Chasing ... Cutting

[Dave Monroe]

jbor wrote:

> more than happy to remain Unconvinced and shut up about it

Very good.  But our readings do seem rather either to pivot on our readings of that
epigraph, or seem to emerge in concentrated form there.  At any rate, such
religious-to-spiritual-to-mystic pronouncemnets by even yr twen cen scientists are
hardly uncommon, though I can't help but be cynical about von Braun's
"spirituality."  Niels Bohr used the yin/yang symbol as his coat of arms, that
complementarity thing, for example, and bookstore shelves abound with such titles as
The Tao of Physics and The Dancing Wu Li Masters.  As Otto graciously noted, this
would be esp. characteristic of Pynchon's, Gravity's Rainbow's high-to-late-to-post
hippiedom publication context.  And I've noted that such discourse would not have
been uncommon amongst yr German, Nazi scientists, engineers of  GRs setting (Jeffrey
Herf, Reactionary Modernism).

> I'm suggesting that Pynchon isn't concerned with vilifying not just Wernher and
> ...

Well, now, see, this is what I'm getting at, you do seem to have a Point to make, am
wondering what that might be, and why.  But I only seem to get Answers when I
provoke them, so ...

> what is Weissmann's first name I wonder, and why aren't we ever given it in the
> text?

Good question, couldn't find it myself, and I've been Looking.

> > "... some formal, rationalized version of what, outside, proceeds without form
> or
> > decent limit day and night, the summary executions, the roustings, beatings,
> > subterfuge, paranoia, shame"
>
> Yes, these are Katje's beliefs of what is "better" in her situation. Why not
> attribute the citation correctly? She works for either, and neither, side btw.

But this IS her situation with Weissmann/Blicero, no?  "their preserving routine,
their shelter, against what outside"--as opposed to the "formal, rationalized
version" thereof presumably inside ...--"none of them can bear--the War, the
absolute rule of chance, their own pitiable contingency here in its midst...."

> Blicero doesn't seem to be upwardly mobile within the Nazi chain of command at
> all.

We again share a question.

> > Not quite the charismatic romanticized ubermensch I've been reading you to be
> making him out to be
>
> Er, no. That would be Enzian. And Katje. And Thanatz. And Gottfried. I'd
> characterise him more as a failed visionary, romantic idealism overwhelmed by
> despair.

Am working on these, in re: the same issues.  Over which we will no doubt continue
to disagree.  Preferably, it will not be in quite the tone we've been doing so of
late.  Think it a gesture of good will that I did NOT make the obvious  wisecrack in
responding to your previous post (i.e., Prostitute, go ...).  Am very sensitive in
re: escalation ...