Prairie vs. Zoyd as Protagonist of Vineland

[kelber at mindspring.com]

I think the problem is that Zoyd and prairie are both seeking to find and/or make sense of Frenesi, and maybe, in the process, become a family.  One quest, two questers.  So we end up with two partial protagonists, rather than the dual protagonists of V., who are on related, but separate quests: Benny running away from both the human and the inanimate (maybe?); Stencil seeking an individual who's both human and inanimate.

In GR, one person, one quest. Even when Slothrop disappears from large swathes of the novel, we never doubt that he's the protagonist.

Laura

-----Original Message-----
>From: Dave Williams <daveuwilliams at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Sep 10, 2010 10:29 AM
>To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>Subject: Re: Prairie vs. Zoyd as Protagonist of Vineland
>
>> > it's the "vs." that I disagree with.   There
>> isn't any contention
>> among Zoyd and Prairie, they're both incomplete and
>> seeking...their
>> peregrinations complement each other...
>
>Good point. 
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