MDDM Ch. 12 Summary & Notes

[Dave Monroe]

And, again, to each his own, though, again, I would
point out that there is ultimately no way to draw a
line between what is and what isn't "necessary" to
reading any given text.  One might provisionally
determine what might or might not prove, if not
"necessary," at least, I don't know, "immediately
useful" or somesuch, to any given reading thereof, but
... 

But, even then, there are always further commentaries
to be made, ones which take in other considerations
not considered in any given reading.  My predilection
is to take into consideration as much as possible,
esp. that which might not otherwise have been taken
into consideration.  That which the builders rejected
...

And in this I'm hardly alone here (much less
elsewhere).  No end of presumably "extratextual"
knowledge, of literature, of theory, of history, of
religion, of technology, of science, of culture,
material or otherwise, of language, and so forth,
being brought to bear here.  Elsewhere.  As it must,
necessarily, be ...  

Again, there is no outside-the-text.  One might draw
such a(n ultimately Augustinian?) circumference
provisionally, in regards to the presumed centering
effect of a given reading of any given text, but one
unavoidably risks some nigh-unto-inevitable
decentering.  Texts, and the readings thereof which
are no less textual, may always be reread. Ever that
formerly rejected cornerstone might yet be decornered
in turn ...

But, again, my comments were obviously pointed in more
than one direction there, and not even primarily in
this one, so ...

--- Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net> wrote:
> I'm wouldn't want to put too much stock in the value
> of "research" as a means of enhancing one's
> "understanding" of a book like M&D. I'm talking
> about research that is going on while, and is part
> and parcel of, the reading the book.Naturally having
> a broad knowledge of history and other writing
gained
> in advance over the years will enable the reader to
> derive much more from a writer like Pynchon than
> would be the case without such a base.  But, while
> acquiring bits and bites of specific facts the
writer 
> can be shown to have drawn on in composition may be
> satisfying in itself and have general eduational
> value I'd strongly advise divorcing such a project
> from the reading of the book. This doesn't mean one
> shouldn't have a dictionary handy.

To each his/her own, then, even when it comes to just
how and when and where to deploy one's dictionary ...  

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