MDDM Ch. 32 Twins

[Otto]

"mutual reciprocity?" in German, according to my dics:
gegenseitige Gegenseitigkeit?
Thomas, Kurt, Kai, Nika -- help me out.

Fine post, John. But are they really so different:

"French Women, come to that," mutters Pitt.
"It's not easy being pious for both of us, you know," Pliny advises.
(7.26-27)

Of course Pitt & Pliny are monozygotic twins:

"May we have Indians tomorrow, Uncle?"
"Of course, Pitt."
"Pliny, Sir."
"The Younger." Off they go.
(316.22-25)

Interestingly by this binary opposition (the older vs. the younger) the
historical Pitts (brothers, but not twins) & Plinys (uncle and nephew) are
usually separated from each other (see Chap.1, p. 7.19-21).

Judy has posted something on the twins last September, with interesting
links:
http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0109&msg=59250&keywords=Pliny

not to forget this fine one from Mutualcode who points to the reversed
binary of naming the older after the (historically) younger pair:
http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0109&msg=59601&keywords=Pliny

old, but interesting discussion on "Pitt's Anachronism":
http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9706&msg=16111&sort=thread

Otto

----- Original Message -----
From: John Bailey <johnbonbailey at hotmail.com>
To: <o.sell at telda.net>; <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2002 5:25 AM
Subject: Re: MDDM Ch. 32 Twins


-schnipp--
>
> But....twins. Barth talks about twins as a closed system, mutual
> reciprocity. The 'real' twins of M&D, Pitt & Pliny, don't seem to be
> especially representative of this notion. But the perpetual motion watch,
> well, it's a closed system, and would require a mutual reciprocity of
energy
> to function, with that endless deferral of, well, reality, just like the
> closed world of twins...but sometimes that real world doesn't want to be
> deferred, and so it eats you up, slurping you down like a noodle (I love
> that image).
>