Ch 6 of V-2 Eeeeeeraaaaah, wutsupdoc?

[Ian Livingston]

Good points, Michael. I, too, am interested in the structure, and I
think the title is of some significance. The Pomona site,
http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/v/index.html has the structure quite
aligned along Profane / Stencil valences, and this clearly, well,
holds water. Still, I think there must be more to it. Young Pynchon,
stoned or not, seems to have quite a lot going on in his mind at the
time of writing his first novel. He's no simpleton, writing the
easiest novel he can get away with publishing. "Dead ear" or no. (I've
read a lot of literature, old and new, and have not read many dialogs
that come off particularly realistic, though there are moments in
Hesse, Falkner, Steinbeck.) On the contrary, he seems to have some
pretty complex notions he is working out for all to see and follow
along with, to take and expand and play with, too. I think the spirit
of play is of major importance in V. But the structure.... What's up
with it? Is it hodge-podge, catch-as-you-can? Or are there, as I
suspect, a number of polarities with uncertain middle grounds? Is that
part of the function of the doppelgangers, for instance? E.g., Fr.
Fairing's St. Veronica, and Herbert's V., etc.?

On Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 10:59 PM, Michael Bailey
<michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 28, 2010 at 9:31 PM, alice wellintown
> <alicewellintown at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> But I think
>>> this is a powerful first novel with  an unusual and perhaps unprecedented
>>> structure;
>>
>> Say anything about this idea and I'll kiss you. what's unusual and
>> perhaps unprecedented about its structure? what is the structure?
>>
>
> I also would be interested in more about that.
>
> While I'm not crazy about, what's that stuff called, concrete poetry,
> where the typography makes a shape like that poem by the Dormouse in
> Alice in Wonderland -
>  - so I'm not really looking for V-ishness in the shape of the plot,
> but can't rule that out...
> would be obliged for any clarifications on the structure.
>
>>
>> Why bother treating Benny like the protagonist? That's where a lot of
>> P readers get screwed up.
>
> because benny and zoyd are the most interesting and sympathetic
> characters in their respective books, perhaps?  because beneath their
> veneer of ignorance is the life experience that the world of each book
> branches out from?  maybe that's why...Stencil's interesting but he's
> only a little bit simpatico; Paola just doesn't get enough ink for me
> to feel her as central; Prairie's nice and very important but, well,
> she's contingent on Zoyd and Frenesi, and there is no conclusive
> handoff to her, she's made some strides and Thanatoid Weed takes a
> shine to her and so forth, but quite honestly I am much more involved
> by her mom.  Frenesi's tale is compelling, but still, as the credits
> roll, we're looking at Zoyd and his hound...
>
> whereas in V. at the very end, we're looking at the waterspout, aren't
> we?  people falling afoul of inanimate once again;  Stencil's father
> creating the mystery by leaving the scene with insufficient
> explanation, just as Stencil leaves Benny with insufficient
> explanation, and although Stencil and Paola did pull him to Valletta,
> it is Benny's status that is interestingly left hanging...like
> "creeper weed", that hits just when you think you've been burned, will
> Stencil's message eventually stone Benny to his soul?
>



-- 
"liber enim librum aperit."