The Art of the Diddle: “The Man That Was Used Up”

Certain typographic patterns appear upon reflection (or perhaps sooner).

For example, John Smith is the commonest and therefore most general of men’s names, yet Poe makes the General’s moniker unique by thrusting the initials A. B. C. into its midsection. This wildly implausible sequence of letters is never tethered to full names, so that the “A. B. C.” truly rings suspiciously hollow — but to what are we being alerted by this disjunct? Are we being mocked somehow here? What are we missing?

In fact, Poe makes sure to run the letter combination “A. B. C.” through the press no less than 14 times (or, if you prefer, once, then repeated 13 times). That is:

Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith

Smith! — why not General John A. B. C.!

Smith! — Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C.!

Smith? — why, not General John A. B. C.?

“Smith?” said she, “why, not General John A. B. C.?

“Smith?” said my partner, “why, not General John A. B. C.?

Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith

Smith? — why, not General John A. B. C.?

Smith? — why, not General John A — B — C.?

Smith, eh? Brigadier General John A — B — C.?

Smith? John A — B — C.?

Brevet Brigadier General John A. B. C. Smith

If we reduce the mentions down by stripping out all but A. B. C., we deduce a pattern:

A. B. C.

A — B — C.

A. B. C.

Note that he is most insistent, if not belligerent, in thrusting into our faces near the end of the tale:

A — B — C.

We are grabbed by our reading-jacket lapels and slammed backward against the drawing room wall. One can hear him shouting: “A.!” “B.!” “C.!” Three times. He seems quite exasperated at this point, just like his narrator.

Why does he do this?

Poe uses the word “man” or a variant of it no less than 45 times. That is:

man

Or, if you prefer:

man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man man

Why does he do this? Could one of these 45 perhaps be the real man that was used up?

“Strange you shouldn’t know me though, isn’t it?” presently re-squeaked the nondescript, which I now perceived was performing, upon the floor, some inexplicable evolution, very analogous to the drawing on of a stocking. There was only a single leg, however, apparent.

“Strange you shouldn’t know me, though, isn’t it?” “Pompey, bring me that leg!” Here Pompey handed the bundle, a very capital cork leg, already dressed, which it screwed on in a trice; and then it stood upright before my eyes.

The opening moment of The Bouleversement is indicated by blue text above. The Bouleversement is the inexplicable evolution itself, with a perfect pairing of overtones (mystery + ontogenesis, defined in the OED as the “development of the individual organism from the earliest embryonic stage to maturity”). A shadowy hint indicates something analogous to motion, but does not claim to be a true action, remaining indeterminate. Note that it is portrayed as a drawing on. As in cartoonist.

What exactly is a “nondescript”?

Adapted from www.oed.com

https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/127896?. Accessed April 11, 2022.

nondescript, n. and adj.

Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈnɒndᵻskrɪpt/, U.S. /ˌnɑndəˈskrɪpt/, /ˌnɑndiˈskrɪpt/

Frequency (in current use):

Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: NON- prefix, DESCRIPT adj.

Etymology: < NON- prefix + DESCRIPT adj.

A. n.

1. Chiefly Biology. A species, genus, etc., that has not been previously described or identified. Also in extended use. Now rare in technical use.

1749 Philos. Trans. 1748 (Royal Soc.) 45 321 It is thought to be a Non-descript, both in its natural and fossil State.

1784 Philos. Trans. 1783 (Royal Soc.) 73 279 This curve, to borrow a term from natural history, is a non-

descript as far as I can find at present.

1794 R. KIRWAN Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) I. 107 He gives a much fuller account of this stone, which he considers as a non-descript.

1817 J. BRADBURY Trav. Amer. 81 A few scattered shrubs of a species of Artemisia, apparently a nondescript.

1845 J. S. MILL Let. 12 Nov. in Wks. (1963) XIII. 685 There may be among plants picked up indiscriminately in a new country, as many and as interesting nondescripts as..in Graham’s Mexican collection.

a. An undistinguished or insignificant person or thing; a person who lacks character.

1776 H. THRALE Thraliana (1942) I. 14 People sometimes talk of a dry thing; I never knew quite what it

meant, and believe it is rather a Nondescript in Wit.

1828 J. H. HACKETT Jonathan in Eng. II. i You confounded, guessing, inquisitive nondescript.

1852 G. DANIEL Democritus in London 270 How his nondescripts grin.

b. A person or thing that is not easily described, or is of no particular class or kind.

1802 Sporting Mag. 20 41 The number of coaches..vis-à-vis.. and nondescripts.

1806 M. L. WEEMS Life G. Washington (ed. 5) i. 4 A perfect non-descript of baseness.

1811 R. SOUTHEY in Edinb. Ann. Reg. 1809 2 I. 289 The House contains about 250 country gentlemen, 120 courtiers [etc.]. The rest are non-descripts.

1836 C. DICKENS Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. II. 238 A few ostlers and stable nondescripts were standing round.

B. adj.

1. Chiefly Biology. Of a species, genus, etc.: not previously described or identified. Also in extended use. Now rare in technical use.

