MDDM Ch. 28 Notes & Questions

[jbor]

on 15/1/02 2:23 PM, John Bailey at johnbonbailey at hotmail.com wrote:

> 278.14 ‘the New Harvest’ Col. Washington’s hemp. There’s a lot of info on
> Washington’s hemp-growing ways, and it’s been well documented elsewhere.
> Pynchon doesn’t seem to use it for much more than stoner’s humour, however,
> and given his self-professed predilection for these sort of jokes (in the SL
> intro), it’s not surprising. At least we don’t get anyone shouting ‘Legalise
> it!’

But surely this type of sentiment is implicit in this scene?

> -.20 ‘Where you be at, my man!’ I’m not sure how to read this line. It’s a
> different tone of address than we’ve had so far from Washington. In one
> sense, I can sort of imagine it as the words of a white southern plantation
> owner to a servant, adopting a dominant voice (note, it’s printed as an
> exclamation, not a question). On the other hand, it also seems like the
> familiar vernacular of black street-talk, or at least a stereotypical
> version of it.

I think Gershom's reply - "Yes Massuh Washington Suh." - is part of a
double-act here. George is flaunting what the Pennsylvanians think, that he
"talk[s] like an African" (276.15), which prejudice against Southerners in
general is echoed in the excerpt from Wicks's daybook:

    ... They gaily dance the steps their African Slaves teach them. [ ... ]
    No good can come of such dangerous Boobyism. (275)

Both George and Gersh are putting on these stereotype(s) *deliberately*, to
entertain their guests, and confound the criticisms.

I think that the way *Pynchon* characterises Gershom here as having
converted to Judaism is a retort to Norman Mailer's 'White Negro' thesis, of
which Pynchon had possibly felt himself a target for a long time. There
could also be a historical precedent in someone like William Henry Lane,
known as "Master Juba":

    The minstrel business created little opportunity for blacks themselves,
    but it did show some respect for their skills. One antebellum troupe got
    most of its material from its porter. The best minstrel ever was William
    Henry Lane, a Black known as Juba. He out-danced and caricatured every
    other minstrel, and was most renowned for imitating others' imitations
    of himself. Lott thought it ironic that Juba was never paid simply to
    dance as himself, but only to imitate his imitators.

http://patriot.net/~crouch/artj/ericlott.html

http://www.streetswing.com/histmai2/d2juba1.htm

best