The Great Aspinwall Hotel Fire

[Robin Landseadel]

The Great Aspinwall Hotel Fire
 
Laura Kelber: Is the thesis that the talkies ushered in, or at least enabled,
the rise of fascism? Just as literacy led to assassination during the Kirghiz
Light episode in GR. Or is it a less direct: talkies = Depression = rising
fascism? Anyway, something to think about on a re-read . . .
 
Correlation is not causation, so they say, but in Pynchon’s books
there’s a whole lotta correlation goin’ on:

. . . Suspension of the 36-year-old firm of Pynchon & Co., one of the
largest financial houses in the country, was announced by the New
York Stock Exchange yesterday afternoon, following the firm's
admission that it was unable to meet its engagements. In the
extent of its operations, the firm is believed to be the largest,
having Stock Exchange affiliations, ever to have suspended . . .
 
EXCHANGE SUSPENDS PYNCHON & COMPANY; Action Follows Notice by Firm That It Is Unable to Meet Its Obligations. LOANS PUT AT $40,000,000 Concern, One of Largest, Lays Troubles to Drop in Stocks-- Hopes for Reorganization. Hope Suspension Is Temporary. EXCHANGE SUSPENDS PYNCHON & CO. Little Excitement in Wall Street. Headed Theatre Syndicate. Rumors of Aid Last Fall. - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1931/04/25/archives/exchange-suspends-pynchon-company-action-follows-notice-by-firm.html
 
The date of the NYT article is April 25, 1931. So is this:
 
$1,000,000 FIRE RAZES THE ASPINWALL HOTEL; Lenox (Mass.) Hostelry, Patronized by Rockefeller and Depew, Is Destroyed - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1931/04/26/archives/1000000-fire-razes-the-aspinwall-hotel-lenox-mass-hostelry.html?searchResultPosition=17
 
Hotel Aspinwall, Lenox, Mass (1) - Lost New England https://lostnewengland.com/2016/02/hotel-aspinwall-lenox-mass-1/
 
Assume, for the moment, that the author is pointing to the
Great Aspinwall Hotel fire in Gravity’s Rainbow as a parallel
to the downfall of Pynchon and Company. No chance of
causation here but a clear correlation. And who knows?
Maybe this sort of thing happens on the quantum level,
spooky action at a distance and all that.
 
In any case, the talkies did have a direct impact on the
fortunes of Pynchon and Company. I really don’t want
to read Upton Sinclair Presents William Fox again, it was
bad enough the first time, also took up too much shelf space
when I made the big move up north. But I know the
specifics are in there. There’s a free online version for
those who must:
 
Upton Sinclair Presents William Fox : Upton Sinclair : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/uptonsinclairpre017746mbp
 
Thessalie makes the connection between the rise of the
Talkies and the Great Depression. There’s a specific type
of oracle one will find in Pynchon’s books, a hot sibyl, one
who you just “randomly” (ha, ha) met who knows you’re
looking for a specific and secret part for an experimental
rocket project and she knows how you can get that part  
and you’re also not an English reporter but I think you’re
cute so I’ll help you.
 
Thessalie’s that character in ST, though she’s known Hicks
longer than Geli knew Tyrone and Thessalie ain’t in the
mood for no foolin’ around.
 
Gross economic inequality can lead to Fascism. I’ll have to
cogitate more about the relation between cheese and Fascism.
 
“Americans will eat anything orange”
 
James Beard
 
 
“I know there’s a pony in here somewhere.”