Other women in AtD

[Michael Bailey]

Mark Kohut  wrote:
> Dally, Straw, not exactly femmes fatales but drawn as full as the men in
> AtD, yes?
>
> TRPs widest look at 'liberated', empowered, involved women in all his work?

if so, it's contrary to the notion of progress
since it's set later in history than all but M&D

however, one thesis I've seen here & elsewhere is that a Pynchonian
theme is the horrible depredations of the 20th century

if so, the presence of more liberty in the late 18th-early 19th
would be normative

others might argue that the author may have altered or
deepened perceptions of women over the years
through observation and experience

it's hard to think as if a non-fan
...hmm, is it as hard to do so, or harder,
than as a man to think as if a woman?

- but I would think that if Pynchon's detractors would start to
argue that women still are approached with more mention
of hair/dress/physique/eyes and less of dialogue than are men
- that they'd be stopped in their tracks by the
rich mathematical thoughts that crop up (though all too
briefly) in Yashmeen, by the generous helping of early Dalley-thoughts,
and by the frequent inclusion of physical detail in depicting Cyprian,
the outfits of other male characters, etc...

in fact if you read reasonably closely, "Boy George!", actual
characters do emerge that we (I and I) find ourselves relating to...

what was the question again?