VLVL2 Preliminary: The Epigraph

[Tim Strzechowski]

> Pynchon waxes lyrical (and comedic) about dogs in
> _Mason & Dixon_, which he was also, apparently,
> working on while he wrote _Vineland_.
>

Very true, and having just finished re-reading GR, I was amazed this time
through by the references to dogs, not only in "Beyond the Zero" because of
the obvious Pointsman and reflex conditioning sections, but throughout the
entire novel.  Stray dogs are mentioned as background images in countless
scenes, perhaps reflecting the aimless wandering and isolation of Slothrop
(and always echoing back to the conditioning and reflexes of section 1).
Anyways, it's an image that I noticed because of Desmond and the epigraph in
_Vineland_.

"Lyrical" and "comedic" are two interesting words to use in describing dogs,
too.  Dogs are man's best friend, Paul McCartney wrote of "Martha My Dear"
and Robert Plant gave us "Bron yr Aur Stomp," and the Romantic notion of
growing old with your loving hound has given way to many a pub philosopher,
while all of us know the flea infested tail wagger loves to stick his head
comically out the window going down I-55 (Gary Larson cartoons come to
mind!)  Dogs are wonderful animals in that they embody the philosophical
qualities of loyalty, trust, obedience, even worship (for are we not gods to
dogs?), yet are just as silly, lazy, and slapstick-prone as humans.

A great book here, by the way:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0415267455/qid=1057806429/sr=1
2-1/102-3195596-1627355?v=glance&s=books

Got a used copy in a Naperville store a few years back.  Wonderful reading
for dog lovers out there.

Tim