MDMD(3)--Openers

[Meg Larson]

Hello Foax.  MDMD(2), hosted by CK, is officially ended and MDMD(3),
chapters 8-10, officially commences.  Thank you, Chris, and Andrew, for
your efforts on section 2 and I must say that I enjoyed the discussions of
the last few days.  MDMD(4), covering chapters 11-13 and hosted by Brian
McCary, opens on July 18.

It has been my pleasure to serve as your guide for this portion of the
journey.

What follows, in this initial post, is the Plot Summary and General
Comments and Questions.   Subsequent postings (which will follow relatively
closely throughout the day) will cover:  Notes and Questions, my
Commentary, perhaps, and a separate commentary from Sir Andrew (well, he
should be) concerning the opening of chapter 10.  

Any faux pas sont strictly mine; flame me privately if you must.
     
For the American listers and anyone else who cares--Happy Fireworks Day.

Meg

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
MDMD(3)--Plot Summary/General Comments

Chapter 8--
Chapter begins in Cape Town, shortly (?) after the arrival of the Seahorse,
whereupon we learn that Dixon explores the "prohibited parts of town", when
it is too cloudly to do any Obs; narrative dissolves into conversation
'tween Mason and Dixon on their inability to discuss the Topick of Desire
and temptation.  Next is Dinner with the Vrooms.  Discussion of ketjap,
which Cornelius deems "that Filthy Asian stuff"; Els offers Dixon
suggestion for getting it out of bottle that can also be read as part of
the sexual hijinks underlying this section, and a rather vivid description
of mutton-tail-as-food-stuff--ugh.  After dinner, they retire to the Stoep
as is the nightly custom.  "A young Gallant" stops by to serenade Jet on
the Fiji Islander's guitar--musical selection:  "Cape Girl."  Els and Greet
continue to torment Mason with their sexual innuendoes.  Greet and Austra
follow M&D on a typical night's foray through Cape Town--report back:  they
"wander about, eating and talking."  Mason and Dixon can no longer bring
themselves to eat at the Vroom Table; the food is awful, which everyone
seems to acknowledge, and Mason reveals that "'Tis the Sheep,--Heaven
forfend we should ever find a Moment without Sheep in it" that he objects
to.  Musical selection:  "Out in the Dark where the Malays all feast."  M&D
meet up with our good Rev^d; Mason reveals a less-than-cordial attitude
towards Wicks, who then reveals that he has been booted off the
_Seahorse_--" men of Christ are not desir'd"--and is looking to disguise
himself, profession-wise (parsonickal disguise as practicality).  Mason and
Dixon get in parting shots at each other's line of work, and chapter ends
with Cherrycoke's revelation that he is keeping a journal and admits he
"lurked", i.e., "sought distraction in the study of other Lives,--usually
without their principals knowing of it."   

Chapter 9--
Chapter opens with Vrou Vroom and Mason alone in an upstairs bedroom.  She
is trying to seduce Mason, who doesn't seem to mind when she rips her
bodice in twain.  He is saved by a "hammering upon the Door; he panics and
jumps out of the window, landing on the ground below (which he will do
again) both with a literal and metaphorical thud.  Storm arrives, heralding
the start of the Rainy season, which lasts three days.  Els gets Mason to
go out and "play" in the rain--slapstick ensues in a wonderfully written
scene, ends with Mason once again having fallen from the heights, and with
a Beetle on the Phiz.  Mason again raises paranoid speculations, wondering
why they were sent to a place where they'll "be lucky to see the Sun" and
then M&D slip into song; musical selection: "Skanderoon."  Girls follow
Mason to the observatory and the Gnome's House, which was built by the
''Carpenter of the _Seahorse_ and his men."  Mason describes the
forthcoming Transit of Venus for the girls, who fail to share M&D's
enthusiasm for, nor grasp the significance of, the Event.  Chapter ends
with explanation of the Parallax.

