JFK in Lot 49

[cj hurtt]

  ok...i may be dense here, but i just don't see how col49 is a meditation on the jfk assasination. i dont see anyway to textually support the idea that jfk's assasination is "central" or "present in its absence"(whatever the hell that means) in this tale of oedipa maas.i just dont see how one has anything to do with the other.

  Yo Dudes; 
                 It is I, The Scarlet Lurker, coming out of the tall grass for 
  a moment.  I usually don't enjoy being in the middle of such passionate 
  intensity, but I realize it is the DNA imperative of males to vie for 
  dominance in the hierarchical pecking order.  I'm just too old for that 
  stuff.  And I'll remind you all what Katherine Hepburn once said to Humphrey 
  Bogart in THE AFRICAN QUEEN.  "Human Nature is what we must strive to 
  overcome," or words to that effect.  But as everyone is so close.  It is as 
  though the truth were right there, the en soi, all Sartrean brown and 
  squishy, and no one wants to get too close. 
                 It has recently reported that certain Pynchon letters from 
  the 60s have made their way to the University of Texas archives, and that 
  among them is one that demonstrates how upset TRP was at the Kennedy 
  regicide.  Lots of us were upset, for various reasons.  Hell, Nixon commented 
  at the time something to the effect, "That could have been me."  So, I 
  interpret that as not so much an Old dynasty v. New dynasty opinion; but as 
  the realization that there was a new Praetorian order in politics. 
                 Furthermore, it is generally said that TRP took time off from 
  his larger project (Gravity's Rainbow) to begin his miniature masterpiece 
  (Lot 49).  I know, I know: post hoc, propter hoc.  But TRP's history suggests 
  a pretty disciplined work habit, and it's the only time we know of that he 
  dropped one project to begin another.  And I'll enjoy lurking through your 
  discussion of that one too. 
                  Dugdale, in his book's chapter on Lot 49, mentions but 
  doesn't go into (much) P's concern for the events in Dallas that November 
  day.  Alas, he doesn't go far enough with that thread, for me.  But he did 
  notice it.  So I am not alone. 
                  So we have the Pynchon letter expressing consternation, we 
  have Dugdale's discussion, and my essay all linking JFK to Lot 49.  I attempt 
  to show how TRP made those links.  While I can say "how" I can't say "why" 
  without being a mind reader.  Perhaps he knew of Mark Lane's book (then in 
  the works?) RUSH TO JUDGMENT?  He's always seemed to have good connections to 
  the publishing world. 
                  But what do I know.  I'm only... 
                         You know who 
                    
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20010714/5ff9aa40/attachment.html>