VLVL(12) pgs 218-226

[Bekah]

Great find,  Dave.  Thanks,  I'd been wondering but never got around  
to looking.

Bekah

On Feb 23, 2009, at 6:44 PM, Dave Monroe wrote:

> On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 12:45 PM, Bekah <bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net>  
> wrote:
>
>> Page 226 - Dr. Elasmo happens in and set Atman to remembering his  
>> prior
>> life.
>
> From Patrick Hurley,  Pynchon Character Names: A Dictionary
> (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2008) ...
>
> Elasmo, Dr. Larry, D.D.S. (Vine)
>
>    Cowart identifies elasmo as a shortened form of "'elasmobranchii,'
> the order of fish that includes sharks and rays" ("Continuity" 178).
> The figurative meaning of the word applies here: "Applied to persons,
> with allusion to the predatory habits and voracity of the shark: one
> who enriches himself by taking advantage of the necessities of others"
> (OED).  The reference may be to dentistry in general or to the rather
> unique aspects of Dr. Elasmo's practice, including his extremely
> persuasive techniques of forcing patients into his office.  Diebold
> and Goodwin see a connection between Elasmo and Plasticman, although
> this seems tenuous. (p. 52)
>
> http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3458-9
>
> Cowart, David.  Thomas Pynchon: The Art of Allusion.
>    Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1980.