Ch. 60 - 61: Milton in Pynchon

[Tim Strzechowski]

At the conclusion of Chapter 60, Rev. Cherrycoke quotes from Paradise Lost.  The quotation in question comes from Book I:
                              Darkened so, yet shone
  Above them all th' Archangel: but his face
  Deep scars of thunder had intrenched, and care
  Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows
  Of dauntless courage, and considerate pride
  Waiting revenge [...]    (Book I, lines 599 - 604)
This description of Satan comes at the heels of Book One's catalog of rebel legions, and just prior to Satan's proclamation that "war / Open or understood" must herein be debated amongst the inhabitants of Hell.

In the P text, prior to the Rev. quotation, Dixon observes that they're "about as far from Philadelphia, here, as Durham from London," and with his reference to trees, gorges, etc. seemingly echoes the Miltonic vision of Hell's distance from Heav'n. Together with the Serpent image in the Worm tale, and upcoming references in Chapter 61 to "forbidden knowledge" and the layers of the Cone (which suggest the threefold "layers" of brass, iron, and adamantine rock on boundaries of Hell), I wonder if there are further parallels between Milton and Pynchon at this point in the novel. Is the Rev.'s Milton quote merely something that comes to mind given Dixon's mention of distances, or is Pynchon (as I suspect) suggesting further parallels with Milton at this point in the narrative?

Tim


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"The old believe everything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the
young know everything."
                                                                        ~~ Oscar Wilde
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