VLVL Ditzah

[jbor]

> Their audience finds this
> combo of
> nostalgia and bi-coastal culture shock amusing, not obnoxious, perhaps
> understanding
> that it is absolutely typical and understandable (and certainly not absurd
> parochialism).

No, I haven't argued that they're perceived as obnoxious, but the extremity,
if not absurdity, of their parochialism is most evident in their assertion
that Californians are "cold and distant" while New Yorkers are "warm and
neighborly", which is the counter-intuitive and fundamentally prejudiced
viewpoint Howie is moved to refute, and which statement the others are
amused by (196.24-32). Zipi's retort about sending dogs and cats to see
shrinks is another detail which sets up a social context for their
sensibilities: all their points of comparison (cars, pets, shrinks,
department stores, pastries, along with the details about Tupperware,
multiple tvs, even the fact that they are able to move across the country to
go to college) are drawn from the typical range of experience of a member of
the privileged class.

Porter, I believe, was trying to argue that the sisters were consciously
parodying a Jewish stereotype and thus that nothing they said can be taken
at face value, and that non-Americans are unable to comprehend Pynchon's
writing.
 
> I'm curious as to why Pynchon had the Pisk sisters pine for Danish rather
> than, say, bagels or pizza.

I imagine pizzas and bagels probably were available. Perhaps it's a specific
observation of Pynchon's from when he lived in California during that time.

best