VL-IV: Chap7-Wayvone wedding

[kelber at mindspring.com]

The Big Italian Wedding with a gazillion family members in attendance stands in stark contrast to Prairie's family: her and Zoyd, eating Froot Loops in front of the Tube.  Those Italian Wedding scenes (or, I guess, Big Fat Greek Weddings), excite feelings of envy in most Americans, whose families are smaller and more fragmented.  Maybe also feelings of relief, for being free of such a demanding, pushy hierarchy.  The intense display of family-hood is enough to send Prairie to the bathroom, staring intently into the mirror in desperate search of any sign of her mother.

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: "Amy E. Vorro" <witavorr at hotmail.com>

>
>
>On a different note...
>
>I've always found the Wavyone wedding reminiscent of the Godfather wedding/first communion scenes.
>
>
>
>The extravagance of the wedding is not dissimilar to Connie Corleone's
>wedding, the scene that opens the first Godfather. But more interesting
>is the first communion party Michael throws for his son a few scenes
>into the second film. Billy Barf's band is as entirely unaware of
>"traditional" Italian music as the band Michael hires. At one point
>Frankie Pantangeles tries to prompt the band into a tarantella and the
>best they can manage is "Pop Goes the Weasel," just as Billy is muscled
>by Two-Ton Carmine to play "C'est la Luna." 
>
>
>
>Also, skipping around a bit, Ralphs's sister's name is Gelsomina - the
>same name as Fellini's main character in La Strada - another Italian
>film with a wedding scene, though admittedly more provincial. 
>
>
>I haven't explored these connections, and it probably wouldn't lead to much, but they never cease to amuse me. 
>
>
>Amy Vorro
>
>
>
>> Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:46:08 -0500
>> From: kelber at mindspring.com
>> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>> Subject: Re: VL-IV: Chap7-Wayvone wedding
>> 
>> Tahiti is one island in the multiple islands composing French Polynesia.  Maybe it's Ralph talking?:  any old Tahiti or one of them other islands.
>> 
>> Laura
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
>> 
>> >Laura:
>> >Nice image of taking a vacation in time rather than space, but the sentence has an odd ending:
>> >
>> >"[Ralph Sr.] could take another of what he'd come to think of as microvacations on an island of time fragile and precious as any Tahiti or one of them."  One of them?
>> >
>> >I found this: Any Tahiti Resort Guide would give you detailed information about just what hotels in Tahiti have to offer. 
>> >
>> >Perhaps the phrase has currency for the islands in the aggregate and 'one of them' apllies to just one island? yes, strange verbal
>> >construction. 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>
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