MD3PAD 13-15

[Toby G Levy]

Pages 13-15.

        Chapter 2 concludes on page 13 with Mason's response to
Dixon's letter.  Mason admits to almost throwing it away unread,
thinking it was unsolicited advice sent to the Royal Astronomer who is
Mason's boss. But upon reading it, Mason writes a warm response
indicating he is looking forward to meeting and working with Dixon.

        Page 14 begins the longish Chapter 3 which covers all the events
leading up to Mason and Dixon's sea voyage.  Wicks admits he was not
present to witness the historic first meeting of Mason and Dixon, but
they later told him how they met at the bar in an Inn at Portsmouth.
Dixon, the country bumpkin, expresses the concern that so many people
living so close together can only lead to murderous violence.  Mason
replies that to live in the city a man must ignore a lot that goes on
around him.

        Mason says that he attends the hangings at Tybrun square every
Monday, and that Dixon simply must, for the tourist value, come with him
to see the next one. Mason upsets Dixon a little by making fun of the
country accent used by the people where Dixon lives. Dixon tries to
lighten the tension by telling an insensitively ethnic joke.

        Pynchon uses the phrase "the Motrix of honest Mirth."  I
couldn't find Motrix in my dictionary.

Toby