1670 J. RAY Let. 17 July in J. Ray et al. Philos. Lett. (1718) 68 Several rare, and some non-descript, Plants.

1712 Philos. Trans. 1710–12 (Royal Soc.) 27 36 A List of the Non-Descript Plants, viz. such as Dr. Boerhave

has given as New, or without any Author to them.

1793 T. JEFFERSON Let. 8 Sept. in Papers (1997) XXVII. 62 They agree it is a non-descript disease, and no two agree in any one part of their process of cure.

1820 R. SOUTHEY Life Wesley II. 260 Sectarians of every kind, descript and non-descript, had been

introduced in Cromwell’s time.

a. Not easily classified; that is neither one thing nor another; hybrid.

1785 T. HOLCROFT Choleric Fathers II. vi. 44 A Lawyer a nondescript monster we deem.

1823 LD. BYRON Don Juan: Canto VII ii. 66 A non-descript and ever varying rhyme.

b. Lacking distinctive or interesting features; not easily described; dull, drab.

1806 J. BERESFORD Miseries Human Life (ed. 3) IX. i. 185 The dry rank remains of some non-descript cheese.

1851 H. MAYHEW London Labour II. 51/1 A cottage of wood, nondescript in shape, but pleasant in locality.

At the moment of achieving the pinnacle of utmost clarity, the revelation is precisely: imprecise. “The General” is “the nondescript” as reported factually by an eyewitness on the scene (else the narrator’s eyes deceive him). Of course, the scene is Writing at its rawest and most virginal — yes, the fountain head, as we are told. The text assembles itself before our eyes literally as it occurs. We are trapped in the Moment of Writing.

The narrator is appropriately aghast by the spectacle of virgin textual birth and overwhelmingly impressed by Poe’s awesome powers.

“No — no — no!“ said I, getting as close to the wall as possible, and holding up both hands in the way of expostulation; “don’t know you — know you — know you — don’t know you at all!”

Expostulate

transitive verb

obsolete : DISCUSS, EXAMINE

intransitive verb

: to reason earnestly with a person for purposes of dissuasion or remonstrance

Definition of dissuade

transitive verb

a: to advise (a person) against something

… dissuading us from base thoughts, low ends, ignoble gains …

— A. T. Quiller-Couch

archaic : to advise against (an action)

2: to turn from something by persuasion

unable to dissuade him from going

Notice the repetition (twice) in don’t know you/don’t know you and know you/know you of opposites, or parallels. The surface text, a protestation or exclamation at first glance, is perhaps freighted with archaic overtones we cannot hear or perhaps have turned away from: examination, discussion, remonstrance, dissuasion — but dissuasion from what? What should not be done here? Is there some danger? What on earth is to be examined and discussed?

The wordplay turns on:

[noun]

A species, genus, etc., that has not been previously described or identified
An undistinguished or insignificant person or thing; a person who lacks character
A person or thing that is not easily described, or is of no particular class or kind.

[adjective]

Chiefly Biology. Of a species, genus, etc.: not previously described or identified
Not easily classified; that is neither one thing nor another; hybrid
Lacking distinctive or interesting features; not easily described; dull, drab.

Why does Poe change the word “bundle” to “nondescript”? “Bundle” is merely a bland descriptor, but “nondescript” is oppositional somehow. Why is he doing this?

fountain head

2. figurative. The chief or prime source of anything; the quarter whence anything originates; esp. an original source of information, news, etc.

1606 L. Bryskett Disc. Ciuill Life 114 These two vnruly..powers, which are the spring and fountaine head of all disordinate affections.

1655 in E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 326 As I am..assured from some heere very neare the fountayne head at Bruxells.

1754 S. Foote Knights i. 6 You are about Court; and so being at the Fountain head know what is in the Papers before they are printed.

1787 J. Bentham Def. Usury x. 94 To trace an error to its fountain head is to refute it.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 28 The Convention was the fountain-head from which the authority of all future Parliaments must be derived.

Othello: Act 3, scene 3, lines 374 ff.

IAGO

...

Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons,

Which at the first are scarce found to distaste,

But with a little act upon the blood

Burn like the mines of sulfur.

Enter Othello.

I did say so.

Look where he comes. Not poppy nor mandragora

Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world

Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep

Which thou owedst yesterday.

OTHELLO

Ha, ha, false to me?

IAGO

Why, how now, general? No more of that!

https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/othello/act-3-scene-3/. Accessed May 3, 2022.

Cooper’s description of a visit to Mount Vernon in Notions of the Americans (1828) presents Washington’s impact on the national consciousness via an architectural comparison: “The character of Washington was Doric in all its proportions. Its beauty, is the beauty of harmony between purpose and means, and its grandeur is owing to its chaste simplicity. Like the order of Architecture to which I have ventured to ascribe a resemblance, it is not liable to the details of criticism ... . His fame already resembles that which centuries have produced for other men, while it owes no portion of its purity to the mist of time. Truth, bold, clear and radiant, is the basis of his renown, and truth will bear his name to posterity, in precisely the same simple and just attributes as it was known to those who lived in his immediate presence” (417).https://jfcoopersociety.org/content/04-crit/articles/ala/2008ala-long.htm