The Silence of the Lambs

[Byron The Bulb]

> Nick Lester wrote: >> 5. After the plot has vanished from memory, what
> remains? Good question for all of TP's works. <<
> 
> Tim Ware responded: >> I guess to answer THAT question, we're first gonna
> have get those  damned "plots" vanished from our memories. <<
> 
> Actually, Nick asked a perfectly valid question. Since I'm in the middle of
> GR, I'll use LOT 49 as my example

I think Lot 49 makes the perfect example (as it does have a plot).
What stays with me is never the pessisism, but the possibilities
that Pynchon is always throwing at us.  The last delta may be
infinitely small, but the possibilities it contains are infinite.
In Lot 49 TP opens the possibility that another system of
communication and suddenly a world is opened to Oedipa Maas
which includes the Scurvhamites, IA, Peter Pinguid, Wharfinger,
and Metzger.  Even her, surely a reliably limited quantity,
now; "enters a staff meeting and the room is suddenly full
of people" (49, 140)

Or take Slothrop's amytal dream with the promise of only one
of everything.  But the place fills up quickly cause there is
"One pure indian.  One mestiza. One criolla. Then: one Yaqui.
 One Navaho. One Apache-" (GR, 70)  

If one isn't limiting enough to keep those inifinte possibilities
contained, what is?  Zero.  Maybe, he never quite gets to 
zero at the end  of any of the novels, and one delta-t
is still too much space to makee zero a certainity.
	
David Pelovitz - PELOVTZD at Acfcluster.nyu.edu
		 DocPat at ix.netcom.com