Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 2

2010-05-21T00:15:48Z

Memelab:

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a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

b: 18 - '''kasher''' 
Generally refers to a process that renders a utensil fit for use ("kosher") by removing material that has been absorbed in it. However, it can also be used (as Metzger does) in reference to the process by which meat is made kosher, which involves soaking the meat in water, salting it, and then rinsing it. This process pulls the excess blood out of the meat and makes it kosher for eating.

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

b: 19 - '''Hun''' 
Slang/nickname for Germans. Refers to a speech made by Emperor Wilhelm II in July 1900, wherein he urged his troops to emulate the brutal and merciless conduct of the Huns under Attila.

b: 20 - '''Fangoso''' 
Spanish: muddy.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

b: 26 - '''Lord love a duck''' 
An inoffensive expression of surprise of British origin. Another example of Miles' affectation of British mannerisms.

b: 26 - '''seraglio''' 
Harem.

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Chapter 5

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Memelab: Added Airmail stamp

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a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

b: 82 - '''Alexandrine''' 
A line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

b: 98 - '''priistas''' 
Members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI): a Mexican political party. It was formed in 1929 and was the dominant political party for much of the 20th century.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

[[Image:airmail.png|thumb|150px|right|8 cent Airmail stamp]]

b: 109 - '''Speer and his ministry of cretins''' 
Albert Speer was Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich and Hitler's chief architect. Despite doubts about his credibility, at the Nuremberg trials, he was the only defendant to accept responsibility for his involvement with the Nazi regime, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while many of his colleagues were executed.

b: 112 - '''nicht wahr''' 
German: not true? : isn't that so?

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

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Chapter 6

2010-05-08T03:31:20Z

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a: ???, b: 120 - '''Humbert Humbert''' 
Humbert Humbert is the narrator and main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955)

[[Image:columbian_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|15 cent Columbian Exposition Issue, 1893]]

[[Image:mothers_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|3 cent Mothers of America Issue, 1934]]

[[Image:centenary_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Postage Stamp Centenary Issue, 1947]]

[[Image:statue-of-liberty_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|3 cent Statue of Liberty, 1954]]

[[Image:brussels_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|3 cent Brussels Exhibition Issue, 1958]]

b: 123 - '''riparian''' 
Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse.

b: 124 - '''Bowdlerized''' 
Thomas Bowdler published a version of Shakespeare that removed profanity and sexual references in an effort to be more appropriate for audiences of his time. Since then, the term 'bowdlerize' generally refers to censorship of offensive material from artistic works.

a: 151, b: 124 - '''K. da chingado''' 
''Chingado'' is Spanish slang meaning "fucker."

b: 126 - '''taken a Brody''' 
Steve Brodie [sic] was a New York City bookie who claimed to have survived the 135 foot jump from the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886. The notoriety surrounding this story is the source of phrases such as "pull a Brodie" or "take a Brodie." As Driblette's walk into the Pacific was fatal and did not include a fall from a great height, Oedipa's appropriation of the expression is forced at best.

b: 127 - '''poetaster''' 
An inferior poet; a writer of insignificant or shoddy poetry.

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Chapter 6

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a: ???, b: 120 - '''Humbert Humbert''' 
Humbert Humbert is the narrator and main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955)

b: 123 - '''riparian''' 
Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse.

b: 124 - '''Bowdlerized''' 
Thomas Bowdler published a version of Shakespeare that removed profanity and sexual references in an effort to be more appropriate for audiences of his time. Since then, the term 'bowdlerize' generally refers to censorship of offensive material from artistic works.

a: 151, b: 124 - '''K. da chingado''' 
''Chingado'' is Spanish slang meaning "fucker."

b: 126 - '''taken a Brody''' 
Steve Brodie [sic] was a New York City bookie who claimed to have survived the 135 foot jump from the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886. The notoriety surrounding this story is the source of phrases such as "pull a Brodie" or "take a Brodie." As Driblette's walk into the Pacific was fatal and did not include a fall from a great height, Oedipa's appropriation of the expression is forced at best.

b: 127 - '''poetaster''' 
An inferior poet; a writer of insignificant or shoddy poetry.

[[Image:columbian_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|15 cent Columbian Exposition Issue, 1893]]

[[Image:mothers_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|3 cent Mothers of America Issue, 1934]]

[[Image:centenary_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Postage Stamp Centenary Issue, 1947]]

[[Image:statue-of-liberty_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|3 cent Statue of Liberty, 1954]]

[[Image:brussels_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|3 cent Brussels Exhibition Issue, 1958]]

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Memelab:

Chapter 6

2010-05-08T03:27:43Z

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 6

2010-05-08T03:22:15Z

Memelab: Added Columbian Exposition Issue

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a: ???, b: 120 - '''Humbert Humbert''' 
Humbert Humbert is the narrator and main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955)

b: 123 - '''riparian''' 
Relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse.

b: 124 - '''Bowdlerized''' 
Thomas Bowdler published a version of Shakespeare that removed profanity and sexual references in an effort to be more appropriate for audiences of his time. Since then, the term 'bowdlerize' generally refers to censorship of offensive material from artistic works.

a: 151, b: 124 - '''K. da chingado''' 
''Chingado'' is Spanish slang meaning "fucker."

b: 126 - '''taken a Brody''' 
Steve Brodie [sic] was a New York City bookie who claimed to have survived the 135 foot jump from the Brooklyn Bridge in 1886. The notoriety surrounding this story is the source of phrases such as "pull a Brodie" or "take a Brodie." As Driblette's walk into the Pacific was fatal and did not include a fall from a great height, Oedipa's appropriation of the expression is forced at best.

b: 127 - '''poetaster''' 
An inferior poet; a writer of insignificant or shoddy poetry.

[[Image:columbian_stamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|15 cent 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue, 1940]]

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Chapter 4

2010-05-08T03:19:21Z

Memelab:

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a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz''']. Watch in on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7j-3zHfM2Q '''YouTube'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

[[Image:1-3_freimarke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|1/3 Freimarke stamp While not the 1/4 denomination used in the book, the orientation of "Freimarke" and "Thurn und Taxis" are otherwise consistent with the description.]]

[[Image:4c_lincoln.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Lincoln 4 cent stamp, 1954]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetery''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

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Chapter 5

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Memelab: Added Speer and his ministry of cretins

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a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

b: 82 - '''Alexandrine''' 
A line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

b: 98 - '''priistas''' 
Members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI): a Mexican political party. It was formed in 1929 and was the dominant political party for much of the 20th century.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

b: 109 - '''Speer and his ministry of cretins''' 
Albert Speer was Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich and Hitler's chief architect. Despite doubts about his credibility, at the Nuremberg trials, he was the only defendant to accept responsibility for his involvement with the Nazi regime, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while many of his colleagues were executed.

b: 112 - '''nicht wahr''' 
German: not true? : isn't that so?

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 6

2010-05-06T02:00:01Z

Memelab: Added Bowdlerize

Chapter 6

2010-05-06T01:57:56Z

Memelab:

Chapter 6

2010-05-06T01:56:50Z

Memelab: Added riparian

Chapter 6

2010-05-06T01:56:07Z

Memelab: Added poetaster

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: ???, b: 120 - '''Humbert Humbert''' 
Humbert Humbert is the narrator and main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955)

a: 151, b: 124 - '''K. da chingado''' 
''Chingado'' is Spanish slang meaning "fucker."

b: 127 - '''poetaster''' 
An inferior poet; a writer of insignificant or shoddy poetry.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 6

2010-05-03T03:18:02Z

Memelab:

Chapter 5

2010-05-02T20:50:54Z

Memelab: Added priistas

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

b: 82 - '''Alexandrine''' 
A line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

b: 98 - '''priistas''' 
Members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI): a Mexican political party. It was formed in 1929 and was the dominant political party for much of the 20th century.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

b: 112 - '''nicht wahr''' 
German: not true? : isn't that so?

