M&D Saturday night in Delaware

[jbor]

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>From: "Judith A. Panetta" <judy at firemist.com>
>To: "pynchon-l at waste.org" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: M&D Saturday night in Delaware
>Date: Tue, Aug 1, 2000, 6:43 AM
>

> As a poor substitute, I brought up the subject of
> the novel with the "public historian."
>
> "I don't have time for (snort) historical novel. I had 3000
> pages of research. Besides I was told that Mason and Dixon
> were portrayed as gay. Who needs that."

Youch. Besides the underlying homophobia/vilification of this statement from
an apparently educated person, where in the text is that *ever* suggested?
The homoeroticism in Melville I can see -- throughout the oeuvre -- even
Blicero-Enzian-Gottfried-Sir Marcus-Mossmoon-Thanatz-Ludwig etc and the
preterition/homosexuality parallels drawn in *GR*, but M&D in *M&D*?!

> Now I don't have a problem with M&D being gay.  Why, some of
> my best friends...(sorry, I'll stop). But with a scant 230
> more pages to go in this (snort) historical novel, I just
> don't see the character development going in quite that
> direction.
>

Won't spoil things for you then -- could indeed be the suprise twist in that
last "chaptire" of the novel -- keep reading.

> Nevertheless, I felt somehow that TP was "dissed by proxy."
> Which might add a new facet to the Pynchon for the masses
> debate. In fairness the ranger in attendance was far more
> gracious about the matter, gently referring to the book as
> "difficult."

I think that, as in *GR*, Pynchon's work proves pretty iconoclastic and
difficult (or hard to swallow) when it comes to historians, US patriots,
public servants and the like. Yogi Bear'd've been a better one to ask ...

anyway, thanks for the recount, sounds like it was fun

best