VLVL(12) pgs 218-226

[rich]

what is it about dentists w/ Pynchon?--Inherent Vice will have a group
of them apparently.
sorta in-joke w/r/t to his teeth problems/rumors when he was young?

had my share of dental work (some of it quite horrid) so i can
empathize I suppose

rich


>   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.
>