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 4

2010-05-02T20:24:07Z

Memelab: Added YouTube link for The Blow Out

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz''']. Watch in on [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7j-3zHfM2Q '''YouTube'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

[[Image:1-3_freimarke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|1/3 Freimarke stamp While not the 1/4 denomination used in the book, the orientation of "Freimarke" and "Thurn und Taxis" are otherwise consistent with the description.]]

[[Image:4c_lincoln.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Lincoln 4 cent stamp]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetery''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

{{CL49 PbP}}

File:4c lincoln.jpg

2010-05-02T20:16:20Z

Memelab:

Chapter 4

2010-05-02T20:16:09Z

Memelab: Added Lincoln 4 cent stamp

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

[[Image:1-3_freimarke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|1/3 Freimarke stamp While not the 1/4 denomination used in the book, the orientation of "Freimarke" and "Thurn und Taxis" are otherwise consistent with the description.]]

[[Image:4c_lincoln.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Lincoln 4 cent stamp]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetery''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 4

2010-05-02T20:05:59Z

Memelab:

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

[[Image:1-3_freimarke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|1/3 Freimarke stamp. While not the 1/4 denomination used in the book, the orientation of "Freimarke" and "Thurn und Taxis" are otherwise consistent with the description]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetery''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 4

2010-05-02T20:05:19Z

Memelab:

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

[[Image:1-3_freimarke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|1/3 Freimarke stamp. While not the 1/4 denomination used in the book, the orientation of "Freimarke" and "Thurn und Taxis" are otherwise consistent with the description]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetery''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

{{CL49 PbP}}

File:1-3 freimarke.jpg

2010-05-02T20:04:02Z

Memelab:

Chapter 4

2010-05-02T20:03:42Z

Memelab: Hook for freimarke stamp; corrected typo

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

[[Image:1-3_freimarke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|1/3 Freimarke stamp]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetery''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 5

2010-05-02T19:53:18Z

Memelab: Added nicht wahr

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

b: 82 - '''Alexandrine''' 
A line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

b: 112 - '''nicht wahr''' 
German: not true? : isn't that so?

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 5

2010-05-02T19:43:23Z

Memelab: Added Alexandrine

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

b: 82 - '''Alexandrine''' 
A line of poetic meter comprising 12 syllables.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 4

2010-05-02T19:41:22Z

Memelab: Added adenoidal

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 81, b: 64 - '''everything she saw, smelled''' 
Although the novel delves more into Tristero in later pages, this sentence may suggest that it can be interpreted as far more than an actual secret organization, perhaps some metaphor for paranoia as a whole, in which everything experienced (saw, smelled, dreamed, remembered) by the paranoiac seems to connect to some great conspiracy. 
At least one reader was reminded of Shakespeare's lines in ''A Midsummer's Night's Dream'': 
The lunatic, the lover, and the poet 
Are of imagination all compact: 
One sees more devils than vast hell can hold, 
[http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?db=db&filter=col100&query=imagination A Midsummer's Night's Dream]

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Clayton "Bloody" Chiclitz''' 
Chiclets are a famous brand of candy-coated chewing gum. The sentence "After the fight he was spitting out bloody Chiclets" means he had had some teeth knocked out; incisors are about the size and shape of Chiclets. 
This character also appears in ''V.'' (55; the munitions king; 152; president of Yoyodyne, Inc., 226-27) and ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (558-62): "about as fat as Marvy and wears hornrimmed glasses, and the top of his head's as shiny as his face"; American industrialist with T-Force scouting German engineering (esp. secret weaponry); owns a toy factory in Nutley, NJ; he's running a fur operation, employing 30 kids whom he eventually wants to take to Hollywood to be movie stars.

That reference to the [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_puns_hollander.htm '''Fur Operation'''] is part of a well-crypted pun that points back to William Pynchon, founder of Springfield who started as a fur-trapper, trader and owner of the mills in and around around Springfield.

a: 83, b: 65 - '''Aura Lee''' 
"Aura Lee" (also known as "Aura Lea") is an American Civil War song about a maiden. The Elvis Presley song "Love Me Tender" (lyric by Ken Darby) is sung to the same tune as "Aura Lee". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_Lee Wikipedia]

a: 84, b: 67 - '''Kirby sent me''' 
She saw Kirby's name back on page 52.

a: 86, b: 68 - '''James Clerk Maxwell''' 
(1831 – 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and theoretical physicist. His most significant achievement was formulating a set of equations — eponymously named Maxwell's equations — that for the first time expressed the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in a unified fashion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia]

a: 86, b: 68 - '''Maxwell's demon''' 
Pynchon explains it pretty well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell%27s_demon Wikipedia]
:Pynchon may have read about the demon in the writings of historian Henry Adams, whose ''Education of Henry Adams'' Pynchon cites approvingly in other works. In Adams' manuscript, ''The Rule of Phase Applied to History'', he attempted to use Maxwell's demon as an historical metaphor, though he seems to have misunderstood and misapplied the principle.

a: 88, b: 70 - '''in school they got brainwashed''' 
Pynchon studied engineering physics at Cornell before joining the Navy and ultimately graduating with a degree in English. His portrayal of Koteks seems to be an indictment on the sad state of the profession of engineering in the corporate age, when patents are in the hands of corporations instead of pioneering inventors like Edison.

a: 90, b: 72 - '''Vesperhaven House''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vesper '''Vesper'''] mostly points towards "evening", [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/haven '''Haven'''] is a place of rest and safety. Kerry Grant, in [http://tinyurl.com/2nvey6 '''A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49'''] calls it a "surprisingly straightforward name" for a rest home.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Leon Schlesinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Schlesinger '''Leon Schlesinger'''] was an early film producer who developed the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looney_Tunes '''Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies'''] cartoon series just as sound recording emerged in 1930.

a: 91, b: 72 - '''Mr Thoth''' 
The Ancient Egyptian deity [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth '''Thoth'''] is usually depicted in human form with the head of an [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibis '''Ibis''']. He is the scribe of the Gods, credited with the invention of writing and the hieroglyphic alphabet. See also [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleister_Crowley '''Alastair Crowley's'''][http://tinyurl.com/ywn2zy '''Book of Thoth'''].

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Pony Express''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express '''Pony Express'''] fast overland mail service was in operation a little over a year when the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Telegraph '''First Transcontinental Telegraph'''] rendered it obsolete in October of 1861.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''it was all mixed up with a Porky Pig cartoon''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porky_Pig '''Porky Pig'''] was developed by animator [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clampett '''Bob Clampett'''] in 1935. Pynchon's novels incorporate a heavy cartoonish element. Porky Pig appears as a tattoo in ''Gravity's Rainbow''. Pynchon is reported to be a fan of pigs in general and it's been suggested that his affinity for Porky stems from his stutter.

a: 91, b: 73 - '''Porky Pig and the anarchist''' 
The cartoon is called [http://faculty.sunydutchess.edu/oneill/lot49.htm '''The Blow-Out'''], a Warner Brothers/Leon Schlesinger 1936 production, "Supervised by Fred [not yet "Tex"] Avery" and including the animation work of Charles [not yet "Chuck"] Jones this early Porky Pig feature features our Porcine Hero in his earlier, fatter days. The black-cloaked Anarchist bomb-maker cackles like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Hamilton '''Margaret Hamilton'''] in the [http://www.filmsite.org/wiza.html '''Wizard of Oz'''].

[[Image:ponystamp.jpg|thumb|150px|right|80th Anniversary of the Pony Express stamp, 1940]]

a: 94, b: 75 - '''Genghis Cohen, philatelist''' 
'''Philately''' is the study of '''Revenue''' or '''Postage''' '''Stamps'''.

