Oedipa?

[LARSSON at vax1.mankato.msus.edu]

Ed writes:
"My pet peeve. Well, what happened to Oedipa? What happened during the
crying of lot 49? _Is_ there really a W.A.S.T.E.? I realize that TRP
is not in the business of writing soap operas, but introducing
Oedipa's husband in another book set twenty-five years on, showing
that he's been through a lot of changes, and then not mentioning
Oedipa at all implies that _Lot 49_ isn't worth reading."

Based on his remarks in the intro to SLOW LEARNER, it would seem that TRP is
ambivalent about COL49, but then VINELAND does bring back Mucho.  I think it
was Richard Poirier who some time ago suggested that COL49 was a marginal
work because P had not used recurring characters from it (with the obvious
exception of Bloody Chiclitz, who started out in V. anyway).  But VINELAND
does mention that Mucho had had an "amicable" divorce, so we might assume,
 I suppose that Oedipa is living her own free life now, and perhaps can be
contacted by W.A.S.T.E.

Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN)