Penny...

[kelber at mindspring.com]

As A/T mentioned in an earlier post, Penny the self-assured DA seems a little before her times.  How likely was it for a woman lawyer to be commanding so much respect way back then?  The relationship reminds me a little of the relationship between Jim Rockford and his girlfriend/attorney in The Rockford Files (which started in the mid 70s).  Except she was on his side.

I agree also with A/T's point:  Penny's using Doc but he's not using her?  He contacted her to pump her for info on Mickey Wolfmann.  Isn't the illicit "giving aid and comfort to the enemy" aspect of their relationship part of the thrill?  Just because a woman's a professional (strictly hearsay on my part) doesn't automatically make her a bitch or the moral inferior of hot-tubbing naked stewardii.  

Pycnhon seems to (subtly) have a harsher attitude towards Penny than Doc does (i.e., Doc sleeps with Penny, so he clearly doesn't mind her that much).  If it were strictly Doc's attitude, we could say it was chronologically appropriate.  The Guess Who's song American Woman came out in 1970.  The G.W. claimed that the song was referring to the Statue of Liberty, but the song sure gave the impression that they were heaping all the ills and misdeeds of the American government on Women.  I despised the song back then and still do.  Penny talks to the Feds, Doc talks to Bigfoot and Penny.  Why is she the problem? 

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: alice wellintown <alicewellintown at gmail.com>
>Sent: Sep 15, 2009 5:13 PM
>To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>Subject: Re: Penny...
>
>Penny was there when Larry's dick was in a pinch, when he was a mess
>after Shasta moved on. It's Larry whats callin and callin and callin
>Penny. At Home. At Work. Why hang with her and smoke dope with her and
>have sex with her if she's such a bad Penny? Does Larry likes Bad?
>Does the text permit this kind of cheer leading for Larry and Booing
>for Penny? Information is money. They both selling and they both
>buying. They don't need to fuck, smkoe dope together, they could just
>exchange information or money or both. But having sex and smoking
>dope, makes them vulnerable. Isn't this too a way of promoting trust.
>Like, we smoked together. We made love. Isn't that why giving it
>away--give it away, give it away, give it away, give it away now, as
>the Chili Pepper's Californiacations sez, is keeping cool. Maybe even
>caring too? Can't buy me love becomes I can't give it away on 7th
>Avenue and Coke on a Shatter Platter. NO more West, young man. It
>ain't cool or caring. A New Howl generation, children of Hope,  is
>sloughing toward NYC and Seattle to be born.