(na)V.(y bluenote and godollfin)

[Andrew Dinn]

Paul Mackin writes:

> Just to say to Chris that there _is_ someone out here besides her.

Me too! Me too!

> Unfortunately, haven't read relevant portions of the book recently
> enough.

Unfortunately, I am giving GR another complete and thorough read
through so V is on ice just now. Given current form I'd love to do a
group read of GR but I'd want to take it at a slow pace - at most 20
pages per week. The details are too overwhelming and require a long
soaking rather than a quick dip. For example, last week Mexico and
Pointsman were walking along the strip of beach below the cliffs by
the White Visitation - only Pynchon has them walking along the `berm'.
According to the OED this is either a path at the side of a road or
the level strip which lies between the base of a parapet and a
surrounding ditch. So, parapet/berm/ditch readily translates to
cliff/beach/sea. Delightfully precise.

Then there is the deceptive slipperiness of the narrative. When Roger
and Jessica are in the car travelling to meet Pointsman the narrative
describing the journey steps down into dialogue between Roger and
Jessica then down again into a third person past time narrative
rendering of Roger's day dreaming/remeniscing. This steps down again
into dialogue and then backs out into the day dream/remeniscence
narrative which slips to a different memory at a different time. Again
there is a descent into dialogue then back to day dream/remeniscence
then jump into current time narrative and dialogue and cut to third
person rendering of Roger's thoughts in current time etc. etc.

All the different component stories in this section neatly tell their
own tale using third person narrative and dialogue, yet the nested
narratives can also fit within the framework of the operations of
Roger's consciousness. The narrative is coloured with his expressions
and perceptions to make it clear that this is his thoughts and
memories being revealed rather than those of some birds-eye narrator.

So, stream-of-consciousness is rendered in the third person, escaping
all those awkward issues of where we are and who we are hearing which
you see in, say, Joyce's stream-of-consciousness, hiding them behind
the conventions of third person narrative. Yet the uncle Charles
principle is used to ensure that we recognise what is presented as
personal, internal. And, as well as solving the problems of presenting
the inner to readers in a readily accepted way the third person
narrative also makes it so easy to switch from remeniscence into to
proper past time narrative and dialogue by slipping out of Roger's
linguistic garb and then to drop back out again when we want to
surface and return to Roger's thoughts or even to the enclosing
narrative/dialogue level.

> The still unremembered significance of V in matters U.S.N. continues
> to haunt me. Keep asking every Navy person encountered. All
> acknowledge its existence but can (will) go no further.

Doubtless, it's a conspiracy.


Andrew Dinn
-----------
And though Earthliness forget you,
To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
To the rushing water speak:  I am.