COL49 - Chap 2: sex, death and endings, happy or not

[rich]

the middle painting of Varo's triptych has some striking parallels w/
the beginning of the orgy scene in eyes wide shut--the male hooded
figure (both hold implements/instruments in their hands) surrounded by
similarly clad/unclad women, a musician in the background
i've read some crit of the painting contrasting the male visual gaze
with the female sense of touch which is pretty obvious in kubrick's
film as well

rich



> Reminder:
> http://www.ottosell.de/pynchon/varo.htm
>
> Varo's first painting in the triptych, Towards the Tower, shows a group of sequestered women riding AWAY from something.  The third, The Escape, shows a pretty harrowing destination.  We'd like to think COL49 is the story of how Oedipa escapes the tower, but we're told up fron the tower is everywhere and we have to take it to heart.  No escape for Oedipa or Little Igor, no happy endings.  On the other hand, our knowledge of Hollywood flicks (what Pynchon calls "one of those Hollywood distortions) tells us that Igor can't possibly die.  Is Inverarity actually dead, or is one of those Pynchon distortions?  We know how he loves ghosts and various stages of being somewhat dead.
>
> Laura
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