VLVL Frenesi/"happy ending"?

[Otto]

----- Original Message -----
From: "jbor" <jbor at bigpond.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 7:52 AM
Subject: Re: VLVL Frenesi/"happy ending"?


> >> We're not told exactly how often Zoyd has "performed" his jump already,
but
> >> it is likely that Prairie has seen her dad on tv from quite an early
age on.
> >> Whatever this does to a young psyche. She's obviously an expert for his
> >> jump:
> >>
> >> "Lookin' good, Dad." (15.4)
> >>
> >> "Give you a nine point five, Dad, your personal best (...)." (15.28)
> >>
> >> While there's surely a lot of irony in the description of the "experts"
> >> discussing Zoyd's de- or transfenestration technics and in the
observation
> >> of the increasing video-quality through the years I'm not sure how much
> >> irony (if any at all) is in Prairie's remarks.
> >
> > I think she's making fun of him, but affectionately.
>
> And cf. the more impartial judgement made by a similarly-aged young girl
who
> comes into contact with Zoyd on the highway: "you ought to be locked up"
> (5.18-19).
>

Impartial? Having got parents who share lemming-like behaviour and expose
their children to that kind of holiday? No wonder that such judgment about
another person emerges. I mean, locking people up just because of the way
they look -- sounds to me like the same spirit that had inhibited
nazi-Germany. I bet her daddy's got a gun.

>
> Zoyd's negligence as a father is highlighted nowhere more prominently than
> in the final chapter where, having been separated from Prairie for several
> weeks or more, and not even trying to contact her in the meantime, he
heads
> off "looking for beer" when at last she does reappear (370).
>

Again you are absolutely exaggerating. The scene presents how Zoyd and Flash
get to know each other, same with Prairie and Justin. There's not a little
bit of negligence in this.

> The text doesn't offer explicit judgement on any of the characters in the
> novel, of course, and more often than not it's the reader's prejudices
which
> are on display when judgements about "good" or "bad" characters are
offered
> rather than a logical appreciation of the supposed "attitude" of the
author
> or text. Likeable though I find him, Zoyd's shortcomings are manifold, and
> they are manifest in Pynchon's text.
>
> best
>

Shortcomings compared to what ideal?

What text? Read it:

"Justin found his father and Zoyd in the back of a pickup , watching (...) a
half-hour sitcom (...).
(...)
About the time the show ended, Prairie came by, Zoyd and Flash went off
looking for beer, and she and Justin settled down, semi-brother and sister,
in front of the Eight O'Clock movie (...)." (370)

"settled down" -- doesn't sound as if the kids were feeling especially
uncomfortable or neglected at this moment. Justin has just met his granddad
for the first time (369).

What I miss is something between Frenesi and Prairie.

Otto