Symbiosis or S&M Double Stuff

[John Bailey]

I think that Pynchon's novels encourage the reader to be a little suspicious 
of fidelity, which often seems to be aligned with Them; I also agree that 
fidelity (in all senses) is probably a very useful term to keep in mind.

The Jesuit Telegraph, it seems to me, is very high-fidelity, low entropy, 
cold, sharp, focused, nearly invisible - these are dangerous qualities to 
characters more usually aligned with slippage, fumbling, error, exile, bad 
jokes and frontal hemispheres. An overly efficient machine or an excessively 
dutiful servant will only cause trouble.

GR takes this even further: the novel seems to me to be extremely 
sympathetic towards double agents, Judas, etc. This is a difficult project 
to undertake. I don't know how successful it is. It's not just that double 
agents straddle both sides of a line; I think Pynchon isn't too keen on the 
lines to begin with, and anyone who refuses to stick to one side or the 
other is probably worth watching.

>From: Terrance <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
>To: "pynchon-l at waste.org" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: Re: Symbiosis or S&M Double Stuff
>Date: Sun, 20 Jan 2002 20:25:40 -0500
>
>Perhaps it's all  theater.
>
>Several critics have written articles on Pynchon's doubles. Mason's
>paranoid speculations about what his double may be agreeing to behind
>his back is not as far fetched as it sounds.
>
>I have to agree with Jbor, it seems that our  Dixon and Mason are being
>tested. And what is being tested? I do believe it is their loyalty. I'm
>not so sure about what Bandwraith is talking about, but I think fidelity
>might be at play in chapter 27.
>
>
>Fidelity
>The degree to which an electronic system accurately reproduces the sound
>or image of its input signal.
>
>Faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances. 2. Exact
>correspondence with fact or with a given quality, condition, or event;
>accuracy.
>
>No static at all, F---M-
>
>Again, I agree that Lear is good place to turn and Moby-Dick (which of
>course begs, borrows, and steals) from Lear. While I'm thinking about
>Shakespeare and Melville, I seem to recall that Jbor also mentioned the
>navel of the ship. That navel is what Black Pip sees. Anyway, I was also
>thinking that Dixon and Mason may have smoked out Franklin's game and
>are in fact  playing a bit of a game with the eminent Philadelphian.
>
>
>"We've had an adventure or two, you see."  M&D.270
>
>This sounds to me like, you can't pull the wool over our eyes so easily
>because we've been around the block. In fact, coming into the city of
>Philadelphia, Mason and Dixon are experienced men, they have known
>strange foods, times (Clocks), religions and exotic lands, even
>slaves.
>
>Isn't it possible to read Lewis as a invention of Mr. Dixon? Maybe that
>useful substance Mr. Dixon has been sipping has smartened  his already
>street smartened mind? Well, anyway, it seems that Franklin texts their
>fidelity and they pass.
>
>I also suspect that the Washington meeting is staged. A good portion of
>this novel takes place on stage. In fact, this is true of the novels V,
>GR, VL, CL49.
>
>It is a tale told by a broken remebrancer
>full of sounds and fury
>signifying america.




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