Parrots in Pynchon

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Pynchon likes the idea of talking to, listening to, or otherwise communing with animals.   The talking sewer rat in V; William Slothrop and his pigs, Slothrop in the pig suit, the boy with the pet lemming in GR, talking dogs (in English or dog-speak) in M&D and ATD. Parrots afford him the opportunity to present talking animals in, if anything, a slightly more realistic, less magical form.

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Feb 25, 2009 6:40 PM
>To: Great Quail <quail at shipwrecklibrary.com>, The Whole Sick Crew <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: Re: Parrots in Pynchon
>
>Hey, yes, 'magical realist' storytellers..........
>
>Van Meter is THE ARTIST figure here, Orpheus-like.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: Great Quail <quail at shipwrecklibrary.com>
>To: The Whole Sick Crew <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 5:01:51 PM
>Subject: Re: Parrots in Pynchon
>
>I am honestly not picking a fight!  I just...
>
>> I haven't read all that much magical
>> realism, but what I've gathered from movies and other sources makes
>> Pynchon's Parrots appear to me as signifiers of the presence of
>> magical realism.
>
>I just personally believe that 75% of anything in a Pynchon novel is usually
>a signifier of the presence of magical realism!
>
>--Quail
>
>PS: As a parrot "owner," thanks for that list of parrots in Pynchon! I found
>it quite enjoyable. 
>
>
>      
>