Hollander's Varo/Varro

[Mike Weaver]

"What I term misdirection..." is what Charles wrote

Yet Terance (I'm assuming Wood Jim is him)  writes:
>If  "misdirection" is a Pynchon method, the example
>Hollander provides weakens both of his arguments. That
>is,  the argument that P is writing satire, and the
>argument that P's method is "misdirection."

and

>The painting is not in the
>story so that we may
>read Varo as Varro.

The point Charles is making, whatever you call it, is that Pynchon's use of 
names are signposts which can lead you into interesting places.
Weaving the Varro/Varo combination into Lot49 may well have been a 
intellectually satisfying moment for TP. The paintings are their for their 
own resonance, but as a bonus lead you to a further source of reference. 
There are probably plenty of other examples of such economy throughout TP's 
writings.

>I've heard this particular critique
> > of Hollander's
> > Varo/Varro connection before, and I still don't see
> > why it's so difficult to
> > accept, but every reader has her shot after all.
>
>
>Where have you heard it before?

On the list, a year or two back?

I'm currently working on a project which started with another case of 
"misdirection". I'm inclined to disagree with the label but agree totally 
with Charles, that it is a way TP provides his readers with a deeper and 
richer soil to root about in.

Cheer
Mike