V-2, 6 Bad Ear

[Mark Kohut]

Robin sez:.
 Otherwise, there's no sense that one character has a distinct sound 
differentiated from another character:

Which has always been my feeling---but I didn't acknowledge that until this 
reading 'round Robin...



----- Original Message ----
From: Robin Landseadel <robinlandseadel at comcast.net>
To: pynchon-l at waste.org
Sent: Mon, September 6, 2010 1:52:55 PM
Subject: V-2, 6 Bad Ear

On Sep 6, 2010, at 10:44 AM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:

> Here's the remaining, very amendable schedule.  Emma and (I think?) Heikki may 
>not be able to carry out their hosting duties, so anyone who'd like to jump in 
>should feel free.  I'll try to post some stuff later today about Chapter 6.  But 
>don't wait for me.  Jump in!
> 
> LK
> 
> 9/6 - 9/12 - Chap. 6  (1 week) . . .

So, I'll reboot, repost and then duck under the chair.

I do sense that the quality of writing does rise from this low point, but 
couldn't help but notice how little the sounds produced by the underground crew 
seem to have in common with the sounds one would expect from hispanic exiles in 
New York City.

    "I want to be in Ameerica,
    Ok by me in Ameerica,
    Everyting free in Ameerica,
    For a small fee in A-Meer-EEK-Ah!'

    "Everybody talked in Spanish and Profane responded in what
    Italo-American he'd heard around the house as a kid. There
    was about 10 per cent communication but nobody cared."

Seeing as this is Monday, and we're supposed to be working on this book called 
"V.", allow me a few moments to disembowel, or if you prefer "deconstruct"  the 
uniquely unreadable dialogue or dialog in this, the sixth chapter of the young 
author's first novel.

There appears to be enough difficulty getting the patois of Chicano/Latino 
refugees in the Big Apple down on paper that any fish-out-of-water aspect of 
Benny's return to street level is washed out by flat affect. There's a few 
Spanish language words thrown in in an attempt to capture that sound, but the 
author isn't paying attention to cadences, timing and other nuances that would 
make one character sound different from another. In a way, the author cops to 
his bad ear as Benny attempts to parrot back Spanish in similar guinea-speak. 
Otherwise, there's no sense that one character has a distinct sound 
differentiated from another character:

    "Why don't we go to a movie or something," she said. "This
    here," he answered, "is a good movie. Randolph Scott is this
    U.S. marshal and that sheriff, there he goes now, is getting paid
    off by the gang and all he does all day long is play fan-tan with
    a widow who lives up the hill."

    She withdrew after a while, sad and pouting.

    Why? Why did she have to behave like he was a human being.
    Why couldn't he be just an object of mercy. What did Fina have
    to go pushing it for? What did she want-which was a stupid
    question. She was a restless girl, this Josephine: warm and
    viscous-moving, ready to come in a flying machine or anyplace
    else.

    But curious, he decided to ask Angel.

    "How do I know," Angel said. "It's her business. She don't like
    anybody in the office. They are all maricon, she says. Except for
    Mr. Winsome the boss, but he's married so he's out."

    "What does she want to be," Profane said, "a career girl? What
    does your mother think?"

    "My mother thinks everybody should get married: me, Fina,
    Geronimo. She'll be after your ass soon. Fina doesn't want
    anybody. You, Geronimo, the Playboys. She doesn't want.
    Nobody knows what she wants."

    "Playboys," Profane said. "Wha."

    V. ~ 141 p