VLVL2 (15): Crime Drama

[Dave Monroe]

"Here came some sentimental pitch, delivered
deadpan--cop solidarity, his problems with racism in
the Agency, her 59 [cents] on the male dollar, maybe a
little 'Hill Street Blues' thrown in, plus who knew
what other licks from all that Tube, though she
thought she recognized Raymond Burr's 'Robert
Ironside' character and a little of 'The Captain' 
from 'Mod Sqaud.'  It was disheartening to see how
much he depended on these Tubal fantasies about his 
profession, relentlessly pushing their propaganda 
message of cops-are-only-human-got-to-do-their-job,
turning agents of government repression into
sympathetic heroes.  Nobody thought it was peculiar
anymore, no more than the routine violations of 
constitutional rights these characters performed week
after week, now absorbed into the vernacular of 
American expectations.  Cop shows were in a genre
right-wing weekly TV Guide called Crime Drama, and
numbered among their zealous fans working cops like
Hector who should have known better.  And now he was 
asking her to direct, maybe write, bsically yet
another one?  Her life 'underground,' with a heavy
antidrug spiel.  Wonderful."  (VL, Ch. 15, p. 345)


Hm ...

p. 345 "Tubal fantasies...pushing their propaganda
message that cops-are-only-human...turning agents of
government repression into sympathetic heroes. Nobody
thought it was peculiar anymore, no more than the
routine violations of constitutional rights...now
absorbed into...American expectations."    Good
points, all, but isn't it a bit out of character for
Frenesi the Betrayer, the biggest cop lover in the
novel, to be fronting these thoughts for Pynchon?
What's happening here, we think, is that Pynchon is
starting to set up Frenesi for her rehabilitation as
part of the big Happy Ending.

http://www.mindspring.com/~shadow88/chapter15.htm

And to recap ...

http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0405&msg=90788

http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0405&msg=90789

http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0405&msg=90792

http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0405&msg=90794

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