CoL49 Chapter 4

[Mark Kohut]

Peirce does not represent JFK. Period.

2) Because Oedipa cannot understand Pierce's "testament", his meanings and
The Trystero needs understaning. As we read, she suspects some kind of
elaborate hidden
plot and The Trystero seems elaborate and mysterious---like good plots do.

On Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 4:36 AM David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 4:17 AM Michael Bailey <
> michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > 1) Why does Oedipa connect understanding Tristero to finding Meaning in
> > Pierce's testament?
>
>
> It’s a very good question. In fact, why does she fuck Metz?  He’s a little
> bit of a turn-on, but sex (per se) is not her motivation. From the start,
> it is a battle of wits.  But WHY?  It’s almost as if she’s using her new
> “power” as a tool to dig into the “corrupt” world of REAL Estate!  (The
> ONLY “real” wealth).
>
> Good question!
>
>
> Yes!  BUT!  Are any of these “speculations” suggested anywhere in the text?
>
> - what if Pierce didn’t leave enough to cover his debts - like that guy in
> > _A Man in Full_ maybe the whole empire was a house of cards
> > - maybe they are liquidating (selling the stamp collection, eg)
> > - anyway, if that’s the case, maybe she seeks meaning in non-financial
> > terms and follows her liberal arts training to pursue the alternative
> post
> > phenomenon
> > - or, maybe she sees Tristero as a/the wreaker of Pierce’s downfall, and
> is
> > trying to figure out which of his activities brought on their wrath
> >
> >  - if Pierce represents JFK - but his shtick is totally different - but
> if
> > he somehow does anyway, maybe her efforts are linked to the idea of
> trying
> > to keep the New Frontier vision alive?
>
>
>
> >
> --
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>