the Tak and Ichi show

[kevin at limits.org]

On Wed, 23 Aug 2000, pynchon-l-digest wrote:
> From: Doug Millison <millison at online-journalist.com>
> Subject: re P's intentions
> 
[snip]
> that would seem not to permit a 
> reading of GR that assumes that Pynchon is actually sitting there 
> dealing the Tarot cards as he watches TV and writes these final 
> passages of the novel; that may be true, who knows, although the part 
> about  that Takeshi and Ichizo TV show would seem to be fiction -- I 
> certainly never saw or heard of such a show on TV  in the '60s or 
> early '70s.
>
In that "light another cigarette and forget the whole thing" passage
Pynchon is, in his loveable way, apologizing for the fragmented narrative,
specifically the sections a few pages back dealing with Tak and Ichi,
those comical kamikazes.  It's like he's saying "I know you're probably
trying to read a book about Slothrop and the V-2 rocket, but it just ain't
that easy."


Kevin Troy

"If compassionate conservatives don't know the meaning of 'is,' how will
they handle the more important helping verbs?"
--Peter Weyler, quoted in _Modern Humorist_