GRGR(17) Hauptstufe (380.18)

[Seb Thirlway]

From: rj <rjackson at mail.usyd.edu.au>


>On p. 380, when Slothrop bites the bullet and launches himself
across
>that autobahn into the public sphere as Raketemensch for the
first time
>it is the exact halfway point of the book (an achievement worthy
of
>celebration and commendation all round in itself I think). I see
the
>symbolism of this incident, and the battle cry in particular, as
>something more than coincidental however. If the novel traces
the
>rocket's trajectory (from the "screaming across the sky" to the
last
>delta-t above the theatre in which the reader sits, oblivious,
at
>novel's close) then are we not too, as participants in the text,
at the
>Brenschluss point, the very apogee of the parabolic arc of (the
act) of
>reading the novel when Slothrop announces "Hauptstafe" here? At
this
>point we too have reached the "main stage" -- it's all downhill
from
>this point (literally and figuratively and reflexively too I
think) --

[snip]

Nice post.  Working on GRGR23 (provisionally entitled "What's
happened to Slothrop?") I was trying to figure out what goes
"wrong" with the novel at this point - more precisely, when Greta
Erdmann appears, and wondering what had happened.  Thinking along
the lines of something about Greta that might have this effect on
Slothrop and thus the novel.  But I think you've picked up a
better explanation.  After all, Greta doesn't exactly burst in on
the novel as a major character does she?  Of all the characters
she seems the least likely to play an active part in events.  But
she demands, and Slothrop submits (and this power relationship is
very nicely the _opposite_ of their sexual game) - almost
becoming domesticated for a while.
I never thought of applying the rainbow metaphor to the novel as
a whole, but now you mention it is makes perfect sense - TRP is a
virtuoso obviously enjoying himself in GR, and this form seems
like just the sort of thing he might throw in as part of the fun.
Picking up on someone else's point about Brennschluss: yes, the
rocket goes on climbing for a while, but quickly decelerates and
starts to fall.  So this point would be Brennschluss for
Slothrop - he goes on wriggling for a while, alive and kicking,
and starts to fall not at this point but a little later
(Tchitchy's musings on Slothrop's Amytal session are the first
indication we get that Slothrop might not be that important - not
in fact driven or monomaniac enough to get to where we want him
to get to).  I get a feeling that Slothrop's progress from here
to Swinemunde is very well written (and possibly, deliberately)
as fitting exactly with the notion of someone still rising, but
no longer under power.  Can't prove this but if I had the time
I'd dig out examples.  I'd put the highest point of the arc at
Slothrop's meeting with der Springer.



seb