V.V.(4): Wayward Thoughts, Questions, Observations

[Dedalus]

It's Saturday night, and I'm spending it with V.

As I look over my notations for V.V.(4) one last time (over one more
glass of wine, whilst listening to Thelonius Monk), here are some final
thoughts, questions, observations, etc., in no particular order:

1.  I am still slightly confused about the time of this section: there
are references in the Prologue to "young Stencil," so is this an
analepsis to shortly after Sidney's death, with Herbert being around 18
years old?  Or is the "dream within a dream" situation making this a
present-day Stencil dreaming of a young Stencil, who is dreaming?  Or am
I totally off-base with these speculations?  Someone, please clarify!

2.  How do characters like Yusef, Goodfellow, and Porpentine fit into
the Pynchonesque notion of "anarchists"?  Since Pynchon seems to have an
affinity for anarchists --- i.e. those who escape or undermine
beauracracies, institutions, "the Man" --- how do these guys rank among
TRP's other friendly anarchists in his other works?

3.  While reading in Impersonation II the references to "spawn of a
homosexual camel" and "Menkes, who had returned to describe Yusef's
great-great-great grandfather and grandmother as a one-legged mongrel
dog who fed on donkey excrement and a syphilitic elephant,
respectively," I was reminded vaguely of a reference once to a similar
insult/joke formula in African-American culture used in trash-talking
(i.e. "your Mama is so ugly . . . blah blah blah"). Any sociologists on
the p-list care to comment on this phenomemon, which is probably common
to ALL ethnic and racial cultures (I assume, at least)?

4.  In each Impersonation, there is liquid and/or food consumption
(coffee, Chablis punch, and dinner w/ drinks, respectively).
Significance? . . . or do I just need a refill?


To paraphrase Thomas E. back in V.V.(1), feel free to take any and all
portions of my postings and debate, analyze, justify, refute, qualify,
discard, whatever.  That's what makes literary discourse worthwhile . .
. and fun!    : )

All the best,

Dedalus