Fang

[jbor at bigpond.com]

On 10/01/2006:

> The Learned English Dog asserts that he is an expert on "Chinamen's
> Geomancy" and many other topics.
>
>         One may only assume that the insertion of a singing dog into 
> the
> narrative is one of the ways in which Wicks hold's the children's
> attention.

That's as good a reason as any, though the L.E.D. does have quite a lot 
to say which sets the historical context and promotes the narrative. 
For example, we find out about Rebekah, and Mason's obsessive mourning 
for her, here, and that's something which colours Mason's moods and 
behaviours throughout the entire novel.

I don't always think it's such a fruitful approach to expect Pynchon's 
narratives to conform to standards of literary naturalism. And, most of 
the jokes and innuendoes in this section aren't really geared for the 
children at all, such as Dixon's assumption that Mason wants to have 
sex with the dog (19).

I also think that the explicit contradiction in the dog's explanation 
of himself is important: "'Tis the Age of Reason, rrrf? There is ever 
an Explanation at hand, and no such thing as a Talking Dog,-- Talking 
Dogs belong with Dragons and Unicorns." (22)

I think the point might be that there *is* a talking dog, and that 
there *isn't* an explanation given for it. One of the main villains of 
the piece, in many respects, is this "Age of Reason" itself.

Btw, Fang's theory about canine domestication, recounted in the 
following paragraph and told as it were from the dog's point of view, 
makes a lot of sense.

best