Re: AtD tramslation: The Hôtel de la Ville et Poste

[Mark Kohut]

Nice and yes, we know he used Baedekers...

On Sat, Jan 15, 2022 at 9:44 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Apparently, city hall in French is "Hôtel de Ville", not "Hôtel de la
> Ville".
>
> A search in Google Books reveals that this is an actual hotel in
> Domodossola, duly documented in one of the Baedeker guides: *Italy,
> Handbook for Travellers: Northern Italy, including Leghorn, Florence,
> Ravenna, and routes through Switzerland and Austria*. I wouldn't be
> surprised if that's Pynchon's original source.
>
>
> On Sat, Jan 15, 2022 at 8:27 AM Paul Cray <pmcray at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > "Hôtel de la Ville" is certainly the French term for town hall (i.e. it
> is
> > not a hotel to stay in), which might well incorporate the main post
> office
> > as part of a town's civic complex, so it is presumably a joke, but at
> which
> > level within/beyond the text?
> >
> > Paul
> >
> > On Sat, 15 Jan 2022 at 08:59, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > I second David here and notice Pynchon's connections with government
> and
> > > the postal system
> > > elsewhere, overtly in The Crying of Lot 49....
> > >
> > > On Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 10:41 PM David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > I don’t speak French, but I don’t think this is proper French, and I
> > > think
> > > > that might be the point:  Reef’s French is sloppy.
> > > >
> > > > On Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 8:10 PM Mike Jing <
> > gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com
> > > >
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > P657.10-13   “Good to see you maintainin ’em standards,” Reef
> nodded.
> > > > > “Wouldn’t do to get déclassé or nothin.”
> > > > >        “We’re in Domodossola for a night or two. The Hôtel de la
> > Ville
> > > et
> > > > > Poste, I’m sure you know it.”
> > > > >
> > > > > What is "The Hôtel de la Ville et Poste" in English? Google
> Translate
> > > > gives
> > > > > me "City Hall and Post Office", which doesn't quite make sense.
> > > > > --
> > > > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > > >
> > > --
> > > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> > >
> > --
> > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
> >
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>