V.V.(8) sfacim and sewer stories

[jbor]

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>From: <davidmmonroe at hotmail.com>
>

> This, I believe, was something Charles Hollander pointed out somewhere or
> another, but do note that "sfacim" is an anagram for "fascism."

Actually, it would spell "facism".

But I do agree that there is a lot going on in terms of word play, language
games, puns, jokes etc

Some more anagrams you might want to add in to your mix:

sfacimento - fa(s)cist omen

Profane - near-fop

I also liked the potential oxymoron which Paul suggested for "whole sick",
and which I'd never seen or heard before either. I think that "off-duty cop"
back in the last chapter is another deliberately-placed oxymoron, or one of
those convenient euphemisms like "military intelligence" or "collateral
damage".

And Michael's mention of 'Entropy' reminded me that Aubade is, for me at
least, a homophone for "obeyed".

There are a couple of pretty obvious jokes in the current chapter too,
where, naked and spreadeagled on the pool table, Lucille's vagina presents
as just another pocket for Benny ("There are some funny things I could say"
he sez, but doesn't), and then later on when the rumble starts and he is
literally "snookered" behind that eight ball.

The mention of Geronimo as possibly a Native American (I agree) is another
instance where Pynchon has not utilised overt ethnic tagging. I couldn't
understand when Geronimo was considering heading south to find some
puertorriqueños but now it makes sense and broadens even further the white
v. non-white (or "other") cleft which is so marked in Pynchon's texts imo.

I also think it interesting that several times now Benny has just missed out
on connecting up with the (*extremely* multicultural) WSC. He could have
fallen in with them by way of the Rusty Spoon but didn't, then through
either Rachel or Paola (but didn't), then when he shot Stencil's butt and
almost went for the interview with Roony he almost could have managed to
fall in with the Crew again (but didn't). It seems to me that the WSC is
where he belongs and somewhere he could possibly find some alleviation of
that existential angst he is carrying around on his back. Like Oedipa (and
Slothrop later vis à vis the Counterforce) he is constantly kept just
outside (revelation, membership, "belonging").

The Playboys seem to be a strangely ambiguous "gang" ('West Side Story'
notwithstanding), along the lines of those various sets of Trystero riders
and anarchists (and the modern derivation) in _Lot 49_ and perhaps even the
Schwarzkommando and Counterforce in _GR_ too.

best