C of L 49: "That's how it is..most of the time."

[Rob Jackson]

> From: Paul Mackin
>
> But doesn't the satire seem particularly directed at the anarchist  
> types?
>
> I am also thinking about the two addle-headed ones believing that the
> government is worried about people thinking they won't die.
>
> Pynchon's characterizations are very funny.


Yes, I agree with you Paul. In fact, just about all of the men in the  
book are ditzy, as opposed to our "hard-boiled" heroine, Oedipa. It's  
this gender/genre role reversal aspect which, though ultimately  
dependent on sexist stereotypes, marks the novel as quite uniquely  
"feminist" for its time.

Note also the sodality evident in the encounter between Oedipa and  
Grace Bortz, and the latter's practical sensibilities and common sense  
advice.

all the best