shall be [S∴P∴Q∴M∴, Inc.].  It shall look like a mosque , be called the church ️, and function as school and consular courthouse . The consular court shall serve the circuit of the Ouachita District.

REGULARITY: Hold A.M. court business docket and P.M. UA on weekdays; hold Interfaith Religious Service (IRS) service on Friday night and Saturday morning; hold Sundays open. 

PRESIDENCE: The court shall be presided over by Consul General Magistrate Judge (CGMJ) Vice Consul General (CG), Vice Magistrate Judge (MJ), Grand Preceptor/Grand Scribe/Grand Tutor, Ombuds, Syndical Committee Chairs, Sergeant (Sgt) at Arms, Imam/Mullah, Rabbi/Moreh, Archbishop/Presbyter/Elder, Tribune of the People, and People assembled. Some of these offices may be encumbered by the same individual.

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF NOTES OF 23 OCT 2023

(1) N∴S∴ was chartered as the livery company (an official company identified by a special design or color scheme) of the Worshipful Company of Scribers (See, Notice of 27 Sep 2018), whose senior permanent staff member shall be the “Systems Dep’t Intermediary Zone (InterZone) Clerk” and whose junior permanent staff member shall be the “Systems Dep’t Knowledge Zone (KnownZone) Cleric” (See, Title 3 C.S.R.).  Note that there is no clerk in the O Zone. These three Zones together comprise the DataHorse system of the N∴S∴ Dep’t of Information Systems Intelligence Services (DISIS).
(2) Circuit courts are historically routes through county towns traveled by judges (in the early U.S., Supreme Court judges) and their retinue of attorneys on horseback (the circuit riders). Modern circuit courts are, generally, jury trial courts that may have review authority over a lower court such as a juvenile and domestic relations court.
(2)(a) The concept of circuit riders may be a legacy of the equestrian class of ancient Rome.
(2)(b) A livery is a place that will keep and take care of a horse on behalf of its owner, for a fee.
(3) Courts of Sessions (or “sittings,” another name for proceedings) were established in particular towns or counties. They were replaced by one Crown Court (for criminal matters, and High Court for civil matters), like unto one supreme Court (both criminal and civil/commercial/equitable), or one holy catholic and apostolic Church (political body masquerading as sovereign body of Christ/the People).
(3)(a) Officers of such court include:
(3)(a)(i) The Circuit Rider(s), the judge(s) of sessions/sittings who ride the circuits on commission of oyer et terminer (“hearing and determining”) setting up court and summoning juries in assize towns; those who shall sit at the Dais of the court.
(3)(a)(ii) The Clerk(s) [or, cleric(s)], the keeper(s) of the record; those who shall sit at the Desk of the court issuing and receiving order and papers (See, this Amendment § (1), above).
(3)(a)(iii) The Rapporteur de la cour (Reporter of the court). (See, Memo. No. 9)
(4) Oyez (“hear ye”) is plural imperative form of oyer (French: ouir “to hear”) from oyer et terminer “to hear and to determine” (a sitting of the court, presided over by a judge of assizes “sessions”).