You never did the Kenosha Kid?

[Dave Monroe]

Not, of course, a "coincidence of chronology" (?),
rather, not only a fortuitous sequence on a dictionary
page (and I vaguely recall seeing examples of such
incidences elsewhere here--calling yr Duditude ...),
not only a fortuitous similarity of syllables 'n'
sounds, Kenosha/kenosis (and, again, I believe we've
seen othere examples of that as well; that "Edna Mosh"
in TCOL49 comes also to mind), but also a fortuitous
array of allusions/associations/whatever: emptying,
the end of a cycle, "noxious and defiling effects"
(and thanks for yr note as well, Cyrus, and,
apparently back in the day, Basil, emptying = voiding
...), becoming, Incarnation vs. (gnostic)
Resurrection, this world, the world vs. ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0509&msg=97379

Again, Paul brought this up a decade (?!) ago ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9505&msg=1333

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9505&msg=1359

And here's an interesting note in response ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9505&msg=1371

And I've floated kenosis here as well before ...

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0006&msg=46644

At any rate, I think PDF's suggestion might well prove
to be the most productive approach to the conundrum
...

http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=conundrum

... (both kinds!) that is "The Kenosha Kid," though I
really should get around to reading that story (and
thanks again there, PDF, PM, et al.) ...

Which came first, at least for Pynchon, the geography
or the theology?   Up here in Milwaukee, of course, we
grew up with Kenosha, on the Wisconsin/Illinois
border, midway to Chicago, but I suspect it took maybe
even that story to bring those three syllables, at the
very least, to TRP's attention.  But I also suspect
that, as far as GR goes, he worked his way backwards
from kenosis, going as it does hand in hand with
gnosis, THOSE three syllables recalling TKK, maybe a
quick trip to the dictionary somewhere in there, and
then ...

But that's mere speculation, though I think the idea
is sound, that Kneosha was deployed for its similarity
to kenosis.  Either way, I'd give Paul the kill both
ways on this one, thanks again ...

--- jbor at bigpond.com wrote:

> On 05/09/2005 Paul Di Filippo wrote:
> 
> > As to how the process of kenosis applies to
> > Slothrop, I am less clear....
> 
> Wouldn't you need to have some idea about the latter
> to argue the former? I mean, if you're saying
> Pynchon made use of a coincidence of chronology
> (there's no etymological link between the two words,
> is there?) in the dictionary, then the
interpretation
> ("pun") is manifest in the use, not the coincidence.
> Isn't it? Not saying it's not a possibility, just
> querying the logic.

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