See [[Philately_Gone_Wild|'''Philately Gone Wild''']]

:In 1966, the novelist Romain Gary accused Pynchon of stealing the name Genghis Cohen from one of his books. Pynchon penned a humorous [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_cohen.html reply] in a letter to the editor of the New York Times Book Review.

b: 75 - '''adenoidal''' 
Having the characteristic snoring, difficult breathing or nasal tone that results from enlarged adenoids: the two infection-fighting organs at the back of the nose and above the tonsils.

a: 94, b: 76 - '''I picked the dandelions in a cemetary''' 
Like the charcoal from bones turned into ink and cigarette filters, dead people are once again being recycled.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 5

2010-05-02T19:39:21Z

Memelab: Relocated She Loves You to Chapter 5

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 6

2010-05-02T19:38:50Z

Memelab: Relocated She Loves You to Chapter 5

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: ???, b: 121 - '''Humbert Humbert''' 
Humbert Humbert is the narrator and main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955)

a: 151, b: 124 - '''K. da chingado''' 
''Chingado'' is Spanish slang meaning "fucker."

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 5

2010-05-02T19:36:50Z

Memelab: Relocated Edna Mosh. Added page number to continuity note

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 101, b: 81 - '''Plays of Ford, Webster, Tourneur and Wharfinger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ford_(dramatist) '''John Ford'''] is famous for [http://books.google.com/books?id=EgxYEemQXEsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Tis+pity+she%27s+a+whore&as_brr=1 '''''Tis pity she's a whore'''''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Webster '''John Webster'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA139&dq=The+Duchess+of+Malfi&as_brr=1 '''''The Duchess of Malfi'''''] and [http://www.enotes.com/literary-criticism/tourneur-cyril '''Cyril Tourneur'''] wrote [http://books.google.com/books?id=0vwkAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA241&dq=The+Atheist%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''The Athiest's Tragedy'''''], while the [http://books.google.com/books?id=sxdMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA335&dq=Revenger%27s+Tragedy&as_brr=1 '''''Revenger's Tragedy'''''] is ascribed to Tourneur with a great deal of controversy as regards authorship.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''FSM's, YAF's, VDC's''' 
Free Speech Movement, Young Americans for Freedom, and Vietnam Day Committee. The VDC was a coalition of left-wing political groups, student groups, labour organizations, and pacifist religions in America that opposed the Vietnam War. It was formed in Berkeley in 1965 and was active through the majority of the war. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_Day_Committee Wikipedia]

a: 103, b: 83 - '''a national reflex to certain pathologies in high places only death had the power to cure''' 
Presumably, the McCarthy era, which only ended with McCarthy's death in 1957.

a: 103, b: 83 - '''Siwash''' 
A fictional college in stories by George Fitch (d. 1915), American author. Also, a small usually inland college that is notably provincial in outlook.

Also related to Native Americans?
:Since "Siwash" is here compared to Berkeley university, I'd say no. [[User:Bleakhaus|Bleakhaus]]

a: 104, b: 83 - '''Secretaries James and Foster and Senator Joseph''' 
James Forrestal, John Foster Dulles, and Joseph McCarthy.

a: 104, b: 84 - '''a shirt on various Polynesian themes and dating from the Truman administration''' 
Recalls the shirt worn by Slothrop in Part 2 of ''Gravity's Rainbow'', even though that one was Hawaiian and worn a few months before Truman took office.

a: 110, b: 88 - '''Roos Atkins''' 
Chain of upscale men's clothing stores in San Francisco [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roos/Atkins Wikipedia]

a: 112, b: 90 - '''sinophile''' 
Someone fond of chinese culture. On occasion, the term is used to describe people who exhibit a sexual preference for Chinese or Asian partners. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinophile Wikipedia] The character being referred to is John Nefastis, who likes to do it when "there is something about China" on TV.

a: 115, b: 93 - '''IBM 7094''' 
At the time of publishing, this was the top-of-the-line computer. One of those HUGE room sized ones.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Jesus Arrabal''' 
[http://tinyurl.com/37pbq5 '''''Jesus Arrabal''''] conflates [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus '''''Jesus''''] a word, generally fixed in meaning as the figure at the Center of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity '''''Christianity'''''], [and also a common [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm '''''Christian Name'''''] in Catholic Latin American], with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_influence_on_Spanish '''''Arrabal'''''] a Spanish word that grew from Arab roots, arrabal (suburb - al-rabad). The word changed in meaning over time to include the suburbs, the outlands, and the slums, all zones of exclusion. The word [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Arrabal '''''Arrabal'''''] as a proper name leads us to Fernando Arrabal, noted playwright working in the Theater of the Absurd. Finally, spoken aloud it sounds like '''Jesus 'orrible'''. See '''a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''', below.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Conjuración de los Insurgentes Anarquistas''' 
A fictional Anarchist organization with the acronym [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency '''C.I.A.'''], a pun that serves to remind us once again of the secretive intelligence organization. [http://www.answers.com/topic/conspiracy?cat=biz-fin '''Conjuración'''] is both conjuration and conspiracy, so it is both a Conspiracy of Insurgent Anarchists and a Conjuration of Insurgent Anarchists. As in both [http://www.panslabyrinth.com/ '''''Pan's Labyrinth'''''] and [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Against the Day'''''] there is an Anarchist/Magical co-conspiracy.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Flores Magon brothers''' 
Ricardo and Enrique Flores Magón led anarchist movements in Mexico in the early 1900's.

a: 119, b: 96 - '''Zapata''' 
Emiliano Zapata was another Mexican revolutionary in the early 1900's.

a: 125, b: 101 - '''jitney''' 
A type of taxi, but with a regular route, that stops at any point along the way that you want. It is also shared with other riders. Jitneys are run, usually, entrepreneurially and often unlicensed. A kind of off-the-grid "taxi".

a: 129, b: 105 - '''high magic to low puns''' 

see [[High_Magic_to_low_Puns|'''High Magic to Low Puns''']]

a: 132, b: 107 - '''Oedipa checked out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula''' 
This may be a continuity goof by Pynchon. "in chapter 5, Oedipa parks her car in San Francisco's North Beach, then spends the night wandering through the Bay Area on foot and by bus, ending up the next morning at her hotel in Berkeley; after a short sleep she "check out of the hotel and drove down the peninsula." How did her car get from San Francisco to Berkeley?" Edward Mendelson, "Gravity's Encyclopedia," fn. 12.

a: 139, b: 114 - '''Edna Mosh''' 
Mucho Maas deliberately distorts the sound of his wife's name to compensate for the [http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html distortions] of [http://www.tangentsunset.com/laradiohistory.htm AM radio] in the mid-sixties.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 6

2010-05-02T19:34:54Z

Memelab: Relocating "Edna Mosh" to Chapter 5

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 143, b: 117 - '''She Loves You''' 
The Beatles third single, first issued in the U.S. on the obscure '''Swan''' label.

See: [[She_Loves_You_And_More|'''She Loves You And More''']]

a: ???, b: 121 - '''Humbert Humbert''' 
Humbert Humbert is the narrator and main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955)

a: 151, b: 124 - '''K. da chingado''' 
''Chingado'' is Spanish slang meaning "fucker."

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 3

2010-04-25T18:12:56Z

Memelab: added: vizard and trice

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Yoyodyne''' 
The company also appears in ''V.'', where the power (dynamis in Greek, cf. dynamo, dynamite, dynasty) and physics of the yo-yo's motion is meditated upon. Yoyodyne is said to be 'modeled"--given Pynchon's sea-changing mind--on the Boeing Company where Pynchon worked in the early sixties.

