CoL49 (5) Anarchist Miracles

[János Székely]

"You know what a miracle is... another world's intrusion into this one."

I think this definition is central to the novel.
- Parallel (possible) worlds (see the recurring railroad tracks
metaphor, also to be important in GR), which seldom cross one another,
- and the awe that possesses the human being when confronting such an
intrusion, which is "numinous." The latter concept is taken from
Mircea Eliade, who, er, borrowed it from Rudolf Otto in turn.

János

2009/6/25 Robin Landseadel <robinlandseadel at comcast.net>:
> On Jun 24, 2009, at 9:16 PM, Michael Bailey wrote:
>
>> It's interesting that the tenor of the comparison is towards the
>> Virgin.  Why not Satan?  What is Pynchon saying about the
>> compatibility of Anarchism with Capitalism?  Is Arrabal's presence in
>> San Francisco, perhaps, a result of his meeting this epiphanic
>> presence - in fact, did Pierce appear to him more than just the once,
>> and with further instructions?  Is the capitalist, in fact, the
>> arch-anarchist?
>
> Is the formula here Capitalism & Schizophrenia?
>
>