one more little bit Re: MDDM Washington & Gershom & Martha

[Samuel Moyer]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Doug Millison" <millison at online-journalist.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 7:34 PM
Subject: one more little bit Re: MDDM Washington & Gershom & Martha


> That the Mt. Vernon scene contains all the elements of a theatrical
> production (a "Folly" p. 275) -- joaks, song and dance, the possible
> two-man flim-flam routine to extract an investment in swamp land from
Mason
> and Dixon -- plus the many allusions to pop culture (W.C. Fields, Stepin
> Fetchit, Rochester and Jack Benny, etc.), suggests that Pynchon
underscores
> the way that our understanding of American history depends on who's
telling
> the story and why,...

We agree on that... I feel that it is Cherrycoke telling the story...

Rob said:  I still don't know that Wicks is actually telling this story, or
that it's
he who is embellishing on the historical record here...

This is something I'd like to talk about more... I know we talked about it a
year ago with regard to Stencil... and all very meaningful for me.

With regards to the Mt Vernon scene and the elements of theatre... I'd also
add that I think there are plays from GW's own time that have comic
similarities... give me a few days (though Dave Monroe probably has these in
that card catalogue of his already) and I will name sources....  but back to
MDDM 63 for the moment...

Sam