hyperbole and Ozymandias

[jporter]

> From: Dave Monroe <monroe at mpm.edu>
> Organization: Milwaukee Public Museum
> Date: Wed, 03 Jan 2001 11:10:14 -0600

 
> But I will
> reiterate that Doug and Otto's reading of those opening pages of
> Gravity's Rainbow as a palimpsest of possible scenarios, a particularly
> strong possibility being that among the several scenes being described
> (with perhaps a nigh-unto-Necker-cube perspectival flickering) is,
> indeed, the "evacuation" of prisoners to a concentration camp, is a
> suggestive, powerful and ingenious one ...

It's too obvious for my taste, and contracts the universality of the vision.
The scape-goated Victims of the H. would once again be allowed to carry the
burden for a much larger audience, which should include thee and me and
what's to come, not just the preterite. "It has happened before...," yes,
"but there is nothing to compare it to now" The Nazis were bad, but not evil
enough to proportion the potential evility of the malchicks waiting in the
wings. There are overtones, sure, harmonics illuminating this, as yet,
subjunctive apocalypse, but I'm not so certain that you've uncovered a
corner of The Temple. There may not be one best interpretation, old fellow,
not even yours.

Perhaps an archaelogical lesson can be drawn from the likes of Porpentine,
et. al. One might, with practice, learn when to dig deep, when merely to
take things at face value, and when to balance the two, lest one get burnt,
or blinded, as it were.

jody 

"...and his heart was never ready."