Sex & the Swastika

[Doug Millison]

rj, your previous posts, which immediately and repeatedly rejected the idea
that Pynchon might be referring, circuituously,  to Hitler and Geli Raubal
in his Katje-Pudding scene, speak for themselves. Obviously, Pynchon refers
directly and unequivocably to certain historical personages in GR and his
other fictions. Just as obviously, there are dozens (if not hundreds) of
instances in his fiction where he names fictional characters after
historical characters. I've seen a recent PhD. dissertation, a brilliant
reading of Vineland, where, by tracing out these names and their historical
significance, astonishing counterpoint to Pynchon's surface text emerges.
The current issue of Pynchon Notes contains such a detailed reading of
COL49, a fascinating article. Pynchon's name games go deep, I argue, and
the revelance of actual historical fact related to his character names
happens too often to be mere coincidence, in my opinion. As you've noted
yourself, in your posts about his German "errors" and the placement of
certain passages at certain points in the pagination of his novel (cf your
posts on Slothrop's brenschlussi, he is capable of great subtlety in his
textual games.  I just wonder at your continuing insistence -- against some
very convincing demonstrations to the contrary -- that he might not be
playing similarly subtle games with his character names.  Especially when,
as I noted in a previous post, you use the same process yourself to relate
Thelonious Monk to McClintock Sphere. I understand that consistency is,
sometimes, the hob-goblin of small minds, but a little bit can't hurt now
and again, either, don't you think?

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