MDDM Comparing Wicks and Ishmael as narrators

[Otto]

----- Original Message -----
From: Terrance <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Monday, February 11, 2002 9:24 PM
Subject: Re: MDDM Comparing Wicks and Ishmael as narrators
>
> >
> > Otto wrote:
> > >
> > > What about the language?
> > > Pynchon's narrative agency, "the one who narrates Wicks," uses
18th-language
> > > too like Wicks.
> > > So of course there is still a big difference between the real living
author
> > > and his narrator.
>

Terrance wrote:
> Why Pynchon opted for 18th century  language is an interesting question.
> Does he succeed?
> He mixes in contemporary speech, phrases, quips, etc.
>
> Another question, Why a Reverend?

Good Questions -- one Reason might be to create this "Narrative Agency" I
guess, to make the Shift, the Fact that there are inevitable Narrative
Agencies, obvious. In any Way not at all to claim Authenticity, therefor the
anachronisms. If He has succeeded in the Language I cannot say, that would
require a Specialist for that Kind of Language (which I am not). But He
succeeds in this Brechtian "Verfremdung" to break the Frame, to unveil the
Illusion that Narratives could tell Truths -- as Reverends normally assert
in interpreting the Holy Bible when they preach. P. reminds us that
Narratives are for Entertainment primarily, but the Origin of all
Interpretation is Bible Exegesis, to get the Truth out of the Script, which
is of course impossible. So we get an unreliable Narrator in the Rev'd who
claims to be telling the Truth, but whose major Purpose is to entertain the
Children of Traders in Arms, One might say which is Business as Usual for
Preachers, who try to sell Stories as Truth they definitely cannot know
about, which are obviously made up:

"Oh, may we watch?" cry the children.
"Never say 'Watch' to your Father," advises Mrs. R.C.
(325.23-24)

Otto