A Trove of New Works by Thomas Pynchon?

[Dave Monroe]

Continuing in Adrian Wisnicki, "A Trove of New Works
by Thomas Pynchon?  Bomarc Service News Rediscovered,"
Pynchon Notes 46-49 (Spring-Fall 2000-2001), pp. 9-34
...

"According to Michael J. Lombardi, the manager and
historian at Boeing Historical Services, each military
program at Boeing published its own field service
update--like Minuteman Field Service News and Bomarc
Service News--all of which were internal newsletters
....
   "Minuteman Filed Service News, as it turns out, was
actually called Minuteman Service News....
   "Bomarc Service News, another internal Boeing
newsletter, pertained to the precursors of the
Minuteman.  Bomarc missiles came in two versions: the
IM-99A ... and, later, the IM-99B ....  the newsletter
was published by Boeing's Aero=Space Division,
Pynchon's department, as we know from his Aerospace
Safety byline.
   "Was Bomarc Service News the Boeing publication for
which Pynchon wrote.  admittedly, the eveidence i have
so far presented is scant....
   "That being said, during my reserach I did get two
big breaks....  Bomarc Service News editor, E.A.
Hixson .... kindly confirmed taht Pynchon had written
for Bomarc Service News and shared some memories .... 
He remembered Oynchon as 'a very neat person, slender
witha small mustache,' and as a 'very dilligent
reearcher' ....
   "My second big break came when ... Mr. Lombardi
confirmed that Boeing has a complete run of Bomarc
Service News, that Pynchyon wrote for the newsletter,
and that Boeing has 'no other information concerning
pynchon,' since 'he managed to be a recluse even while
working at Boeing' ....
    "So what about Pynchon's contributions to the
newsletter? ... Contary to Lane's surmise,
'Togetherness' does not appear in Bomarc Service new. 
But anumber of articles from Bomarc Service News ...
do appear in Aerospace Safety ....
    "To establish the criteria for distinguishing
which articles in Bomarc service news Pynchon may have
written, I shall look first at his Aerospace Safety
article.  Though some readers may find 'Togetherness'
dry compared with Pynchon's fiction, the article is
not
strictly technical.  Pynchon's purpose is to discuss
the safety precautions necessary when airlifting the
IM-99A Bomarc missile, yet seemingly excess material
repeated creps in.  Consider the following passage:

As this article goes to press, the safety record of
Bomarc airlifts can be summed up in four words: so
far, so good. You may recall, however, the optimist
who jumped off the top of a New York office building.
He was heard to yell the same thing as he passed the
20th floor: so far, so good. (6)

In the midst of a serious discussion, Pynchon uses
this analogy--incongruous with the topic, yet
surprisingly illuminating and humorous.  Another
stylistic feature of this passage recurs throughout
the article: in addition to third-person exposition,
Pynchon often uses the second perrson to address the
reader directly.  Further, he uses a number of em
dashes throughout the article (em dashes, along with
ellipses, are prominent in Gravity's Rainbow and Mason
& Dixon), and refers to Technical Manual T.O.
21-IM99A-2-2 as 'the bible' for the airlifting process
(7).  Finally, although Pynchon's purpose is to inform
readers about safety problems, he occsaionally assumes
an instructive (even didactic) tone, aiming to prevent
as wellas to inform....  Pynchon writes from the
perspective of someone who knows the correct procedure
and wants to isntruct the reader" (pp. 12-16)

And see as well ...

Thomas Pynchon's Unseen Writings for Boeing May Get
Published

http://www.thememoryhole.org/lit/pynchon-boeing.htm


	
		
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