AtD and 9/11
Dave Monroe
monropolitan at yahoo.com
Wed Aug 16 04:44:18 CDT 2006
Well, again, there were several months there (just
when DID a book tend to be "put to bed" or whatever at
that time? It's far eaier to make last-minute chnages
these days, I'd suppose), and, as has been pointed
out, apparently, that epigraph, at least, was a late
change. But that freeway scene (with the Volkswagen
reminiscent of its Third Reich origins) fits in too
well, I think, for it simply to have been dropped in
once the scandal broke, and that apparent air raid
siren is one of the most telling, most chilling
moments in the book, so ...
But I imagine that whoever the "theater [of war?]
manager" {i.e., the president] was at the time might
well have found themselves in the same poistion,
though I can also imagine that RMN was a particular
disfavorite of Pynchon's at the time (and then
there's, what, Sick Dick and The Volkswagens in The
Crying of Lot 49 as well?), so ...
--- robinlandseadel at comcast.net wrote:
> I'm so sorry; you're right. Reminiscing the scene;
> "Orpheus Puts Down Harp", which portrays "Richard M.
> Zhlubb" " . . . who is fiftyish and was reminiscing
> over; jowled, with a permanant five-'clock shadow
> (the worst by far of all the Hourly Shadows) . . .",
> made me reflexively think: Nixon=Watergate, and as
> you've already pointed out " . . . there was plenty
> for anyone to have against Nixon WELL before that
> point, so ... . . . ". I'd bet that "Orpheus Puts
> Down Harp" was a late addition to the book. The
> scene in the black Managerial Volkswagen more
> specifically points to Nixon's various reactions to
> certain student demonstrations and other surreal
> protest movements of the late 60's/early 70's.
>
> -------------- Original message
> ----------------------
> From: Dave Monroe <monropolitan at yahoo.com>
> > GR was published on February 28th, 1973 ...
> >
> > http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/faq/BargerFAQ.html
> >
> > ... meaning, I would guess, it was largely
> finished
> > before Watergate (June 17th, 1972) much broke ...
> >
> > http://www.watergate.info/chronology/brief.shtml
> >
> >
>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/onpolitics/watergate/chronology.htm
> >
> > Thaa of course DOES leave a window for some last
> > minute touches, but there was plenty for anyone to
> > have against Nixon WELL before that point, so ...
> >
> > But let me know if you noticed anything perhaps
> > specifically Watergatian, 'cos I reacll looking
> ...
> >
> > --- robinlandseadel at comcast.net wrote:
> >
> > > Yeah, Pynchon made several huge statements that
> > > pertained to Watergate ...
> >
> > __________________________________________________
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>
>
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