Atd : page 542---starts on page 524.Big Ass Spoiler

[Anville Azote]

On 12/7/06, kelber at mindspring.com <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
> I don't think anyone's suggested that Kit is a stand-in for Feynman.  Rather that TRP may have had works by or about Feynman in mind at various points during the writing process.  In terms of the Feynman anecdote you describe, isn't there a similar instance in the book where Yashmeen lies awake thinking about the Reimann zeta function?  That doesn't make her a stand-in for Feynman either.  TRP obviously did a vast amount of reading on math and physics while writing ATD.  Why is it a surprise that his readings would filter into his book in what someone here (Monte?) called "tight" and "loose" analogies?
>
> Laura
>

Feynman wasn't being distracted during sex by thoughts of
zeta-function zeros.  ;-)

It's not surprising at all that Pynchon's readings would fuel his
"tight" and "loose" metaphors.  That pertains directly to the points
raised in his Daily Telegraph letter, too.  I just think that
identifying the possible sources of this or that metaphor, incident or
description is an entirely different game than declaring "parallels"
(Robin's word) between characters and historical figures.

-A. A.