Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham loosely uses the major arcana as chapter titles / plot summations. The Criterion Collection cover for the 1940s adaptation is a play on The Hanged Man. Not as heady as some of the stuff you have here, but I really like The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin for her artistic interpretations of each card, especially the works she cites for each. Some are straightforward (Walden for The Hermit), but she gets some weird ones that are fun to find (Elsa Schiaparelli's Lobster Dress for Queen of Wands).

tgestabrook

4 days ago

Both great recs, thank you!

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The Waste Land references the Tarot: "Madame Sosostris, famous clairvoyante, Had a bad cold, nevertheless Is known to be the wisest woman in Europe, With a wicked pack of cards. Here, said she, Is your card, the drowned Phoenician Sailor, (Those are pearls that were his eyes. Look!) Here is Belladonna, the Lady of the Rocks, The lady of situations. Here is the man with three staves, and here the Wheel, And here is the one-eyed merchant, and this card, Which is blank, is something he carries on his back, Which I am forbidden to see. I do not find The Hanged Man. Fear death by water. I see crowds of people, walking round in a ring. Thank you. If you see dear Mrs. Equitone, Tell her I bring the horoscope myself: One must be so careful these days."

Do you have a good intro recommendation for someone who knows literally nothing about Tarot? I feel like my biggest gap in understanding Gravity's Rainbow was all the Tarot references.

tgestabrook

8 days ago

I honestly like this website: http://www.learntarot.com/cards.htm. Not very deep or esoteric, but it's a solid reference for some of the basic symbols & associations.

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