narratives

[Andersen Jesper Sparre]

> On the subject of narrative flow, I think the pacing is deliberate, tied-in
> with concepts related to the arduous labors of the central characters as
> well as the notion that the chapters are like tarot cards that tell part of
> the story on their own, and part of the story considered as part of a
> greater whole.  The treacly framing story strikes me as a parody on the


Well, I see what you mean about the ardous labors and deliberate pacing.  
But then he pulls the one year jimp around p. 300 (I believe).  I'm not 
sure what to make of that.  From the description this would be the 
slowest going for M&D (this is where they've been working on the tangent 
line thing, laid out in appropirately dense, if slightly incorrect, 
detail).  The jump doesn't really fit in with what you're saying.  
Perhaps I'm missing somthing of your point, though.  

Its interesting to ponder (at least for me) about how much of the 
narrative voice is what Pynchon believes to be the period voice and how 
much is what he believes we will believe is the period voice (and how 
much we believes we believes he believes ... a.n.).  GR had a really 
distinctive cinamatic feel which for better or worse strikes me as 
completely appropriate as the story telling voice of the time (40's 
movies both glamousous and pulp).  But on the other hand, it is a 
european story, and how much were people in war time thinking about the 
celluloid diversion?  Which leads to the pother idea, the TRP knowing 
that everyone in his generation knows of WWII through movies simp]ly 
chose to present his story in the same voice as the movies which had 
conveyed the experience of WWII to his audience already.

That being said, does anyone have an idea about which might be more 
likely, in both cases.  TRP's voices are always a stylized version of the 
contemporary voice (expect perhaps COL49 -- it seems a little dated, but 
what do I know) but is that just his own influence on the narrative, or a 
meanful choice?

A perplexed reader,

		Jesper Andersen