vv (1): every red light maid a beatrice

[Lorentzen / Nicklaus]

 "'beatrice,' said beatrice. beatrice being another barmaid. mrs. buffo, owner 
 of the sailor's grave, whose first name was also beatrice, had a theory that 
 just as small children call all females mother, so sailors, in their way 
 equally as helpless, should call all barmaids beatrice. further to implement 
 this maternal policy, she had had custom beer taps installed, made of foam 
 rubber, in the shape of large breasts." (pp. 12f)    



           for an unforced amplification see the "tale of beatrice", which is 
           told in chapter 114 of william t. vollmann's "the royal family" (pp. 
           175-183). since italy is mentioned in the chapter's last sentence and 
           since vollmann, as i've read in an interview, worked on la divina 
           comedia in context of his cornell studies, the name might be read as 
           a dante reference. three short outtakes:


  "beatrice was a fullbooded mixteca from oaxaca, in a village where beyond a 
  fence made of scrap wood, the canyon continued down toward unknown places 
  where they said that puppets well-made enough came to life and ran away from 
  their makers, hiding amidst the lizards, vagabonds, and beautiful turquoise 
  skeletons." (176)

  "she fed upon the diseased sperm of thousands of men, drinking it down without 
  complaint, transsubstantiating it into sacred suffering." (181)

  "of all her whores, the queen loved beatrice best excepting sapphire alone. 
  she often said to the others: beatrice ain't like us. she's 
  c h r i s t i a n. she don't bear that mark of cain. beatrice, now, she's our 
  special angel." (183)


kfl