CoL49 Chapter 4

[Joseph Tracy]

> On Jun 10, 2024, at 10:38 AM, J K Van Nort via Pynchon-l <pynchon-l at waste.org> wrote:
> …...
> 
> Back at the Scope, Fallopian acknowledges that it may be an alternative underground network. He and Metzger argue over whether opposing the patent waiver clause made Fallopian a Marxist. Oedipa thinks about how mail is delivered and a bronze historical marker that described a battle between Wells Fargo riders and mysterious, black-clad masked marauders who massacred them. The only identification being a cross or a 'T'. She goes to Zapf's bookstore where Zapf helps her find a copy of the "Jacobean Revenge Plays" paperback, hinting that there have been others showing interest in the book.
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> Questions:
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> Why does Oedipa connect understanding Tristero to finding Meaning in Pierce's testament? 
> Why does the Yoyodyne stockholder meeting and location have so much mundane military terminology? (quonset, gunboats, platoons, etc.)
The War economy(WW2) was highly profitable for the US because we were selling to the UK. A large part of the Cold War was to retain that economic flow through military spending and some of the early economic boons like controlling Iranian Oil via a coup. The war with communism was also a war against former colonies controlling their own resources . This was  spurred on by the loss of Cuba with its economic benefits both to the Mafia and several others and a powerful movement to  achieve rocket and nuclear weapons dominance to hit Russia with a first strike before they achieved parity.  Because of the military budget was replacing a peacetime economy and Eisenhower warned that it threatened peace, those still not experiencing prosperity  and democratic process.  The tendency of the lead contractors was ultra patriotic militaristic and  hierarchical . Howard Hughes, who I see as a prime model for PI fit that model. I grew up in Silicon Valley and many friends worked for NASA, Lockheed Martin etc.
> Does Stanley Koteks name have any more significance or is it just another of Pynchon's more sophomoric names?
> How does the Metzger/Fallopian argument about patent waivers impact the story?
Continuing that theme of the military mindset of post war California capitalism,  Metzger represents his late investor owner’s stake in the inter corporate competitioni and he resorts to extreme arguments and accusations of Marxism over what is essentially a traditional libertarian and american idea of benefiting from your own innovation. . The New Deal is fading into memory, a college education for OM was compliant and patriotic to the point of thinking fondly of Joe McCarthy. Fallopian really is a bit ideologically inconsistent but the issue he brings up was real and even when independent inventors came up with highly effective technology more than a few were cheated out of the benefits by corporate power plays. Fallopian’s argument is that Metzger’s ideas sound like Biblical fundamentalism. 

The songs in Yoyodyne still made me laugh. Any thoughts on Clayton Bloody Chiclitz's name?
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> Very rushed question development, so if you have others, please share.
> 
> In solidarity,
> James
> 
> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
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