ATDTDA (23): "insultin the whole country" (643.8)

[Peter Fellows-McCully]

Any connection to Orwell's 'Eurasia', 'Eastasia' ?

pfm

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org 
> [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf Of Dave Monroe
> Sent: 28 November 2007 15:33
> To: Tim Strzechowski
> Cc: Pynchon-L
> Subject: Re: ATDTDA (23): "insultin the whole country" (643.8)
> 
> On 11/28/07, Tim Strzechowski <dedalus204 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> > There are at least three mentions of "northamerica" in this chapter 
> > (637.2, 641.5, and 643.10), and each one is slightly 
> different.  The 
> > first refers to Frank's "unfinished business in northamerica" (the 
> > location); the second quotes Eusebio (a.k.a. Wolfe Tone 
> O'Rooney) as 
> > he observes that "[i]n Tampico everybody speaks northamerican" (the 
> > language); the third, quoted above, gives us the 
> south-of-the-border 
> > colloquialism for the people of North America.
> >
> > Why is the use of lower case significant in each of these examples?
> 
> Now there's one for Mark Kohut, but ... well, again, the 
> difference that makes a difference, just in reverse as well 
> as redoubled (and then some) here.  Decapitalizing the proper 
> noun then rendering it as a compound words as well first 
> deemphasizes the presumed importance of both "North" (vs. 
> south) and "America" (vs. Europe, Africa, Asia ...
> as well as, vs. Canada, Mexico ...) and then demephasizes the 
> difference (the Panama Canal and/or tectonic plates aside) 
> between "north" and "south" america, even whilst retaining 
> the (useful, and, her, important nonetheless) distinction.  
> Tres deconstructive all 'round, non?  Uh, oui ...