MDMD(5): Countdown . . .

[Michel Ryckx]

[This was written before the Kirghiz Light became visible now 90 minutes
ago, Kirghiz one of about 10 people living in Afghanistan.  It is green;
and whitish.  Suddenly MDMD doesn't make sense . . .]

When arriving at the Cape, some contours are becoming clear.  I'd like
to stress two rather obvious evolutions in this post:

(1)  The novel begins with what Judy called quite rightly 'cosiness'.
But the image of a happy family changes slowly.  There is the contract
between the Reverend and the family Sultan (Boppo! at 7.1); the children
are aware of the Reverend being 'the Family outcast' at 9.8; later on,
we are told at 31.3-21, mr. LeSpark is a weapon merchant; uncle Lomax
makes 'Anti-Soap' (47.24).  This family, as most families have, has some
dark sides.  In addition, the questions by the twins, or Tenebrae's
comments are not that innocent at all.

(2)  As has been said before, 'Gravity's Rainbow' begins in medias res,
with a nightmare.  All at once: the connections, the paranoid vision,
the intertwining.  In 'Mason & Dixon', this will surface only very
gradually.  Upon encountering the Learned English Dog, there is at most
a feeling of estrangement.  When the Seahorse is being attacked, the
Dynamic Duo (I like that, John) has no time to wonder what is going on
for there is work to do; only afterwards, in Plymouth, they are
beginning to think about the attack, and about possible machinations at
the Royal Society, or the French Navy.  But even then, Mason & Dixon are
more or less aware of what is going on.  It's not yet paranoia, it is
still politics.  And now, we're at the Cape.  And it is there, I think,
we make a qualitative jump: isolation, boundaries (of all kinds) and
uncertainty all very quickly becoming visible.  Dixon ad Mason lose
control.  One (not me) may call it even paranoia.

Before we dive into these horrors, two preliminary remarks: one on the
author, the other one on the novel.

(1) One cannot help but admire the way mr. Pynchon researches: insofar
I've been able to retrace some of the things, ideas, concepts, settings
of Chapters 7, 8 and 9 --and I'm certainly not claiming completeness;
I'm not David Monroe-- everything has been put at its right place.  The
results of this research, unlike in many other novels, seem to be used
offhandedly, and does not distract from the main story. (I know, very
ineptly put, but I do not master your language enough to be more
precise)

(2) It is my sincere conviction that something very good happened to mr.
Pynchon during the Eighties.  He must have found his escape somehow.  As
a young lad, in 1963, publishing one of the best American débuts ever,
he did not dedicate it to someone.  Same goes up for 'COL49'.  Then he
dedicated 'Gravity's Rainbow' to a dead friend.  But then, 'Vineland', a
novel of which the last 5 words are 'thinking he must be home', is
dedicated to his parents.  To be followed by 'Mason & Dixon': as 'a good
dog might just have two days', this novel is his second good day. Its
main quality is human warmth, which permeates this novel and gives it a
poetical quality that doesn't find its equal.  As much as I admire
Gravity's Rainbow, there's so much coldness in it.  Needless to say I
consider Mason & Dixon mr. Pynchon's best.

Ok, enough being emotional & back to business.

After having given a short overview of Chapter 7, others will include:
- background information -that was the fun part.  Things explain'd
comprise the travelling to the Cape; the V.O.C., its Cape Colony, slave
policy, drosters, wine, stars, etc.--some of it I cannot trace; and
- echoes of previous novels, the qualitative jump I think being present,
some things I do not understand, questions to be asked; in short what
I'd like to call the Pynchon touch.

My usual self being chaotic, I've been trying hard to put some logic in
the sequence of these posts. It's up to you to judge if some logic
becomes visible.  Besides, one must be aware of the fact I have no
theoretical, let alone academical backgrounds.  Add to this a high
degree of subjectivity, and I'm expecting to go off the track now and
then, but, when hitting me, well, do it not too rough.

Yours in MDMD(5) and (6),

Michel.