mddm 27: Franklin

[Richard Romeo]

how to explain then Franklin's attendance at Mason's deathbed near the end 
of the book. If I recall, he seemed sympathetic in that scene.

I know I'm jumping ahead. I will have my mistress whack me bum a few extra 
times tonight.
Rich


>From: jbor <jbor at bigpond.com>
>To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: Re: mddm 27: Franklin
>Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2002 07:11:43 +1100
>
>
>Rereading Pynchon's Franklin's words in the novel again I get rather a
>different impression. After we overhear his opening rant, which is quite
>petulant, he then suddenly turns into little more than a dope dealer's
>crony, figuring Jere for a patsy, in the apothecary shop. Then, in the
>coffee-house, he's insufferably smug and patronising about Miss Davies, the
>"Mozart child" and Mesmer. He seems to be connected, in some type of sting,
>with the petty thief, Lewis, who lurks out by the dung-heap. After he
>unsuccessfully tries to bribe Mason to spy on Dixon, and is even more
>quickly aced by Dixon's deliberate show of false credulity, he then
>retaliates by dredging up the Royal Society debacle over the letter. While
>pretending to emphasise his "innocence" and sympathy, what he is really
>doing is gloating about his own welcome and eminence at the R.S. in 
>contrast
>to Mason's and Dixon's virtual nonetity there. The image I get - "naked
>narrow'd eyes" nodding "encouragingly", "twirling his ... curls", and his
>"courtly way" - is that he is what might be called a right piece of work.
>
>best
>
>
>
>
>Bandwraith at aol.com wrote:
>
> > I find it interesting that Ben ends up giving more info to
> > both Mason and Dixon than he gets from either of them.
> > I wonder if in fact that was more his intention. He is so
> > adept. It is difficult to believe that the meeting between
> > M&D and Franklin is anything but planned, especially with
> > "Lewis" strategically planted in the alley.
> >
> > And yet, he is so smooth that Mason and Dixon both are
> > given to think that it is they that have smoaked out his
> > apparent attempts to turn a profit, and that he is disorganized
> > and unfocused. Meanwhile, the seeds have been planted.
> >
> > Franklin is way, way ahead of the game, but I'm not sure what
> > to make of his motives, or Pynchon's treatment of him here.
> > During this period, he would have been in his fifties, already
> > independently wealthy from a series of skillful business deals;
> > he was ruthlessly competitive, not always fair, and a very
> > hard worker- besides a string of important inventions to his credit,
> > he would have already started the first lending library in America,
> > the first fire brigade, the first philosophical society, founded
> > the Pennsylvania Militia (to the chargrin of Penn) etc., etc. Of
> > course, the honorariums and contacts with the R.S. are accurate,
> > as well.
> >
> > Apologies if this url on Franklin's Armonica has already been
> > posted:
> >
> > http://www.glassarmonica.com/armonica/franklin/
> >
> > Franklin is such a rich character, hard to mythologize, it is
> > fascinating to see Pynchon use him only as bit player. It begs
> > the question once again, does it not: Why M&D?
> >
>


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