GR/AtD-related: Chaos and the Psychological Symbolism of the Tarot

[Robin Landseadel]

On Oct 27, 2009, at 8:00 AM, Mark Kohut wrote:

> Robin corrects:
>> However there is an error in noting the Fool card as card #1.
>> As Pynchon points out in GR, the Fool card [usually
>> marked as "zero"] usually has no numeric assignment in the
>> deck.
>
> Which means, probably meaningfully in GR at least, that the Fool card
> added to another is the same sum.....the Fool can be anywhere....

There's also the schlemiel as a "zero", as the archetype of loser.  
However one wants to play with Pynchon's concept of "the preterite"  
and the general application of that concept to Pynchon's oeuvre,  
there's also the concept of those who are not counted because they  
don't count, at least not in the elect's equations. And yes—the Fool  
can be/is everywhere.

Nailing down all these little bubbles of alchemical quicksilver in  
Pynchon's books is a fool's errand. Sometimes a fool is just a  
fool . . .