Chapter 10--
This chapter is apparently the only one in _Mason and Dixon_ which opens
with an epigraph (see Andrew's commentary, which will be posted shortly). 
It is an excerpt from something titled _Unpublished Sermoms_, by our good
Rev^d Cherrycoke.  Chapter then begins in the LeSpark home, with Pliny and
Pitt asking the Rev^d to demonstrate the Parallax on the orrery, which then
dissolves into Mason and Dixon, on 5 June 1761, awaiting the Transit of
Venus.  Everyone is anxious--they all try to reassure M&D that the cloud
cover will dissipate--and caught up in the anticipation, everyone it seems
but M&D, who seem strangely calm, but this clam is belied by the revelation
that "one is an insomniac and one is not."  When the Transit of Venus
occurs, even the girls, who were indifferent, are impressed.  Narration
then follows the post-Obs let-down; we learn that Mason and Dixon will
leave in early October on the _Mercury_, Captained by Harrold, for St.
Helena and that the Town is beginning to return to "normal" with the
arrival of Delver Warp and the Brothers Vowtay, and a return to the theme
of this section:  "Joanna can almost see those Babies now, up on the
block", and "Austra finds herself calculating which of the Sprigs shall be
easiest to seduce."  Mason and Dixon discuss the effect of the Transit of
Venus on the town--"--had the Town undergone some abrupt conversion?  Had
I, without knowing it?"--and speculate on this apparent-tho'-momentary
turning of Soul.  On another note, now that things are indeed returning
normal, Mason and Dixon have lost their novelty and the town that once
admired them is now turning antagonistic and suspicious:  Mrs. De Bosch
comments that "Nor should I be surpriz'd, if those frightful Instruments
they brought, have serv'd quite another purpose here."  Mason and Dixon
leave, with only Bonk there to see them off (one paranoid to another). 
Chapter returns to Rev^d Cherrycoke who is discussing Mason and Dixon's
Love for the Planet Herself with Brae, when Aunt Euphrenia and Her Oboe
enter.  Chapter ends with Euphrenia's recollections of the Sultan 'Stuffy'
Mustapha and her Tale of Life in a Turkish harem. 

Comments/Questions

This section begins sometime shortly after Mason and Dison's arrival in
Cape Town and ends with Rev^d relating their departure for St. Helena in
October, 1761.  Time shifts continue, with the past, present and future all
interwoven into the still-shifting narratives.

Life in Cape Town--once again, the "preterite" lead the more interesting
lives.

Chapter 8 begins and ends with a reference/image of "lurking"; aside from
any references to this list, is there any significance to this notion?  If
Mason and Dixon are paranoid, i.e., Mason and Dixon's own obs at the end of
chapter 5--"Did we get a piece of someone else's History, spall'd off of
some Great Moment" and the feeling that it's "As if we're Lodgers inside
someone else's Fate", expressed in chapter 7, is the paranoia genuine?  And
in the good Rev^d's case, what exactly does he mean when he says "without
the prinicipals knowing of it?"  Is he an agent of someone?  Why does Mason
seem to dislike Cherrycoke (when they meet up with him, p. 84, the Rev^d
greets them, to which Mason replies "I shall kill him now.")

Food is a big part of this section.  Not only are there basic
philosophickal differences, between the Slaves and the Dutch as well as M&D
and the Dutch, but there are distinct differences in the food they eat. 
The Vrooms seem to like their awful mutton-tail, and boiled roots, while
the Slaves like just about every other kind of food.  On one hand, if
_Mason and Dixon_ is about life, then this motif fits, but is there
something else to this attention to food?  

In chapter 9, Mason plays in the rain.  Compare that to the sexual games
being played; is there a connection between what could be considered
child's play and adult play?  If food is important to life, then both kinds
of play are, too?  And I'm using play in a broad way; Mason's attempts at
both types fail (the attempted seduction by Vrou, and the scene on page
89).  Yet, everyone seems to be enjoying Mason's mishaps--significance? 
  
Chapter 10 reminds us that, no matter how nice and friendly everyone was at
the time of the Transit of Venus, life eventually returns to "normal" and
gets back to the business of the day: mating for fun and profit.  Contrast
this with the epigraph that open this chapter: is this the other side of
that particular coin?  Life in all its Infinite Beauty and all its Infinite
Cruelties?