Well I got a foggy notion, do it again...

[Carvill, John]

As one of the some-who-like-the-book-much-more-than-some-who-did-not-like-the-book-as-much, I thought the foggy ending was powerfully apt, given (a) all the fog, smog, and other weather in the book; (b) the foggy nature of noir plots in general and IV's in particular, and (c) yes of course, the 'caravan' being unmistakably redolent of not just the ending but also the beginning of GR, not to mention the closing paragraphs of Against the Day. 

In fact, the foggy caravan journey reminded me just how many Pynchon beginnings and endings involve a journey of some sort - GR obviously, but then there's the descending drive at (or near) the end of Vineland, Mason & Dixon could (at a push, or maybe a shove) be seen as one long journey, and doesn't it end with someone setting out, once again, on one? 'V.' sort of ends that way too, yes? Against the Day begins with the start of a journey, and ends that way too. Which makes COL49 a sort-of exception, though you could say Oedipa, awaiting the crying, is setting out on (or coming to the end of) a 'journey of discovery'.

Not really thought all this through, but I think there's maybe a point in there somewhere...


-----Original Message-----
From: On Behalf Of kelber@ 

As one of the some-who-did-not-like-the-book-as-much-as-many, I thought the fog-obscured drive was one of the better (if not the best) passages in the book, almost echoing the "Now everybody" ending of GR, in its pessimism and sense of camaraderie in the face of shared doom.  Does anyone see anything hopeful or positive in the ending?  There were differences of opinion on whether the endings of Vineland and ATD were meant to be upbeat.  I weigh in on the dark side, in all cases.

Laura