BAR Loon's weapon of opportunity

[vze422fs at verizon.net]

on 3/25/03 5:18 PM, jbor at jbor at bigpond.com wrote:

> 
>>> But I generally agree that he left it out of the _SL_ collection because he
>> no longer endorses the "solution" which Siegel comes up with, nor with the
>> way
>> he has used the Native American's "psychosis" as a convenient plot device.
> 
> on 25/3/03 8:33 AM, David Morris at fqmorris at yahoo.com wrote:
> 
>> Yes, the use of a Native American's psychosis is supposed to be ironic
>> revenge,
>> but it's really an offensive stereotype in the employ of Pynchon.  I'd think
>> Pynchon would want to disown this story.
> 
> Yes, even though he has "a sober voice" remind Siegel that "he was
> apparently the only one who had the Windigo psychosis as his sole piece of
> information about the Ojibwa" - which perhaps reflects back on Pynchon's own
> ignorance and seeming opportunistic use of Native American culture and
> psychosocial behaviour as deus ex machina for his plot and coda here - and
> even though the narrative is scornful of the way Debby Considine is wearing
> Irving around like some exotic brooch, still the Native American character
> isn't given a voice or personality in the story, unlike the "white"
> characters. I think Pynchon's resort to this sort of voiceless and
> identity-less stereotype is in keeping with those "Archie Bunker"-type
> "assumptions and distinctions, unvoiced and unquestioned", which he admits
> to holding at the time. ('Intro' 11-12)
> 
> best
> 
The character is a common stereotype of the time. Very John Ford. The nobly
stoic truth-telling Indian was considered a "positive" or sympathetic image
in 1950's America. The young Archie Pynchon may have even thought his
portrayal of the Native American progressive. Remember The Searchers was
considered pretty radical in 1956.

All in all, the story seems pretty weak for TRP. Take away the socially
convoluted party-goers and Siegal's absurd role as host, and the whole
things seems very Stephen King. Who needs that?

This was the first time that I read it. I looked forward to it with the same
expectation that I would await an obscure Dylan or Stones live bootleg. The
results were similar. The obscure is often that way for a reason. Pynchon
was right to leave it out of the collection.

Now here's an obscure stream of consciousness digression.

Has anyone ever been subjected to one of the rare performances of Mozart's
opera "The Clemency of Titus"? My God, does it suck! He should have left
that one at the beerhall.

Hang Loose,
Joe