M&D new question

[David Ewers]

That line struck me as well.  I agree that it's provocative (almost teasing or daring us to wonder at its validity...).  Something that strikes me just now is the word 'ultimately'.  Cherrycoke says it (the Line) was "ultimately meaningless".  On the one hand it's easy for me to see Cherrycoke as mistakenly assuming that his present is the 'ultimate' point on some timeline (Time Line?), while from my further vantage point I can say I know better.  But wouldn't I (ultimately) be making the same mistake?  

Maybe Cherrycoke mentions so early because he has strong (deep?) feelings regarding its meaning?  The reminiscence: "What we were doing out in that Country together was brave... and ultimately meaningless,-- we..." sounds heartfelt to me.  Is the meaninglessness a source of pride for him (like 'we never had a chance of success, but by golly we did it anyway...), and so he's not being (only) bitterly clever when he attaches it to words like brave and scientifick?


On Jan 13, 2015, at 7:56 AM, Joseph Tracy wrote:

> No thoughts? dumb question? 
> On Jan 12, 2015, at 12:36 PM, Joseph Tracy wrote:
> 
>> All the questions have been provocative, so I hope this won't be a complete dud. 
>> 
>> One question/observation that jumped out at me in the introduction is the word meaningless to describe the completed M&D line in Cherrycokes introduction to the Mason Dixon story. It did not strike me on the first read how boldly the writer seems to be characterizing the endeavor at the very opening of the work. He seems himself to be drawing a line or at the very least posing a deep question about everything implied by that line. Was anyone else surprised at how early this question is set forth, or am I treading into the obvious?
>> 
>> Even the word meaningless is provocative- both historically and metaphorically an odd choice to characterize something with such import. But it fits with Cherrycoke's probable attitude at this time. I don't know if I can defend that; I just feel it.-
>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list
> 
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