Deflating Hyperspace

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

          Joseph T:
          I personally think Pynchon is less interested in 
          coordinating  a sci- fi multiverse than in exploring 
          this very real interaction between  fiction and reality. 
          For me one of the overwhelming effects of TRP's  
          writing is to break up historic stereotypes and 
          myths and remoteness  and make both history 
          and the present moment feel as real as  a  
          lightning storm or  or a slavers sales pitch and  
          as unpredictable   as quantum particles. His work 
          resonates with real and unresolved  motives and 
          forces (spiritual,physical,whatever.. imaginary,  
          mathematical,sentient rockish, dumb jokish) which 
          play out on a human  and on a grand scale.

That's nice. Obviously the author "is up to his usual business."
However, the author's "usual business" usually includes a whole
lotta math and science, sufficently over the heads of us Lit-Crit
types as to either being taken on faith or, every now and then,
flat-out written off. Until a few days ago, I might have been 
included in the latter camp, but now see clear signs, after
checking out some info as regards Quantum Physics/Mechanics,
as to be included in some excluded middle that sees the
scientific intent even if the math will probably never kick in.
This much is for certain. All the mentions of William Rowan 
Hamilton are pointing to Quantum Mechanics/Physics, all the
mentions of Quaternion theory points to Quantum 
Mechanics/Physics and all the mentions of Quantum 
Mechanics/Physics point to multiple universes and time travel
(among quite a few other things, not the least of which
includes developing the means to destroy this planet). 
There is at least one "CounterEarth" in the novel, there's 
plenty of time travel and examples of the concept of
multiple universes are thrown into the novel's mix on a 
regular basis, and these "crackpot" theories are in use in
the world of math, science and in particular subatomic
physics all the time. I found two books today at Logos
books in Santa Cruz (that's where I'm typing right now)
that should be of great help in explicating these principles
as they appear in Against the Day: Richard P. Feynman's 
"Six Easy Pieces" and John Gribbin's "Q is for Quantum",
both with minimal use of the upper-level math required
to work out these functions in our so-called non-fictional 
world. In fact, right now, after scanning a few listings in "Q
is for Quantum", I'm ready to recommend it to any other
interested P-Listers trying to extricate themselves from
the ovooleaginous (sorry about the missing diacritical
mark) torrent of scientific and mathmatical puzzles with 
which the author chooses to coat the pages of his latest
fictional enterprise.