ATDTDA (33) - p. 931-33 - Yz-les-Bains

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Yz-les-Bains (see the Pynchon-wiki on this one).  Seems to be a play on Aix-les-Bains, with YZ substituted for the x-term.  If reality exists on the X-axis, then the action here is occurring in an alternate reality that exists on the YZ-plane, i.e. a parallel world with comparatively more dimensions than ours, at least for the time variable.

Wikipedia:  gave [French]: a generic name referring to torrential rivers in the west side of the Pyrennees.

The Catalunan struggle [tilde over the n]:  In Catalonian, it's spelled Catalunya.  This region's struggle for autonomy was ultimately squashed, along with anarchism, by Franco during the Spanish Civil War.

Former residents of Montjuich:  Catalan for "Hill of the Jews," possibly derived from the original Latin name, Mont Jovicus Hill of Jupiter.  The site in Barcelona of a notorious fortress where political prisoners (anarchists, nationalists) were held and executed.

Sophrosyne [Ancient Greek]:  a crude translation might be "prudence" or "moderation," but this is more of a life philosophy, implying moral balance, wisdom, self-knowledge, obedience to harmony and proportion, etc.  Somewhat analogous to Buddhism?

Ratty's triangle is comprised of two women, one man.  Presumably a completed triangle like Y-C-R, but a mirror image in terms of the genders.  In this oddball universe, Ratty, the British F. O. operative has become Reg, the anarchist. [similar to Ewball's transformation from capitalist scion to anarchist, as Michael pointed out in the last section].

John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart:  (1866-1925) Originally born Ellis, but had to adopt his middle name as his last name for inheritance purposes.  Philosopher and lecturer at Trinity College, Cambridge.  In his work The Unreality of Time (1908), he argued that Time was an ideal without material basis.  Yashmeen's comment, "Sounds like John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart all over again," is a joking reference to the "vicious circle" that McTaggart said would result from trying to prove the material existence of time.  Basically [I'm struggling here], to describe a past, present and future, you have to posit the existence of past, presence and future - a vicious circle.  Yashmeen is responding to Ratty's statement that the anarchists do what needs to be done because they know what needs to be done.

"The senior combination room [lounge] of a college without a master."  A description of how an anarchist community functions?

For Reef, anarchism means blowing stuff up.  He's a little disappointed that these anarchists are into coevolution. 

Reef thinks of the IWW, Yashmeen of T.W.I.T.

Jenny:  "So many of these mystical fellowships end up as creatures of their host governments."

The vast betrayal of the Socialist parties of England, France, Belgium and Germany is looming.  Although they were part of the Second International, and were committed to working towards international socialism, the party leaders caved in to nationalism at the start of WWI (an interesting inversion of IWW).

Yashmeen, Sophrosyne and Jenny get into a feminist critique of anarchism as practiced by men.

The British suffragist movement also suspended its activities during the war, greatly delaying women's suffrage.

The IWW remained solidly anti-war, although this was certainly easier in the protectionist climate of the US.

Laura