VLVL Prairie and DL

[Michael Joseph]

On Wed, 15 Oct 2003, jbor wrote:

> I was in a bit of a rush this a.m. and may not have expressed myself as
> clearly as I'd like, but I certainly didn't mean to imply that I thought
> that DL wanted to disencumber herself of Prairie's company.
>
> On the other hand, that DL is extremely reluctant to tell Prairie "the
> story" about Frenesi -- and ultimately doesn't -- is a point made fairly
> emphatically throughout the scene. See:
>
> 100.10-16
>
> 100.34-101.8
>
> 101.27-29
>
> 102.3-4
>
> 102.7-9
>
> 103.28-9

Jb, these are all hesitant beginnings.

> I think it's pretty clear that DL knows what Prairie wants. She wants to
> know the truth about her mom. That's why DL realises she is "in a pickle".
> So she equivocates, she "temporizes" (i.e. avoids the subject, talks about
> how long it's been, how "everybody made up a different story" etc, and
> compare DL's comments at 101.2-6 with Sasha's at 81.10-24), and, eventually,
> after telling Prairie not one thing about Frenesi, she "stare[s] down at her
> feet, like an amateur tap dancer."

Immediately after which she boldly pulls Prairie into her world wherein
lies the complex story of Frenesi. Somewhere, I think it's in *The
Educated Imagination,* N. Frye discusses why he would refuse to answer
certain student questions, saying that the attention of the class would
constellate at the level of the question, which, if it were simple (or
belligerent?), would actually muffle understanding. (It's not about
teaching to the test.) DL's reluctance or inability to deal directly at
the level of Prairie's question constitutes her deeper desire to tell the
true story without demonizing or glorifying Frenesi.

No fob play.


Michael