VLVL(12) pgs 218-226
Bekah
bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net
Mon Feb 23 23:39:35 CST 2009
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.
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