VV(18): Rumor had it ...

[Dave Monroe]

"Rumor had it that a week or so later the lady V. ran
off with one Sgherraccio, a mad Irredentist.  At least
they both disappeared from Paris at the same time;
from Paris and as far as anyone on the Butte could
say, from the face of the earth."  (V., Ch. 14, Sec.
ii, p. 414)


"The Butte" = Montmartre

http://www.montmartrenet.com/

http://www.clubmoulinrouge.com/shared/popups/bohos.htm


"Irrendentist"

>From J. Kerry Grant, A Companion to V. (Athens: U of
Georgia P, 2001), on "Italia irredenta" (V., p. 242)
...

"Literally, 'Unreddemed Italy.'  The name of those
portions of Italian-speaking Europe under foreign rule
during the period 1861-1920 ('Irredentism,' Brewer's
Dictionary)....  Dugdale note the irony of the fact
that V. dies on Malta, 'victim of a mad extension of
Irredentism in which the isalnd was bombed to rubble
in an impossible attempt to regain it for Italy' ...."
(p. 124)

Citing John Dugdale, Thomas Pynchon: Allusive Parables
of Power (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990; London:
Macmillan, 1990), p. 111 ...


"Sgherraccio"

"sgherro" = "a hired thug" (Grant, p. 181)

"Demivolt gave Stencil a thumbnail dossier on Veronica
Manganese.  Origins uncertain.  She'd popped up in
Malta at the beginning of the war, in the comapny of
one Sgherraccio, a Mizzist." (V., p. 472)

"The Mizzists--comprising three clubs: Giovine Malta,
Dante Alighieri, Il Comitato Patriottico--sought (a)
Italian hegemony in Malta, (b) aggrandizement for the
leader, Dr. Enrico Mizzi." (ibid.; sorry, no iconic
hand on, er, hand here ...)

"She was now intimate with various renegade Italians,
among them D'Annunzio the poet-militant, and one
Musolini, an active and troublesome anti-socialist."
(V., p. 472-3)

Note that, here, at least, speculation based on
coincidence, on circumstantial evidence ("At least
they both disappeared from Paris at the same time")
turns out to be correct.  And, again, fascism,
politics 'n' aesthetics ...

Which brings us to the end of Chapter 14.  I will
reserve the right to post a translation of that
passage from Theodor Adorno Kai posted, soon as I dig
out my copy of his Philosophy of Modern Music
(right?); a post on that "Tristan-and-Iseult theme"
(p. 410) which is also awaiting a bit of
archaeological luck on my part (full-on stratigraphics
going on at home these days), and which might have
been posted anyway tonight were it not for some
Eastern European of some stripe website on irredentism
collapsing my browser; and, if Herr Foppl or somebody
hasn't kicked in on Ch. 15 shortly, perhaps a few
comments thereupon as well.  And, of course, whatever
the hell else comes to mind.  Again, ran a little
ragged this time 'round, and right back into
situations which dogeed my first hosting stint here,
but ... but I believe it's Mr. Moyer's turn at bat
here, so ... so, well, thanks for tuning in, and, if
you haven't called your mother in a while, I'm sure
she'd love to hear from you ...



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