[[Image:oscilloscope.gif|thumb|right|200px|Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope, with 90 degrees phase difference between x and y inputs.]]
a: 47, b: 34 - '''oscilloscope... Lissajous figures''' 
An oscilloscope is a piece of electronic test equipment that allows signal voltages to be viewed, usually as a two-dimensional graph. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscilloscope Wikipedia] Lissajous curves (Lissajous figures or Bowditch curves) are the graph of the system of parametric equations which describes complex harmonic motion, and are displayed on oscilloscope monitors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve Wikipedia]

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Stockhausen''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Stockhausen '''Karlheinz Stockhausen'''] (b. 1928, d. 2007) was a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking work in electronic music and controlled chance in serial composition. The Beatles, among other rock musicians, claimed him as an [http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2OLVL0rWGZE0bskTr5kVlUqJLag '''influence''']:

:. . . .So taken were the Beatles by Stockhausen's music, they asked permission to use his photo on the cover of the 1967 LP Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He appears fifth from the left in the back row.

Stockhausen's [http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Courses/154/Hymnen '''Hymnen'''], composed in 1966/1967 is an obvious primary inspriation for John Lennon's experiment in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concrète '''Musique Concrète'''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_9 '''Revolution # 9'''].

a: 48, b: 34 - '''Mike Fallopian''' 
Obviously, Fallopian tubes are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. 
The ''-ian'' ending of his name indicates that Mike is a member of California's vigorous Armenian-American community which is a satirization of the John Birch Society.

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Disgruntled''' 
Pynchon's fictional navy includes the USS Scaffold and the Susanna Squaducci (V.), the John E. Badass (GR), and the Inconvenience (ATD).

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Bogatir... Gaidamak''' 
The bogatyr was a medieval Russian heroic warrior, comparable to the Western European knight errant. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr Wikipedia] The parallel with Charlemagne's "paladins" may be even closer.

At the time of the U.S. Civil War, gaidamak or haydamak denoted an 18th century Ukrainian fighter for national independence. The name is sometimes translated as "Ukrainian Cossack," perhaps in part because it was extended to Cossack anti-Bolshevik troops after the 1917 revolution.

a: 50, b: 36 - '''Birch Society''' 
The John Birch Society is an Americanist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. It was named after John Birch, a United States military intelligence officer and Baptist missionary in World War II who was killed in 1945 by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, and whom the JBS describes as "the first American victim of the Cold War." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_Society Wikipedia]

"Our left-leaning friends in the Birch society" is a joke as the Birch Society was right-wing, although of course Fallopian is being serious. The PPS is beyond far right in this sense.

a: 51, b: 37 - '''Marxism... Industrial ''anything''''' 
Some critics have interpreted this to mean that the Pinguid Society is so anti-communist that it even opposed capitalism... because it led inevitably to communism! While funny, this seems to miss the point. The guiding philosophy of the Pinguid Society is not anti-communism. It opposes "industrial ''anything''", which indicates a belief in another philosophy Pynchon has written much on, Ludditisim. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Wikipedia entry on Luddite]; the 1984 essay, [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html Is it OK to be a Luddite?] by Pynchon; and [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/paper_gibbs.html Portrait of the Artist as a Young Luddite], an essay on ''Minstral Island'', the aborted sci-fi musical written by Pynchon and future leading Luddite, Kirkpatrick Sale.

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Get in touch with Kirby through WASTE only. . . .''' 
First apperance of the '''W.A.S.T.E. Postal system.

see [[Understanding_W.A.S.T.E.|'''Understanding W.A.S.T.E.''']] 

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Muted Posthorn/Sigil''' 
The visual design of the [http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/45/MutedPosthorn.png '''Symbol'''] of the W.A.S.T.E. postal system appears to be an improvised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic) '''Magical Sigil''']. Note that a number of these sigils can be found in A. E. Waite's [http://tinyurl.com/3cakdj '''Book of Black Magic'''], a work referenced in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_733-735 '''Geli Tripping's love spell'''] in the author's next work, [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Gravity's Rainbow''''']. The [http://www.geocities.com/xeroiii/Goetia/Amd.gif '''Seal of Amduscias'''] [found on page 218 of Weiser's 1972 reprint] appears to be the likely inspiration. Miles Davis is another probable inspiration. See a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''', below.

a: 53, b: 39 - '''Washington and Dallas chapters''' 
For readers in 1966, singling out Washington and Dallas might bring to mind the recent assassination of President Kennedy.

:Charles Hollander sees CoL49 as a big coded commentary on the assassination. [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm '''''Pynchon, JFK and the CIA: Magic Eye Views of The Crying of Lot 49''''']

a: 56 b: 41 - '''ogived''' 
From Wiktionary: (architecture) A Gothic pointed arch, or a rib of a Gothic vault

a: 56, b: 41 - '''reconstruction of some European pleasure-casino''' 
Perhaps the Casino Hermann Goering from ''Gravity's Rainbow''?

a: 57, b: 42 - '''trimaran''' 
A multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, attached to the main hull with lateral struts.

a: 57, b: 42 - '''Godzilla II''' 
There seems to be some kind of joke from somewhere that Pynchon was rumored to be writing a novel about Godzilla and Mothra at some point... More???
In a letter to his editor in the sixties, Cork Smith, as he was writing ''Gravity's Rainbow'', he spoke of also working on two other books. One was about the two
men who created the Mason/Dixon line, an easy one for us, the other was said
to be inspired by Pynchon's love of the Godzilla movies and was about a monster which came from under the ice. [Spoiler for another work]: That, if not a put-on, which TRP did not seem to do with Cork Smith, seems to be a small but real part of what became ''Against the Day''. 
In this context it is important to remember the origins of the Godzilla story.

a: 58, b: 43 - '''sfacim''' 
Italian slang, literally "semen" but also used as an insult roughly equivalent to "son of a bitch."

a: 58, b: 43 - '''Darrowlike''' 
Clarence Seward Darrow (1857 - 1938) was a famous American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenaged thrill killers and defending John T. Scopes in the so-called "Monkey" Trial. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow Wikipedia]

:Hollander [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm#chap_3 interprets] the mention of Darrow as proof of his theory that the Russian naval encounter described by Fallopian is a reference to the purchase of Alaska from Russia, "Seward's folly."

[[Image:jaguarxke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|a 1965 Jaguar XKE]]
a: 59, b: 43 - '''XKE''' 
The Jaguar XKE was a famous sportscar, later selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as the 'world's most beautiful automobile.' Some connection with mafioso Tony Jaguar?

a: 61, b: 46 - '''Lago di Pietà''' 
An actual historical event?

a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''' 
An anonymous black-clad femme is the first to mention the play, though she does so without actually naming it:

:"You know, blokes," remarked one of the girls, a long-waisted, brown-haired lovely in a black knit leotard and pointed sneakers, "this all has a most bizarre resemblance to that ill, ill Jacobean revenge play we went to last week." 
See [[Bonjour_Tristesse!!!|'''Bonjour Tristesse!!!''']] & [[Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy]]

a: 65, b: 49 - '''civil war''' 
The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) between 1642 and 1651. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Maenad roar of nitre's song''' 
In Greek mythology, Maenads were female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication, and the Roman god Bacchus. The word literally translates as "raving ones". They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenads Wikipedia] In Euripides' Bacchae, some of the women are voluntary worshippers of the god, strike the earth for milk, wine, and honey, hunt and tear apart wild animals, eating the flesh raw (sparagmos); the women of Thebes are driven mad as a punishment, however, for not giving the god (from Thebes itself originally, his mother being a Theban princess) full respect. The boy-king Pentheus' own mother tears him apart in a grotesque distortion of the "real" maenads' practice of "sparagmos". Dionysus himself is torn apart (and reborn) in some versions of the story.

Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter, an essential ingredient of gunpowder.

a: 66, b: 50 - '''cantus firmus''' 
In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantus_firmus Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Thurn und Taxis''' 
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (German: Das Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis) is a German family that was a key player in the postal (mail) services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurn_and_Taxis Wikipedia] Also noteworthy is Rainer Maria Rilke's dedication of [http://homestar.org/bryannan/duino.html '''Duineser Elegien'''] to Princess Maria von Thurn und Taxis-Hohenlohe, in whose castle Rilke wrote the elegies. Excerpts from the elegies appear in ''GR''.

a: 67, b: 51 - '''aqua regia''' 
Aqua regia (Latin for "royal water") is a highly corrosive mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is one of the few reagents that dissolves gold and platinum. It was so named because it can dissolve the so-called royal, or noble metals. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_regia Wikipedia]

b: 52 - '''Paraclete...Pentecost''' 
Paraclete: In this context, a term for the Holy Spirit in Christianity. 
Pentecost: A Christian holy day which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. The Holy Spirit appears in the form of tongues of fire, and the account is told in the book of Acts, Chapter 2.

b: 54 - '''encre''' 
French: ink

b: 54 - '''hight''' 
Archaic/Middle English: named/called

b: 55 - '''vizard''' 
mask or disguise

b: 56 - '''trice''' 
very short period of time

a: 73, b: 57 - '''blank verse''' 
Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse Wikipedia]

b: 58 - '''trow''' 
Archaic/Middle English: think/believe

a: 75, b: 59 - '''picket the V.A.''' 
Veteran's Administration, probably.

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Young Republican''' 
Young Republicans is the name of an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Republicans Wikipedia]

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Hap Harrigan comics''' 
Hap Harrigan was a character in the 1931 film, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021973/ The Hot Heiress] (IMDB), but Weisenburger and Grant believe that Pynchon may have meant Hop Harrigan, a comic strip and radio character from the 1940s.

a: 79, b: 62 - '''I'm the projector of the planetarium''' 
This reference to creation recalls the Remedios Varo painting in Chapter 1, in which the girls in the tower weave the world. Cf. "Shall I project a world?" from this novel.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 3

2010-04-22T14:16:18Z

Memelab:

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Yoyodyne''' 
The company also appears in ''V.'', where the power (dynamis in Greek, cf. dynamo, dynamite, dynasty) and physics of the yo-yo's motion is meditated upon. Yoyodyne is said to be 'modeled"--given Pynchon's sea-changing mind--on the Boeing Company where Pynchon worked in the early sixties.

[[Image:oscilloscope.gif|thumb|right|200px|Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope, with 90 degrees phase difference between x and y inputs.]]
a: 47, b: 34 - '''oscilloscope... Lissajous figures''' 
An oscilloscope is a piece of electronic test equipment that allows signal voltages to be viewed, usually as a two-dimensional graph. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscilloscope Wikipedia] Lissajous curves (Lissajous figures or Bowditch curves) are the graph of the system of parametric equations which describes complex harmonic motion, and are displayed on oscilloscope monitors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve Wikipedia]

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Stockhausen''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Stockhausen '''Karlheinz Stockhausen'''] (b. 1928, d. 2007) was a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking work in electronic music and controlled chance in serial composition. The Beatles, among other rock musicians, claimed him as an [http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2OLVL0rWGZE0bskTr5kVlUqJLag '''influence''']:

:. . . .So taken were the Beatles by Stockhausen's music, they asked permission to use his photo on the cover of the 1967 LP Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He appears fifth from the left in the back row.

Stockhausen's [http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Courses/154/Hymnen '''Hymnen'''], composed in 1966/1967 is an obvious primary inspriation for John Lennon's experiment in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concrète '''Musique Concrète'''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_9 '''Revolution # 9'''].

a: 48, b: 34 - '''Mike Fallopian''' 
Obviously, Fallopian tubes are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. 
The ''-ian'' ending of his name indicates that Mike is a member of California's vigorous Armenian-American community which is a satirization of the John Birch Society.

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Disgruntled''' 
Pynchon's fictional navy includes the USS Scaffold and the Susanna Squaducci (V.), the John E. Badass (GR), and the Inconvenience (ATD).

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Bogatir... Gaidamak''' 
The bogatyr was a medieval Russian heroic warrior, comparable to the Western European knight errant. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr Wikipedia] The parallel with Charlemagne's "paladins" may be even closer.

At the time of the U.S. Civil War, gaidamak or haydamak denoted an 18th century Ukrainian fighter for national independence. The name is sometimes translated as "Ukrainian Cossack," perhaps in part because it was extended to Cossack anti-Bolshevik troops after the 1917 revolution.

a: 50, b: 36 - '''Birch Society''' 
The John Birch Society is an Americanist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. It was named after John Birch, a United States military intelligence officer and Baptist missionary in World War II who was killed in 1945 by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, and whom the JBS describes as "the first American victim of the Cold War." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_Society Wikipedia]

"Our left-leaning friends in the Birch society" is a joke as the Birch Society was right-wing, although of course Fallopian is being serious. The PPS is beyond far right in this sense.

a: 51, b: 37 - '''Marxism... Industrial ''anything''''' 
Some critics have interpreted this to mean that the Pinguid Society is so anti-communist that it even opposed capitalism... because it led inevitably to communism! While funny, this seems to miss the point. The guiding philosophy of the Pinguid Society is not anti-communism. It opposes "industrial ''anything''", which indicates a belief in another philosophy Pynchon has written much on, Ludditisim. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Wikipedia entry on Luddite]; the 1984 essay, [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html Is it OK to be a Luddite?] by Pynchon; and [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/paper_gibbs.html Portrait of the Artist as a Young Luddite], an essay on ''Minstral Island'', the aborted sci-fi musical written by Pynchon and future leading Luddite, Kirkpatrick Sale.

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Get in touch with Kirby through WASTE only. . . .''' 
First apperance of the '''W.A.S.T.E. Postal system.

see [[Understanding_W.A.S.T.E.|'''Understanding W.A.S.T.E.''']] 

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Muted Posthorn/Sigil''' 
The visual design of the [http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/45/MutedPosthorn.png '''Symbol'''] of the W.A.S.T.E. postal system appears to be an improvised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic) '''Magical Sigil''']. Note that a number of these sigils can be found in A. E. Waite's [http://tinyurl.com/3cakdj '''Book of Black Magic'''], a work referenced in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_733-735 '''Geli Tripping's love spell'''] in the author's next work, [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Gravity's Rainbow''''']. The [http://www.geocities.com/xeroiii/Goetia/Amd.gif '''Seal of Amduscias'''] [found on page 218 of Weiser's 1972 reprint] appears to be the likely inspiration. Miles Davis is another probable inspiration. See a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''', below.

a: 53, b: 39 - '''Washington and Dallas chapters''' 
For readers in 1966, singling out Washington and Dallas might bring to mind the recent assassination of President Kennedy.

