Knots of the work

Meaning

The opening practical remark in the anonymous excerpts compresses a work into a strikingly short claim, then immediately concedes that it still contains many knots. Knot is a difficulty or unresolved complication that resists the appearance of simplicity. The concession blocks a reading of the short claim as an entirely transparent or effortless procedure. It also fits the collection’s recurrent contrast between simple matter and difficult understanding. The lexicon preserves that qualification without reproducing the passage’s schedule or turning its brevity into an operational promise.