V. and the white whale

[Mr Craig Clark]

Karma ( uclibmdb at alpha2.uct.edu) writes:

> 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.

...a..and don't forget Benny's Ahab-like pursuit of the white alligator, 
foax...

Craig Clark

"Living inside the system is like driving across
the countryside in a bus driven by a maniac bent
on suicide."
   - Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"