Not P but Moby-Dick (108)

[Mike Jing]

Thanks, Mark.


On Thu, Apr 18, 2024 at 1:28 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> I think it means that an omen is by definition a prediction about a future
> event....it
> comes in words, not vague signs, dictionary words....
>
> On Tue, Apr 16, 2024 at 10:52 PM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> From Chapter 133:
>>
>> “What soulless thing is this that laughs before a wreck? Man, man! did I
>> not know thee brave as fearless fire (and as mechanical) I could swear
>> thou
>> wert a poltroon. Groan nor laugh should be heard before a wreck.”
>>
>> “Aye, sir,” said Starbuck drawing near, “’tis a solemn sight; an omen, and
>> an ill one.”
>>
>> “Omen? omen?—the dictionary! If the gods think to speak outright to man,
>> they will honorably speak outright; not shake their heads, and give an old
>> wives’ darkling hint.—Begone!
>>
>> What does the exclamation "the dictionary!" mean here? Is it a call for a
>> dictionary, or is it something else?
>> --
>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>
>