VLVL2 (1): Man and Dog

[Cyrus]

vmaeder at cyhc-law.com wrote:

>From: Tim Strzechowski>>Does Pynchon do this man/animal parallel
>elsewhere in his works?  I seem to recall a LOT of dogs throughout GR,
>with an obvious Slothrop/dog conditioning parallel via Pointsman.  But
>is this a common thing in P's works?<<
>
>Then There is the dog Poinstman and Mexico track down in the debris of a
>bombed out building.
>Also the Learned English Dog in M&D. 
>  
>

Well, let's see.
There is Murray the St. Bernard in COL49 (p.19).
In V., there is the story of the St. Bernard named Fido, plus 7-8 other 
dog references.
But the bulk of dog-related content lies in his two big works, GR and M&D.

In M&D, apart from the LED, there is Snake, with whom Mason has a rather 
one-sided chat on p. 644, there is a discussion over a proverb about the 
man who wishes to hang and his dog on p. 649, and on pp. 493-6 there is 
the much feared Black Dog. Apart from these, there are over 50 dog 
references. The predominant race here is the Norfolk Terrier.

In GR, there are of course the lab dogs, especially Vanya, there is the 
dog chased by Pointsman and Mexico among the ruins on pp. 42-45, there's 
a lot of dogs on paintings, especially Weimaraners and other hounds, 
there are references to Setters, Bassets and St. Bernards, but one of 
the most striking episodes is the village near Mecklenburg (p. 614) 
taken over by war dogs, Dobermanns and German Shepherds (here there is 
the reference to Rin Tin Tin as well). The total of dog references in GR 
must be well over 60, excluding the lab dogs.

I think dogs are utilized by Pynchon as perfect examples of preterite 
creatures, even as a metaphor for the "common man": Poor, wretched 
creatures who have to (or choose to) depend on man (or the rich) for 
their survival (or their well-being). The Learned English Dog, though 
proud, has to perform, like an artist, to exhibit his speaking skills, 
in order to be fed. Dogs are either kept by men for their skills or left 
roaming about, homeless and underfed. In the rare cases when they revolt 
and form their own community (as in Mecklenburg), "it might be cheaper 
to let the dogs finish themselves off than to send in combat troops" 
(GR, p. 614).

Cyrus