MDMD & Anticipation

[Mrs. Saint Paulie's Girls & Mackinroni]

Julian Munro wrote:
> 
> Two years ago, I accidentally stumbled upon the web's Best Kept Secret:
> Pynchon-l at waste.org! I was experiencing a terrible loss, and found my solace
> in the comforts of a group reading of GR. Due to work pressures I had to
> give up my treasured Pynchon Group for a while, and only recently subscribed
> again in great anticipation of MDMD. To my shock and absolute horror, I
> found that the once glorious Hall of Thoth has been invaded by bickering and
> warmongering more suited to a Yahoo MUD. I am so disappointed! Nothing of
> value left here.
> I miss Sabastien Dangerfield. Pynchon-l needs a Quality Control Officer to
> ward of This White Visitashun.
> 
> Sadly
> enzian9

Sadist  of all is the fact that M&D is a novel that addresses many of
the 
issues, concerns, interests of the participants here and it has been
largely absent from discussion. I know the book doesn't go directly into
Afghanistan like a CNN camera (although it does go into lots that is not
unrelated to the current war or whatever it is that we want to call it)
or even so much into home land security and the legal powers of the
state as VL does,  but the book does take up most of the issues and
topics of debate that have been  discussed here in the last three
months. Now I know that some people don't care for the book and that's
fine.  Others know what a difficult book it is and simply don't want to
or don't have the time to read or re-read the book with the group. This
is also understandable. However, there is plenty to discuss in M&D that
is really related to what is being discussed most of the time here, that
includes the S&M relationships. 

(Tho' he does not of course read any of this aloud,-- choosing rather to
skim ahead to the Moral.) 

"Behind our public reaction to the Event, the outrage and Piety, what
else may abide,-- what untouchable residue? Small numbers of people go
on telling much larger numbers what to do with their precious Lives,--
among these Multitudes, all but a few go on allowing them to do so. The
British in India encourage the teeming population that rule to teem as
much as they like, whilst taking their land for themselves, and then
restricting the parts of it the People will be permitted to teem upon. 

"Yet hear the Cry, O Lord, when even a small metaphor of this
continental Coercion is practiced in Reverse, as 'twas in the old B.H.
of C." 
MD.153 

"In this form of management, power is not totally entrusted to someone
who would exercise it alone, over others, in an absolute fashion;
rather, this machine is one in which everyone is caught, those who
exercise power as well as those who are subjected to it." 
		-Foucault 

The list really needs a few good woman willing to read and post stuff
people will reply to. Robert is providing summaries with a few
interesting questions and issues. Dave is posting notes and bibs and a
few comments, but we need more people to reply or post their ideas,
thoughts, whatever. Posting web pages and all is fine too, but doing so
simply doesn't spur constructive discussions most of the time  and more
often than not causes more trouble than dialogue. Was glad to see s~Z
here again, but he never did get around to talking about the books he's
been into. Maybe because he felt he walked in on a family brawl and left
to go call the domestic squad, don't know. 


Yeah Dave, I kant keep up, what with all these long lost in space
friends showing up for the holidays  calling the mother planet, with
beaming them up, with the Spring stubbornly holding on to the last green
leaves of grass here, with no excuse not to 
bike out on Long Island, read papers in the park, make quick hops down
to my favorite central american surf towns, look for Mrs. Clause, that
is, a moxie doxy with a few cheap theatrikal tricks who can fool
everyone
but Uncle Emit into thinking she really is a bank teller from Santiago,
with money to be made and foolishly but patriotically parted with on
gifts
for the entire family (almost equal to the population of Minnesota now,
Irish and Puerto Ricans being good Catholics you know).

An tizzy pation she keepin me away ay ay aytin.