mddm: pynchon & mann on masons in politics

[lorentzen-nicklaus]

 +++ in the following sentence from the magic mountain, settembrini names some 
 of the most famous freemasons, among them franklin & washington, and points out 
 the secret society's overrepresentation in european govern- and parliaments:   
 "auch wusste er sich nicht wenig mit allerlei großen namen, deren träger maurer 
 gewesen waren oder es heute waren, nannte voltaire, lafayette und napoleon, 
 franklin und washington, mazzini und garibaldi, von lebenden sogar den könig 
 von england und außerdem eine menge männer, in deren händen die geschäfte der 
 europäischen staaten lagen, mitglieder von regierungen und parlamenten." in my 
 edition, which differs from otto's, this is page fivehundredfourtytwo. in a  
 novel published 49 years after the zauberberg, thomas "rainbow" pynchon adds 
 anothers celebrity to the list: "we must also not forget famous missouri mason 
 harry truman: sitting by virtue of death in office, this very august 1945, with 
 his control-finger poised right on miss enola gay's atomic clit, making ready 
 to tickle 100,000 little yellow folks into what will come down as a fine 
 vapor-deposit of fat-crackling wrinkled into the fused rubble of their city on 
 the inland sea...." (588). peace! kai, who really loves to read great novels 
 into each other +