Fallopian/Oedipa

[Samuel Moyer]

----- Original Message -----
From: "jbor" <jbor at bigpond.com>


>
> I'm wondering why it doesn't occur to Oedipa, or to someone, that if the
> W.A.S.T.E. cabal is so all-pervasive then one of its operatives would
surely
> have clocked the fact that some snooty broad is poking her nose around and
> trying to expose the cabal, and have reported this potential breach of the
> obviously all-important secrecy to others in the cabal (using W.A.S.T.E.,
or
> a telephone, which would seem to be a simpler option), in which case you'd
> expect them to have closed up shop on her, which is perhaps what Fallopian
> is doing right there.
>

Yes... and then there has to be some opportunity for adding new members...
but another question I have is why does she search?

> One impression I get from the novel reading it again now is that though
the
> reader starts out empathising with Oedipa as a traditional quest
> protagonist, gradually she or he begins to diverge from Oedipa's outlooks
on
> things and opinions.  When Oedipa goes "hunting" Veedubs on the freeway is
> one example (I had a faithful Type 3 for many a year so I'm probably
biased
> on that score), but in her reactions to both Hilarius and Mucho back in
> Kinneret, or when she books in as Grace Bortz for a pregnancy test and
> doesn't go back to get the results, or when she actively decides not to
> follow up leads or ask the obvious questions,

Kind of irritating... like the old man - just assuming he'd be dead instead
of stopping by.  But TRP isn't careless... so I have to assume there was a
reason, that is, something we learn about Oedipa's character.


>I get a sense that a distance
> between the character-narratrix and the textual pov has been forged. I'm
not
> sure whether this is a deliberate effect, but it's one reason why that
final
> announcement of the mysterious bidder's identity which looms just five or
> fifteen minutes beyond the final edge of the text *doesn't* promise much
in
> the way of an imminent "resolution", to me at least.

Right... maybe trying to understand the mystery of WASTE and the Tristero...
or the Bidder (will it be Inverarity?) is all a waste of time...  Something
struck me on p. 118:

Each clue that comes is /supposed/ to have its own clarity, its fine chances
for permanence.

Then on page 118, Fallopian tells her to write down what she can't deny.

Well, I'm in over my head right now.  More tomorrow.
Sam