A puzzler from BusinessWeek

[Andrew Dinn]

Teen Age Riot writes:

> I'd consider brand names one of
> the trademarks of Pynchon's prose, one more indication of his seemingly
> endless knowledge of, and obsession with, pop culture. Sure, lots of the
> products named in GR aren't familiar to me, but I'm assuming that they were
> household in the forties.  The GR Companion cleared up a lot of these for me.

The most immediate one which springs to mind from GR is of course
Shinola. And what about Thayers as in Thayers Slippery Elms? Vineland
too has some brand names - Cheetos is foreground detail to a British
ear. I don't recall Pynchon using many such names, even in
Vineland. It's more his parodies of branding and advertising which
stick e.g. Count Chocula, The Marquis de Sod, The Cucumber Lounge. Now
what was the make of that petite little ladies saw with the
mother-of-pearl inlay on the handle and guard?


Andrew Dinn
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