:Charles Hollander sees CoL49 as a big coded commentary on the assassination. [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm '''''Pynchon, JFK and the CIA: Magic Eye Views of The Crying of Lot 49''''']

a: 56 b: 41 - '''ogived''' 
From WIktionary: (architecture) A Gothic pointed arch, or a rib of a Gothic vault

a: 56, b: 41 - '''reconstruction of some European pleasure-casino''' 
Perhaps the Casino Hermann Goering from ''Gravity's Rainbow''?

a: 57, b: 42 - '''trimaran''' 
A multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, attached to the main hull with lateral struts.

a: 57, b: 42 - '''Godzilla II''' 
There seems to be some kind of joke from somewhere that Pynchon was rumored to be writing a novel about Godzilla and Mothra at some point... More???
In a letter to his editor in the sixties, Cork Smith, as he was writing ''Gravity's Rainbow'', he spoke of also working on two other books. One was about the two
men who created the Mason/Dixon line, an easy one for us, the other was said
to be inspired by Pynchon's love of the Godzilla movies and was about a monster which came from under the ice. [Spoiler for another work]: That, if not a put-on, which TRP did not seem to do with Cork Smith, seems to be a small but real part of what became ''Against the Day''. 
In this context it is important to remember the origins of the Godzilla story.

a: 58, b: 43 - '''sfacim''' 
Italian slang, literally "semen" but also used as an insult roughly equivalent to "son of a bitch."

a: 58, b: 43 - '''Darrowlike''' 
Clarence Seward Darrow (1857 - 1938) was a famous American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenaged thrill killers and defending John T. Scopes in the so-called "Monkey" Trial. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow Wikipedia]

:Hollander [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm#chap_3 interprets] the mention of Darrow as proof of his theory that the Russian naval encounter described by Fallopian is a reference to the purchase of Alaska from Russia, "Seward's folly."

[[Image:jaguarxke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|a 1965 Jaguar XKE]]
a: 59, b: 43 - '''XKE''' 
The Jaguar XKE was a famous sportscar, later selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as the 'world's most beautiful automobile.' Some connection with mafioso Tony Jaguar?

a: 61, b: 46 - '''Lago di Pietà''' 
An actual historical event?

a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''' 
An anonymous black-clad femme is the first to mention the play, though she does so without actually naming it:

:"You know, blokes," remarked one of the girls, a long-waisted, brown-haired lovely in a black knit leotard and pointed sneakers, "this all has a most bizarre resemblance to that ill, ill Jacobean revenge play we went to last week." 
See [[Bonjour_Tristesse!!!|'''Bonjour Tristesse!!!''']] & [[Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy]]

a: 65, b: 49 - '''civil war''' 
The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) between 1642 and 1651. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Maenad roar of nitre's song''' 
In Greek mythology, Maenads were female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication, and the Roman god Bacchus. The word literally translates as "raving ones". They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenads Wikipedia] In Euripides' Bacchae, some of the women are voluntary worshippers of the god, strike the earth for milk, wine, and honey, hunt and tear apart wild animals, eating the flesh raw (sparagmos); the women of Thebes are driven mad as a punishment, however, for not giving the god (from Thebes itself originally, his mother being a Theban princess) full respect. The boy-king Pentheus' own mother tears him apart in a grotesque distortion of the "real" maenads' practice of "sparagmos". Dionysus himself is torn apart (and reborn) in some versions of the story.

Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter, an essential ingredient of gunpowder.

a: 66, b: 50 - '''cantus firmus''' 
In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantus_firmus Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Thurn und Taxis''' 
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (German: Das Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis) is a German family that was a key player in the postal (mail) services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurn_and_Taxis Wikipedia] Also noteworthy is Rainer Maria Rilke's dedication of [http://homestar.org/bryannan/duino.html '''Duineser Elegien'''] to Princess Maria von Thurn und Taxis-Hohenlohe, in whose castle Rilke wrote the elegies. Excerpts from the elegies appear in ''GR''.

a: 67, b: 51 - '''aqua regia''' 
Aqua regia (Latin for "royal water") is a highly corrosive mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is one of the few reagents that dissolves gold and platinum. It was so named because it can dissolve the so-called royal, or noble metals. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_regia Wikipedia]

b: 52 - '''Paraclete...Pentecost''' 
Paraclete: In this context, a term for the Holy Spirit in Christianity. 
Pentecost: A Christian holy day which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. The Holy Spirit appears in the form of tongues of fire, and the account is told in the book of Acts, Chapter 2.

b: 54 - '''encre''' 
French: ink

b: 54 - '''hight''' 
Archaic/Middle English: named/called

a: 73, b: 57 - '''blank verse''' 
Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse Wikipedia]

b: 58 - '''trow''' 
Archaic/Middle English: think/believe

a: 75, b: 59 - '''picket the V.A.''' 
Veteran's Administration, probably.

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Young Republican''' 
Young Republicans is the name of an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Republicans Wikipedia]

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Hap Harrigan comics''' 
Hap Harrigan was a character in the 1931 film, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021973/ The Hot Heiress] (IMDB), but Weisenburger and Grant believe that Pynchon may have meant Hop Harrigan, a comic strip and radio character from the 1940s.

a: 79, b: 62 - '''I'm the projector of the planetarium''' 
This reference to creation recalls the Remedios Varo painting in Chapter 1, in which the girls in the tower weave the world. Cf. "Shall I project a world?" from this novel.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 3

2010-04-22T14:15:38Z

Memelab: definitions: paracelete, pentecost

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Yoyodyne''' 
The company also appears in ''V.'', where the power (dynamis in Greek, cf. dynamo, dynamite, dynasty) and physics of the yo-yo's motion is meditated upon. Yoyodyne is said to be 'modeled"--given Pynchon's sea-changing mind--on the Boeing Company where Pynchon worked in the early sixties.

[[Image:oscilloscope.gif|thumb|right|200px|Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope, with 90 degrees phase difference between x and y inputs.]]
a: 47, b: 34 - '''oscilloscope... Lissajous figures''' 
An oscilloscope is a piece of electronic test equipment that allows signal voltages to be viewed, usually as a two-dimensional graph. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscilloscope Wikipedia] Lissajous curves (Lissajous figures or Bowditch curves) are the graph of the system of parametric equations which describes complex harmonic motion, and are displayed on oscilloscope monitors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve Wikipedia]

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Stockhausen''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Stockhausen '''Karlheinz Stockhausen'''] (b. 1928, d. 2007) was a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking work in electronic music and controlled chance in serial composition. The Beatles, among other rock musicians, claimed him as an [http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2OLVL0rWGZE0bskTr5kVlUqJLag '''influence''']:

:. . . .So taken were the Beatles by Stockhausen's music, they asked permission to use his photo on the cover of the 1967 LP Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He appears fifth from the left in the back row.

Stockhausen's [http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Courses/154/Hymnen '''Hymnen'''], composed in 1966/1967 is an obvious primary inspriation for John Lennon's experiment in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concrète '''Musique Concrète'''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_9 '''Revolution # 9'''].

a: 48, b: 34 - '''Mike Fallopian''' 
Obviously, Fallopian tubes are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. 
The ''-ian'' ending of his name indicates that Mike is a member of California's vigorous Armenian-American community which is a satirization of the John Birch Society.

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Disgruntled''' 
Pynchon's fictional navy includes the USS Scaffold and the Susanna Squaducci (V.), the John E. Badass (GR), and the Inconvenience (ATD).

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Bogatir... Gaidamak''' 
The bogatyr was a medieval Russian heroic warrior, comparable to the Western European knight errant. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr Wikipedia] The parallel with Charlemagne's "paladins" may be even closer.

At the time of the U.S. Civil War, gaidamak or haydamak denoted an 18th century Ukrainian fighter for national independence. The name is sometimes translated as "Ukrainian Cossack," perhaps in part because it was extended to Cossack anti-Bolshevik troops after the 1917 revolution.

a: 50, b: 36 - '''Birch Society''' 
The John Birch Society is an Americanist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. It was named after John Birch, a United States military intelligence officer and Baptist missionary in World War II who was killed in 1945 by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, and whom the JBS describes as "the first American victim of the Cold War." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_Society Wikipedia]

"Our left-leaning friends in the Birch society" is a joke as the Birch Society was right-wing, although of course Fallopian is being serious. The PPS is beyond far right in this sense.

a: 51, b: 37 - '''Marxism... Industrial ''anything''''' 
Some critics have interpreted this to mean that the Pinguid Society is so anti-communist that it even opposed capitalism... because it led inevitably to communism! While funny, this seems to miss the point. The guiding philosophy of the Pinguid Society is not anti-communism. It opposes "industrial ''anything''", which indicates a belief in another philosophy Pynchon has written much on, Ludditisim. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Wikipedia entry on Luddite]; the 1984 essay, [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html Is it OK to be a Luddite?] by Pynchon; and [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/paper_gibbs.html Portrait of the Artist as a Young Luddite], an essay on ''Minstral Island'', the aborted sci-fi musical written by Pynchon and future leading Luddite, Kirkpatrick Sale.

