VLVL Prairie and DL

[Michael Joseph]

Ah, but "pretty unequivocally" is less than "equivocally," isn't it? In
fact, there are several alternative readings to your "pretty unequivocal"
one. I think it's more reasonable to interpret the line as indicating, DL
seems to feel both embarrassment with Prairie's innocence (since she is
used to hardened, more experienced badinageurs) and a sense of
incongruity--her self-reliance and independence are now challenged by the
emerging need to protect and defend this innocent daughter. Finding
herself in the role of "mom" makes her awkward. I think Vineland's
portrayal of DL as an asset of Prairie's, and as a contrast to Frenesi, is
borne out by a reading more nearly like mine, and renders your reading of
DL as con artist merely interesting.


Michael



 On Sun, 19 Oct 2003, jbor wrote:

> >> while the narrator's statement that "DL had to look down at her feet
> >> like an amateur ballet dancer" is rudely rejected as "ambiguous"
> >
> > s/b "DL had to stare down at her feet, like an amateur tap dancer" (103.29).
>
> And which implies, pretty unequivocally imo, that DL has been trying to
> dance the soft-shoe shuffle, but that she wasn't particularly good at it.
>
> best
>
>