V.V. (3) "Young Stencil the world adventurer"

[Don Corathers]

I agree that the observations about the WSC--from 56.7, "he presented to Stencil a horrifying spectacle" to Stencil's departure from the party on page 57--are made through his consciousness. But I don't think I'm ready to ascribe the narration of the whole section to him. The description of what happens at the party after he actually leaves has a different quality from the paragraph above, which can be read as Stencil speculating what *would* (and that use of the conditional auxiliary or whatever the hell you call it is the major difference) happen after he left. I think when Stencil leaves the apartment his voice leaves the narrative. 

Where it begins is harder to define (and a lot more important, if you think Stencil might be shading, embroidering, or Stencilizing the story). What I think right now is that the first part of the section, including Stencil's biography up to the present moment at the party, is related to us by the omniscient narrative voice that has been telling us the story so far.

Don 



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From: 	jbor[SMTP:jbor at bigpond.com]
Sent: 	Saturday, November 04, 2000 4:35 PM
To: 	pynchon-l at waste.org
Subject: 	Re: V.V. (3) "Young Stencil the world adventurer"


I guess I'd give him the whole section, from the chapter subdivision, where
he makes the observations about the party unwinding like clockwork and
Rachel disliking him, right through to the line break at the bottom of p.
58. Stencil objectifies, extrapolates, invents, so the fact that he has left
the party would not preclude him from narrating its continuance,
particularly as he seems to have been taken into Esther's confidence
previously. (52.24)

The parenthetic "(e.g.)" after mention of "the promiscuous Debbie Sensay" is
an affectation which further supports the theory. The presumption (in being
able to predict what will happen after the party, at 57.10-23 for example)
and disdain (for the members of the WSC) are certainly his I think.

best

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>From: Don Corathers <crawdad at one.net>
>To: "'p-list'" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: RE: V.V. (3) "Young Stencil the world adventurer"
>Date: Sun, Nov 5, 2000, 2:47 AM
>

> But for the sake of argument, where would you say Stencil's narration might
> begin and end? With the sentence "Young Stencil the world adventurer..."
> (52.18)? And ending when Stencil leaves Fergus's apartment near the bottom
> of page 57?