Gertrude Stein

lifting belly (1915-17)

'Lifting belly careful don't say anything about lifting belly.'

I will say something about lifting belly

The thing I will say about lifting belly is this lifting belly

how Stein plays with a handle/tag/moniker/name

or as Stein has it a title/tittle

than runs through this work lifting belly

running pursued by Stein

lifting belly is the protagonist of lifting belly

lifting belly protagonises Stein

degrees of knowing in lifting belly, one

knowing that lifting belly is called lifting belly

the fourth - lets call them lines - is 'All belly belly well.'

a silly billy mock-deflation of what to expect

tantalising tease of an entrance

once played is put away leading to the

casual/domestic/intimate drama of

What was it.
I said lifting belly.
You didn't say it.

And from there on our hero leaps and twists and flirts and skirts and is Ms Pronounced and is Ms Herd and is verb and is

act/action

and is add verb and is belly belly much add verb

lifting belly cuts through and joins together, cleaving and cleaving all Stein is hearing

Stein's hearing, one

language practice/one side of a telephone call, jumping forward to Kenneth Goldsmith's Soliloquy / magazine articles / pillow talk / teacher is talking / tittle tattle / cookery instruction / schoolbook / debate / quarrel

public - private - informal - intimate - formal

scenes shifting - line to line - time shifts - voice to voice - thought to thought - back and forth

Stein as experimental film maker

lifting belly is Stein's star and Stein's actor and Stein's act