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Get in touch with Kirby through WASTE only. . . .''' 
First apperance of the '''W.A.S.T.E. Postal system.

see [[Understanding_W.A.S.T.E.|'''Understanding W.A.S.T.E.''']] 

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Muted Posthorn/Sigil''' 
The visual design of the [http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/45/MutedPosthorn.png '''Symbol'''] of the W.A.S.T.E. postal system appears to be an improvised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic) '''Magical Sigil''']. Note that a number of these sigils can be found in A. E. Waite's [http://tinyurl.com/3cakdj '''Book of Black Magic'''], a work referenced in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_733-735 '''Geli Tripping's love spell'''] in the author's next work, [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Gravity's Rainbow''''']. The [http://www.geocities.com/xeroiii/Goetia/Amd.gif '''Seal of Amduscias'''] [found on page 218 of Weiser's 1972 reprint] appears to be the likely inspiration. Miles Davis is another probable inspiration. See a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''', below.

a: 53, b: 39 - '''Washington and Dallas chapters''' 
For readers in 1966, singling out Washington and Dallas might bring to mind the recent assassination of President Kennedy.

:Charles Hollander sees CoL49 as a big coded commentary on the assassination. [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm '''''Pynchon, JFK and the CIA: Magic Eye Views of The Crying of Lot 49''''']

a: 56 b: 41 - '''ogived''' 
From WIktionary: (architecture) A Gothic pointed arch, or a rib of a Gothic vault

a: 56, b: 41 - '''reconstruction of some European pleasure-casino''' 
Perhaps the Casino Hermann Goering from ''Gravity's Rainbow''?

a: 57, b: 42 - '''trimaran''' 
A multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, attached to the main hull with lateral struts.

a: 57, b: 42 - '''Godzilla II''' 
There seems to be some kind of joke from somewhere that Pynchon was rumored to be writing a novel about Godzilla and Mothra at some point... More???
In a letter to his editor in the sixties, Cork Smith, as he was writing ''Gravity's Rainbow'', he spoke of also working on two other books. One was about the two
men who created the Mason/Dixon line, an easy one for us, the other was said
to be inspired by Pynchon's love of the Godzilla movies and was about a monster which came from under the ice. [Spoiler for another work]: That, if not a put-on, which TRP did not seem to do with Cork Smith, seems to be a small but real part of what became ''Against the Day''. 
In this context it is important to remember the origins of the Godzilla story.

a: 58, b: 43 - '''sfacim''' 
Italian slang, literally "semen" but also used as an insult roughly equivalent to "son of a bitch."

a: 58, b: 43 - '''Darrowlike''' 
Clarence Seward Darrow (1857 - 1938) was a famous American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenaged thrill killers and defending John T. Scopes in the so-called "Monkey" Trial. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow Wikipedia]

:Hollander [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm#chap_3 interprets] the mention of Darrow as proof of his theory that the Russian naval encounter described by Fallopian is a reference to the purchase of Alaska from Russia, "Seward's folly."

[[Image:jaguarxke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|a 1965 Jaguar XKE]]
a: 59, b: 43 - '''XKE''' 
The Jaguar XKE was a famous sportscar, later selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as the 'world's most beautiful automobile.' Some connection with mafioso Tony Jaguar?

a: 61, b: 46 - '''Lago di Pietà''' 
An actual historical event?

a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''' 
An anonymous black-clad femme is the first to mention the play, though she does so without actually naming it:

:"You know, blokes," remarked one of the girls, a long-waisted, brown-haired lovely in a black knit leotard and pointed sneakers, "this all has a most bizarre resemblance to that ill, ill Jacobean revenge play we went to last week." 
See [[Bonjour_Tristesse!!!|'''Bonjour Tristesse!!!''']] & [[Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy]]

a: 65, b: 49 - '''civil war''' 
The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) between 1642 and 1651. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Maenad roar of nitre's song''' 
In Greek mythology, Maenads were female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication, and the Roman god Bacchus. The word literally translates as "raving ones". They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenads Wikipedia] In Euripides' Bacchae, some of the women are voluntary worshippers of the god, strike the earth for milk, wine, and honey, hunt and tear apart wild animals, eating the flesh raw (sparagmos); the women of Thebes are driven mad as a punishment, however, for not giving the god (from Thebes itself originally, his mother being a Theban princess) full respect. The boy-king Pentheus' own mother tears him apart in a grotesque distortion of the "real" maenads' practice of "sparagmos". Dionysus himself is torn apart (and reborn) in some versions of the story.

Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter, an essential ingredient of gunpowder.

a: 66, b: 50 - '''cantus firmus''' 
In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantus_firmus Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Thurn und Taxis''' 
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (German: Das Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis) is a German family that was a key player in the postal (mail) services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurn_and_Taxis Wikipedia] Also noteworthy is Rainer Maria Rilke's dedication of [http://homestar.org/bryannan/duino.html '''Duineser Elegien'''] to Princess Maria von Thurn und Taxis-Hohenlohe, in whose castle Rilke wrote the elegies. Excerpts from the elegies appear in ''GR''.

a: 67, b: 51 - '''aqua regia''' 
Aqua regia (Latin for "royal water") is a highly corrosive mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is one of the few reagents that dissolves gold and platinum. It was so named because it can dissolve the so-called royal, or noble metals. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_regia Wikipedia]

b: 52 - '''Paraclete...Pentecost''' 
Paraclete: In this context, a term for the Holy Spirit in Christianity
Pentecost: A Christian holy day which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ. The Holy Spirit appears in the form of tongues of fire, and the account is told in the book of Acts, Chapter 2.

b: 54 - '''encre''' 
French: ink

b: 54 - '''hight''' 
Archaic/Middle English: named/called

a: 73, b: 57 - '''blank verse''' 
Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse Wikipedia]

b: 58 - '''trow''' 
Archaic/Middle English: think/believe

a: 75, b: 59 - '''picket the V.A.''' 
Veteran's Administration, probably.

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Young Republican''' 
Young Republicans is the name of an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Republicans Wikipedia]

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Hap Harrigan comics''' 
Hap Harrigan was a character in the 1931 film, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021973/ The Hot Heiress] (IMDB), but Weisenburger and Grant believe that Pynchon may have meant Hop Harrigan, a comic strip and radio character from the 1940s.

a: 79, b: 62 - '''I'm the projector of the planetarium''' 
This reference to creation recalls the Remedios Varo painting in Chapter 1, in which the girls in the tower weave the world. Cf. "Shall I project a world?" from this novel.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 3

2010-04-22T02:48:47Z

Memelab: translation: trow

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Yoyodyne''' 
The company also appears in ''V.'', where the power (dynamis in Greek, cf. dynamo, dynamite, dynasty) and physics of the yo-yo's motion is meditated upon. Yoyodyne is said to be 'modeled"--given Pynchon's sea-changing mind--on the Boeing Company where Pynchon worked in the early sixties.

