Yeah, well MY Dad sez...

[Andrew Dinn]

Eston Martz writes:

> I lurk here constantly but rarely post, mainly for fear I'd be out of my
> league.  Hell, I just _enjoy_ Pynchon; I don't study him.  Nonetheless, I
> was talking to my fellow failed English scholar father, who imparted to me
> a theory I'd never heard before, even here...I told him I'd bring it up
> with you good people and let the chips fall where they want to.  Here
> goes...he sez when he was doing time in academic institutions in the
> late-60s/early-70s, a favored theory about _V._ maintained that the title
> referred to Durrell's _Alexandria Quartet_, i.e. it was intended as sort of
> a fifth book, or reaction to the quartet, or what have you.

> I'll be honest:  I've never heard this from anyone else, and I don't see
> it.  Does anyone else?

I'll confess that I have previously wondered about connections between
Durrel's tetralogy and the section of V which was originally published
as `Under The Rose'. And also as a source for interests which emerge
in GR. Pynchon seems to have lifted or emulated bits of Durrell - bits
of scenery, language and mood, mysterious women, the name Pursewarden
as inspiration for Porpentine (some other key words or phrases which I
forget now that I need them), the Caballah, Pirate's prickly
heat... This is just the sort of thing an undergrad writing his first
short story and stretching his muscles for the first time would pilfer
from a relatively recent and hip novel (was not Durrell seen as very
risque at the time?). I think this is all there is, though. I don't
buy V as successor.


Andrew Dinn
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