MDMD Dixon's nonviolence

[Dave Monroe]

Okay, to be honest, I haven't been much interested in
this whole line of discussion here, just thought I'd
drop in what might well have been Pynchon's
inspiration for the episode, but ... but is this the
bone of contention here ...

"Dixon places his Fist in the way of the oncoming
Face,--" (M&D, Ch. 72, p. 698)

Well, Doug might be overstating the case here some,
but ...

But while Dixon, man of science, here, Newtonian
mechanics, that he is, would presumably presume the
imminent collision here, there is a certain passivity
about his action here nonetheless.  It's not QUITE as
if he'd thrown a punch, although one COULD rewrite the
equations as if he had.  Still, he's got to have a
pretty good idea of what'll happen, so ...


--- Doug Millison <millison at online-journalist.com>
wrote:
> Thanks, Dave.  If this is an accurate historical
> account, it would appear that Pynchon has
> substantially changed the account of Dixon's
> encounter with the slave driver, changing it such
> that Dixon refrains from thrashing the slave driver
> with the whip...thus bringing it more in line with
> a nonviolent approach to resolving conflict and
> promoting social justice.
> This isn't the Dixon that Pynchon has invented.
> 
> >From H.W. Robinson, "Jeremiah Dixon (1733-1779)--A
> Biographical Note," Proceedings of the American
> Philosophical Society 91 (1950): 272-4 ...
> 
> "Dixon came upon a slave driver mercilesly beating
> a poor black woman.  Going up to him he said: 'Thou
> must not do that!' [...]  Then righteous wrath
> overcame his Quaker principles.  He was a tall and
> powerful man, and an imposing figure, so without
> more ado he seized the slave driver's whip and with
> it gave him the sound thrashing that he richly
> deserved." (p. 273)

So, given that Pynchon's Dixon, unlike Robinson's,
does not go on to give the Slave Driver a "sound
thrashing," Pynchon has indeed significantly rewritten
what is apparently his most likely source for this
episode, or, at any rate, standard Dixon lore. 
Whether or not Pynchon made his choices based on
Dixon's historical Quakerism, his own putative
politics, or simply (...) to make Dixon a more
sympathetic character (to whom? again, putative
politics, with added historical plausibility), I don't
know, so ...

So, from where I sit, looks like you boys are arguing
again simply in order to argue with each other, with
the added unattraction of having, well, shit flung at
me.  But I obviously have other angels and pinheads to
argue, so ... so cut it out now and play nice again. 
Thank you ...



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