TRTR Part I, Chapter V, Pages 179-181 CLASS SONG

[Erik T. Burns]

Gaddis was amused by it, bemused. That's my guess. He seems to think most people take things like psychoanalysis - even life - waaaay too seriously.

Don't forget laughter; it's what separates us from the beasts.





On 20/05/2011, at 12:23, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:

> psychoanalysis.....steady appearances like below in TR.
> was a hot cultural happening among many "intellectuals" in the 50s, esp
> new York ones...
> 
> Gaddis for it or agin it? to set up the question ridiculously..
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
> To: P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Wed, May 18, 2011 8:30:04 PM
> Subject: Re: TRTR Part I, Chapter V, Pages 179-181 CLASS SONG
> 
> Erik T. Burns wrote:
> 
>> 
>> Then, of a sudden, the first suicide joke, that of a psychoanalyst,
>> ironically enough.  Sosumi, but I think it's funny:
>> 
>> "--He didn't kill himself, it was an accident.
>> "--An accident! He ties a rope around his neck and climbs out a
>> window, but the rope breaks and he falls forty-six stories, so it's an
>> accident?"
>> 
> 
> 2nd suicide of an analyst, though: Esther's shrink, a woman, kills
> herself (page 80) after Esther marries Wyatt against the analyst's
> advice.
> 
> Not a cynical view of analysis, exactly: such a deep reverse
> transference and tragic result, indicates the analyst, at least, took
> the process seriously!
> 
> Esther's thinking on this isn't very deep: "it confirmed something."
> 
> what would a deeply unpleasant episode indicate about either the
> murkiness of Esther's psyche and the dangers of rooting about in it,
> and/or the ease with which Esther dismisses things which might give a
> caring person pause?
> 
> Although she's actually pretty sweet to Wyatt, imho, still probably a
> fairly dangerous woman, a belle dame sans merci!
>