VLVL2 (1) Missed Communications: Beginnings

[jbor]

>>> To "rat" one's hair is
>>> such an unusual term,
>> 
>> actually, this is not an unusual term--it was a very common colloquialism in
>> the early 60's and was a synonym for "teasing" or "back-combing", a
>> hairdressing method used to create those big, poufy bouffant hairdos that
>> were then in 
>> vogue.  I doubt that either "teasing" or  "rat" were literary inventions.
>> Elaine M.M. Bell, Writer
>> (860) 523-9225
> 

on 22/7/03 12:09 AM, Paul Mackin wrote:

> Plus "rat" as a noun is a tapered solid object (wood or plastic) around
> which a woman's hair is arranged to give it a more massive look..
> 
> Very common in days of yore.
> 

Rattails, often bleached or plaited thin strands of longer hair at the nape
of one's nec,k tied together with coloured rubber bands and usually worn by
teenage boys, were a high fashion item in the 80s and 90s. The added
connotation I get from the use of this term is that Zoyd does his hair up to
look "ratty", i.e. messy or unkempt, which is in keeping with his pretence
of craziness. I don't get the impression that he wanted to tease it into a
neat bouffant.

There are several other points which support the reading of those "forces
unseen" in the opening dream sequence as prompts from Zoyd's own
subconscious or conscience. One is that the later assault by the Feds on
Zoyd's house isn't really "connected" (3) with the letter he received from
the Welfare Dept, whereas his yearly act of deception is. Another is that
the narrator preempts events to come quite deliberately in this chapter --
"He sure would ... " (5) and "Dream on, Zoyd" (10) being two prominent
examples -- so it would be inconsistent in the way narrative agency is
articulated in the rest of the chapter to use Zoyd's dream as premonitory in
the manner suggested. Finally, one of the stock criticisms of Pynchon's
writing is the flatness of his characters. I dispute this: sure there are a
lot of cartoonish minor characters, but I think that there is real
psychological depth to many of the characters in _GR_, and to some of the
main characters in _Vineland_ as well. I get a real sense in the 'Sloth'
article, with his sarcastic comments on writer's block and the way writers
are perceived as slothful particularly, that he was somewhat annoyed by some
of the reviews and critical receptions of _Vineland_, and that he also used
this article as a venue to display the depth of his research. I think one of
the criticisms which is levelled at him most often, and one which is perhaps
quite unfair, is that his characters are cartoons.

best