Dummy Up

[John Bailey]

Glad to hear that! I wonder how many of the negative reviewers made up
their minds after reading 100-200 pages. I know professional reviewers
who don't read entire books, or speak of the "review read" which is
pretty much skimming or speed-reading. That Slate podcast is worth
listening to in this regard - the one who hated the book slowly comes
to interrogate her own reaction and admit that she actually perhaps
kind of liked it.

Also, the book becomes things it isn't early on. As do the characters.
Horst and Maxi and the kids change over the short course of the plot.
That alone should be really intriguing for Pynchon readers. Can say
similar of both Mason and Dixon but it's a relative rarity in his
writing. Profane doesn't learn a damn thing, and Oed and Slothrop are
unravellings.

On Wed, Nov 27, 2013 at 11:45 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> P.416,  So best to just dummy up here, Maxine, one again, just, dummy, up.
>
> Earlier Max tells Zig to dummy up about Santa's likely non-existence.
>
> Horst is the willing, almost needful, naive in both these instances.  He
> missed perishing @ WTC by oversleeping. He's sort of lovable in all the ways
> he's portrayed here.  His naïveté is a refuge for Max most of the time,
> except when she has to bring him into the truth of her guilt at the near
> loss of Zig that dark night.
>
> BTW, I'm liking BE much more these days.  There is depth under all the flip.
>
> David Morris
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