First Page of Bleeding Edge?

Tue Apr 16 22:35:13 CDT 2013

Pynchon is neutral. He allows otherwise villanous characters to be human, even sympathetic, at times. Evil is reserved for the inanimate, and for those tendencies in humans that embrace the inanimate over the animate- death worshippers. Human frailities/foibles are forgiven, or not judged, or at least as being within the realm of the potentially redeemable. IV is unique in the sense that it begins to move toward indentification and punishment of bad guys. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues in BE.

The Rev may not have been so charitable before he was sent to The Tower. Like Lew B., we never really see him through the eyes of other characters. He's too close to the narrator. I wonder what Uncle Wade would have to say about him- in an unguarded moment. 

-----Original Message-----
From: Lemuel Underwing <luunderwing at gmail.com>
To: Markekohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
Cc: rich <richard.romeo at gmail.com>; Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>; Tyler Wilson <tbsqrd at hotmail.com>; jamie <jamie at bigdada.com>; Henry Musikar <scuffling at gmail.com>; “pynchon-l at waste.or 
g“ <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Tue, Apr 16, 2013 5:06 pm
Subject: Re: First Page of Bleeding Edge?

Rich, perhaps P. isn't known for his 'affection' but Rev'd Cherrycoke's Narrative is chock full of it. It is when he is most evasive or humorous that he seems most affectionate... 

Revd's Tale is not of some Dispersed and wasted Zone, but of a supposedly 'Virgin' frontier and all that entails.The quarrels of families along the Line are more often than not Resolved, tho' the resolutions of these narratives (chasing milkmaids sort of thing) are tenuous at best, there remains a hearth-side joviality. Even the protagonists are allowed a final meeting to pause in all sweetness, however melancholic, and reflect upon their travels together, the declining health of the two fading in and out of perspective as Cherrycoke injects a cheerful air.

Surely any self-respecting Pynchonian would be suspicious of words such as Affection or Warmth when applied to P... however, the Reverend Wicks, if only to secure a habitation by amusing the children of the house, is certainly struck through with more-than just gentility....

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