V--2nd, Chapter 9

[Mark Kohut]

Robin:
I don't see any element of control here, or in Maxwell's Demon. Both seem to be 
more about hearing and channeling, the Maxwell's Demon sounds suspiciously like 
an E-Meter. Moundaugen sounds like he might land a job at the German equivalent 
of PISCES.

Most likely you are right, Robin. As I've said, better a stupid spec, --I'm 
talking about me, man,--- than sayin nothin' i am always saying until
most stop listening. Smile. 

here's where that came from: creating sferics is not letting sound be natural, 
is trying to 'control' it.....
and, good audio chambers remind me of heat on one side of a heat-holding chamber 
ala Maxwell's Demon. 

but the analogy is all strained like a high-pitch squeal, I now think. so it 
goes...............


----- Original Message ----
From: Robin Landseadel <robinlandseadel at comcast.net>
To: pynchon-l at waste.org
Sent: Fri, October 15, 2010 10:49:37 AM
Subject: Re: V--2nd, Chapter 9

On Oct 15, 2010, at 7:23 AM, Mark Kohut wrote:

> Robin:
> In any case this set-up notes how it's ideal on account of having the room
> acoustically isolated, which is very important if you're monitoring angry
> ghosts.
> 
> As with TRP at his greatest, this also works metaphorically, imho. 
Acoustically
> isolated--separated from the world---even reminds me  of the sealed-off house
> party going on in "Entropy"...Remind anyone else?

This may also be part of what Terri is referring to in "Magic Mountain" as well, 
the way that miniature League of Nations managed to be hermetically sealed 
against the rest of the world.

> Mondaugen's sferics are a Maxwell's Demon-like way of controlling sounds, so 
to
> speak, against the natural entropic way of the world....???? Spec, spec,
> bring it on...........

This is early Pynchon, his awareness of the psychical is limited in comparison 
to what it became. There are ghost story elements here, one element is the 
deliberate withholding of particulars. But by the time we get to Against the Day 
. . .

I don't see any element of control here, or in Maxwell's Demon. Both seem to be 
more about hearing and channeling, the Maxwell's Demon sounds suspiciously like 
an E-Meter. Moundaugen sounds like he might land a job at the German equivalent 
of PISCES.