V. and the white whale

[uclibmdb at alpha2.uct.edu]

On 21 June Eyal asked:

>Is V. the postmodern white whale?

Good question, good Moby Dick gonnection...both V. und der Dick have a quest
which is really more of a metaphysical quest.  Stencil awakens "to discover
the pursuit of V. was merely a scholarly quest after all, an adventure of the
mind, in the tradition of The Golden Bough or The White Goddess," (first page
of chapter 3).

In her flawed but interesting book (Thomas Pynchon--Twayne authors series),
Judith Chambers argues that V. is the Creator/
Destroyer goddess invoked in the passage quoted above.(see Berube's review
in the Pynchon Notes--which one I forget--for the flaws)  There is an entire
chapter in Moby Dick where the narrator contemplates the color white and it's
contradictions, cultural meanings etc.

Also GR's narrator, in a, um, little different manner ponders why most toilet
bowls are white--I'd quote if I could, I'm sure someone will--and also there's
the white visitation in GR as well...just some jumbled, Saturday morning 
ponderings.


                                                               Karma