Coy

[John Bailey]

I like this reading of Coy. Not a stretch to tie him to Orpheus, or at
least look for a few greek mythical allusions in the novel. That
doesn't saying they're the key to reading it in any way, however.

What else have we got? The Furies and Jason have just come up.
Narcissus is mentioned (in Black Narcissus at least). Amethyst
(created by Dionysus).

Oh and on classical refs, just remembered that Fritz's bookkeeper is
called Milton. Does that make the introduction of the internet a kind
of Paradise Lost?

On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 8:57 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> There might be some value to the Orpheus-Persephone myth in IV, but so
> far it's not been convincingly developed.  Coy as Orpheus?  More like
> Persephone, the one who disappeared underground.  And the pursuer here
> is Doc, not much in common w/ Orpheus.  And anyway Doc's Persephone
> would be Shasta, and she isn't found.  She returns of her own free
> will.
>
> And speaking of Shasta, what a dud of a development was her part in
> this story.  She just essentially gets dumped, and returns to her old
> haunt.  Penny was more interesting, and that's not saying much.
>
> But, despite the above, I did enjoy IV...
>
> David Morris.
>
> On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 12:50 PM,  <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
>> Great thought-provoking post, Joseph (as usual).  Some provoked thoughts:  Coy-Orpheus playing Brazilian music ties in with the Brazilian movie Black Orpheus.  Might Shasta be Persephone, also returning from the Underworld,though probably not on a permanent basis where Doc's concerned?  And Doc, then, is Odysseus, also returning from his quest into the Underworld?  A case could also be made for Coy as Odysseus, in that he descends into the Underworld on his own while his wife waits for him at home.  Like Odysseus, Coy returns home.  Doc is lost in fog at the end, much as Slothrop disintegrates.  Not all journeys have a conventionally happy ending, but unhappy or indeterminate endings are a lot more interesting.
>
>