MDDM Ch. 58 Young Nathe

[Clément Levy]

Well, you know many things about Pynchon's works that I don't, but those 
milkmaids may be some remembering of Proust's milkmaids in _A l'ombre des 
jeunes filles en fleurs_, first part (the second book of _A la recherche du 
temps perdu_). The young man keeps thinking of them during the train 
journey to Balbec, and even sees one, just at the beginnig of the book, and 
then can't stop loving in advance any country-girl he could meet when 
driving through the forests all around. I believe they stop being 
milkmaids, but I'm not sure.
The fact that P's milkmaids always trick their milk (the disguting thing 
with snails, or more, p. 464) could be some humoristic re-reading of Proust 
(his milkmaiden are so pure and naive!).
What do you think of that?
Regards.
Clément

jbor à dit à ÒRe: MDDM Ch. 58 Young NatheÓ.
[2002/06/17 23:15:14]

> Mike wrote:
> 
> > On the more biographical front: young Tom may very well have had a job
> > similar to Nathan's--his father was in charge of roads and surveying for
> > the county, wasn't he? (I forget his exact title).  So it's possible 
> that
> > Pynchon found himself working on a county road crew during the summers
> > between years at Cornell.  I can't recall any direct evidence to support
> > this, but I've always read Benny Profane's experinces on the road crew 
> as
> > semi-autobigraphical.
> > 
> > 
> 
> He was indeed; I hadn't even considered that connection. Thanks. Recall 
> also
> that Pynchon's first fictional protagonist is named Nathan "Lardass" 
> Levine,
> and that events in 'The Small Rain' supposedly draw on Pynchon's own
> experiences as well. So, perhaps there is a mysterious milkmaid d'amour
> lurking somewhere in Tommy P's past, eh?
> 
> I think you might be right re. Benny too, and there's also the stunning
> passage in _GR_ where Tyrone recalls his time in the Berkshires doing
> "Chapter 81 work" (625-6), remembering those
> 
>     [...] days when in superstition and fright he could *make it all fit*,
>     seeing clearly in each entry a record, a history: his own, his 
> winter's,
>     his country's . . .
> 
> It is quite tempting to try and *make it all fit*, isn't it.
> 
> best
> 
> 
> 
> 
>