Re: Not P but DFW: There’s nothing in the Yellow Pages under Flag.

[Mike Jing]

That could be it. Thanks, Mark.


On Tue, Feb 10, 2026 at 12:22 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> I now suggest, see below, that what Waallace meant was local stores that
> sold flags....close enough to
> Mrs.Thompson's for a trip, not supply stores or a lot of chain stores,
> etc. ...Esp with what you say
> about the rest of the piece..
>
> Historically, the *Yellow Pages* for cities like Bloomington, Indiana,
> did include a specific category for *"Flags & Banners"* (or simply
> "Flags"). However, the contents of that section were usually quite niche
> rather than being filled with numerous local storefronts.
> The "Flags" Section Breakdown
>
>    -
>
>    *The Category:* In a typical Bloomington directory from the late 20th
>    century to the early 2000s, you would find a heading for *Flags &
>    Banners - Retail*.
>    -
>
>    *Local vs. Regional:* Because flag-specific stores are specialized,
>    the Bloomington section often only featured one or two local entries. It
>    was common for the section to be padded with "Display Ads" for larger
>    regional supply shops based in Indianapolis or national mail-order
>    companies.
>    -
>
>    *Stock:* These listings specifically focused on *American Flags*,
>    state flags, and decorative house banners. They also sold hardware like
>    flagpoles, brackets, and eagles.
>
> Where People Actually Bought Flags
>
> While the "Flags" section existed, most residents didn't use it for a
> standard American flag. The Yellow Pages would often cross-reference or
> "See Also" other categories where flags were more commonly stocked:
>
>    1.
>
>    *Hardware Stores:* Local staples like *Kleindorfer’s Hardware* or
>    *Black’s* were the primary local sources.
>    2.
>
>    *Army-Navy Surplus:* Surplus stores in the Bloomington area were
>    frequent go-tos for high-quality, heavy-duty American flags.
>    3.
>
>    *Department Stores:* Large retailers (Sears, Penney's) listed in the
>    "Department Stores" section were the high-volume sellers.
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 11:14 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> It was set in Bloomington, IL, where DFW used to live, and the story is
>> personal. Not sure how big an area the YP directory covers though.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Feb 10, 2026 at 12:04 AM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> *Where is The View from Mrs.Thompson's* set, may I ask....?
>>>
>>> Most Yellow Pages Directories that I am aware of ...and this story was
>>> published very near Peak Distribution of those Yellow Page Directories, I
>>> learn,
>>> so, if it covered any reasonable area, any area including a city, at
>>> least, I think it would include a store/place--supply places were big---
>>> that sold Flags....many supply stores made sure---paid
>>> to get their listings to be seen far and wide
>>> because SALES....(capitalism).....so unless this was a very narrow area
>>> Yellow Pages area, I would bet it had
>>> listings under Flags....
>>>
>>> I would bet YP listings were chosen because of the usual content
>>> everywhere and that (almost) none were empty....
>>>
>>> Did England have Yellow Pages?....is Mrs Thompson's set there?about
>>> which I know nothing re their Yellow Pages...
>>>
>>> So, I think Wallace was referring to something from that riff of
>>> questions if not what I guessed at.
>>>
>>> But I've been wrong too.
>>>
>>> On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 10:44 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Well, this certainly wouldn't be the first time I was wrong, if it is
>>>> indeed the case that Yellow Pages always include a set of predefined
>>>> categories even if some of them contain no entries.
>>>>
>>>> But I don't think the reference is about saving one’s Fourth of July
>>>> flags, since nobody would expect such information from the Yellow Pages. It
>>>> seems that he was just looking for a place that sells flags in the YP but
>>>> found none.
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Feb 8, 2026 at 9:48 PM Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> My wild guess is that Wallace might be saying that the YP CATEGORY
>>>>> reference means that there is nothing under it about saving one’s Fourth of
>>>>> July flags per previous sentence.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, Feb 8, 2026 at 7:54 AM Mike Weaver via Pynchon-l <
>>>>> pynchon-l at waste.org> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> The Trials and Tolerance of a Translator by Mike Jing
>>>>>> You are of course right Mike and your proofreader needs to loosen up
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> little. To say there's nothing under... on a list is a way of saying
>>>>>> there's no such category on the list.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 08/02/2026 11:32, Mike Jing wrote:
>>>>>> > The following excerpt is from David Foster Wallace's *The View from
>>>>>> Mrs.
>>>>>> > Thompson's*:
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > The overall point being that on Wednesday here there’s a weird
>>>>>> accretive
>>>>>> > pressure to have a flag out. If the purpose of displaying a flag is
>>>>>> to make
>>>>>> > a statement, it seems like at a certain point of density of flags
>>>>>> you’re
>>>>>> > making more of a statement if you don’t have a flag out. It’s not
>>>>>> totally
>>>>>> > clear what statement this would be, though. What if you just don’t
>>>>>> happen
>>>>>> > to have a flag? Where has everyone gotten these flags, especially
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> > little ones you can fasten to your mailbox? Are they all from the
>>>>>> Fourth of
>>>>>> > July and people just save them, like Christmas ornaments? How do
>>>>>> they know
>>>>>> > to do this? There’s nothing in the Yellow Pages under Flag.
>>>>>> >
>>>>>> > I assume this means there isn't a category named "Flag" in the
>>>>>> Yellow
>>>>>> > Pages, is that correct? It seems pointless to have such a category
>>>>>> and just
>>>>>> > leave it empty, but that's just what one proofreader thinks is the
>>>>>> case.
>>>>>> > This person is taking everything way too literally and it's getting
>>>>>> > tiresome.
>>>>>> > --
>>>>>> > Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>>>>>>
>>>>>