[[Image:oscilloscope.gif|thumb|right|200px|Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope, with 90 degrees phase difference between x and y inputs.]]
a: 47, b: 34 - '''oscilloscope... Lissajous figures''' 
An oscilloscope is a piece of electronic test equipment that allows signal voltages to be viewed, usually as a two-dimensional graph. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscilloscope Wikipedia] Lissajous curves (Lissajous figures or Bowditch curves) are the graph of the system of parametric equations which describes complex harmonic motion, and are displayed on oscilloscope monitors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve Wikipedia]

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Stockhausen''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Stockhausen '''Karlheinz Stockhausen'''] (b. 1928, d. 2007) was a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking work in electronic music and controlled chance in serial composition. The Beatles, among other rock musicians, claimed him as an [http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2OLVL0rWGZE0bskTr5kVlUqJLag '''influence''']:

:. . . .So taken were the Beatles by Stockhausen's music, they asked permission to use his photo on the cover of the 1967 LP Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He appears fifth from the left in the back row.

Stockhausen's [http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Courses/154/Hymnen '''Hymnen'''], composed in 1966/1967 is an obvious primary inspriation for John Lennon's experiment in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concrète '''Musique Concrète'''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_9 '''Revolution # 9'''].

a: 48, b: 34 - '''Mike Fallopian''' 
Obviously, Fallopian tubes are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. 
The ''-ian'' ending of his name indicates that Mike is a member of California's vigorous Armenian-American community which is a satirization of the John Birch Society.

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Disgruntled''' 
Pynchon's fictional navy includes the USS Scaffold and the Susanna Squaducci (V.), the John E. Badass (GR), and the Inconvenience (ATD).

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Bogatir... Gaidamak''' 
The bogatyr was a medieval Russian heroic warrior, comparable to the Western European knight errant. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr Wikipedia] The parallel with Charlemagne's "paladins" may be even closer.

At the time of the U.S. Civil War, gaidamak or haydamak denoted an 18th century Ukrainian fighter for national independence. The name is sometimes translated as "Ukrainian Cossack," perhaps in part because it was extended to Cossack anti-Bolshevik troops after the 1917 revolution.

a: 50, b: 36 - '''Birch Society''' 
The John Birch Society is an Americanist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. It was named after John Birch, a United States military intelligence officer and Baptist missionary in World War II who was killed in 1945 by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, and whom the JBS describes as "the first American victim of the Cold War." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_Society Wikipedia]

"Our left-leaning friends in the Birch society" is a joke as the Birch Society was right-wing, although of course Fallopian is being serious. The PPS is beyond far right in this sense.

a: 51, b: 37 - '''Marxism... Industrial ''anything''''' 
Some critics have interpreted this to mean that the Pinguid Society is so anti-communist that it even opposed capitalism... because it led inevitably to communism! While funny, this seems to miss the point. The guiding philosophy of the Pinguid Society is not anti-communism. It opposes "industrial ''anything''", which indicates a belief in another philosophy Pynchon has written much on, Ludditisim. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Wikipedia entry on Luddite]; the 1984 essay, [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html Is it OK to be a Luddite?] by Pynchon; and [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/paper_gibbs.html Portrait of the Artist as a Young Luddite], an essay on ''Minstral Island'', the aborted sci-fi musical written by Pynchon and future leading Luddite, Kirkpatrick Sale.

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Get in touch with Kirby through WASTE only. . . .''' 
First apperance of the '''W.A.S.T.E. Postal system.

see [[Understanding_W.A.S.T.E.|'''Understanding W.A.S.T.E.''']] 

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Muted Posthorn/Sigil''' 
The visual design of the [http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/45/MutedPosthorn.png '''Symbol'''] of the W.A.S.T.E. postal system appears to be an improvised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic) '''Magical Sigil''']. Note that a number of these sigils can be found in A. E. Waite's [http://tinyurl.com/3cakdj '''Book of Black Magic'''], a work referenced in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_733-735 '''Geli Tripping's love spell'''] in the author's next work, [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Gravity's Rainbow''''']. The [http://www.geocities.com/xeroiii/Goetia/Amd.gif '''Seal of Amduscias'''] [found on page 218 of Weiser's 1972 reprint] appears to be the likely inspiration. Miles Davis is another probable inspiration. See a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''', below.

a: 53, b: 39 - '''Washington and Dallas chapters''' 
For readers in 1966, singling out Washington and Dallas might bring to mind the recent assassination of President Kennedy.

:Charles Hollander sees CoL49 as a big coded commentary on the assassination. [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm '''''Pynchon, JFK and the CIA: Magic Eye Views of The Crying of Lot 49''''']

a: 56 b: 41 - '''ogived''' 
From WIktionary: (architecture) A Gothic pointed arch, or a rib of a Gothic vault

a: 56, b: 41 - '''reconstruction of some European pleasure-casino''' 
Perhaps the Casino Hermann Goering from ''Gravity's Rainbow''?

a: 57, b: 42 - '''trimaran''' 
A multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, attached to the main hull with lateral struts.

a: 57, b: 42 - '''Godzilla II''' 
There seems to be some kind of joke from somewhere that Pynchon was rumored to be writing a novel about Godzilla and Mothra at some point... More???
In a letter to his editor in the sixties, Cork Smith, as he was writing ''Gravity's Rainbow'', he spoke of also working on two other books. One was about the two
men who created the Mason/Dixon line, an easy one for us, the other was said
to be inspired by Pynchon's love of the Godzilla movies and was about a monster which came from under the ice. [Spoiler for another work]: That, if not a put-on, which TRP did not seem to do with Cork Smith, seems to be a small but real part of what became ''Against the Day''. 
In this context it is important to remember the origins of the Godzilla story.

a: 58, b: 43 - '''sfacim''' 
Italian slang, literally "semen" but also used as an insult roughly equivalent to "son of a bitch."

a: 58, b: 43 - '''Darrowlike''' 
Clarence Seward Darrow (1857 - 1938) was a famous American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenaged thrill killers and defending John T. Scopes in the so-called "Monkey" Trial. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow Wikipedia]

:Hollander [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm#chap_3 interprets] the mention of Darrow as proof of his theory that the Russian naval encounter described by Fallopian is a reference to the purchase of Alaska from Russia, "Seward's folly."

[[Image:jaguarxke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|a 1965 Jaguar XKE]]
a: 59, b: 43 - '''XKE''' 
The Jaguar XKE was a famous sportscar, later selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as the 'world's most beautiful automobile.' Some connection with mafioso Tony Jaguar?

a: 61, b: 46 - '''Lago di Pietà''' 
An actual historical event?

a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''' 
An anonymous black-clad femme is the first to mention the play, though she does so without actually naming it:

:"You know, blokes," remarked one of the girls, a long-waisted, brown-haired lovely in a black knit leotard and pointed sneakers, "this all has a most bizarre resemblance to that ill, ill Jacobean revenge play we went to last week." 
See [[Bonjour_Tristesse!!!|'''Bonjour Tristesse!!!''']] & [[Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy]]

a: 65, b: 49 - '''civil war''' 
The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) between 1642 and 1651. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Maenad roar of nitre's song''' 
In Greek mythology, Maenads were female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication, and the Roman god Bacchus. The word literally translates as "raving ones". They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenads Wikipedia] In Euripides' Bacchae, some of the women are voluntary worshippers of the god, strike the earth for milk, wine, and honey, hunt and tear apart wild animals, eating the flesh raw (sparagmos); the women of Thebes are driven mad as a punishment, however, for not giving the god (from Thebes itself originally, his mother being a Theban princess) full respect. The boy-king Pentheus' own mother tears him apart in a grotesque distortion of the "real" maenads' practice of "sparagmos". Dionysus himself is torn apart (and reborn) in some versions of the story.

Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter, an essential ingredient of gunpowder.

a: 66, b: 50 - '''cantus firmus''' 
In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantus_firmus Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Thurn und Taxis''' 
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (German: Das Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis) is a German family that was a key player in the postal (mail) services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurn_and_Taxis Wikipedia] Also noteworthy is Rainer Maria Rilke's dedication of [http://homestar.org/bryannan/duino.html '''Duineser Elegien'''] to Princess Maria von Thurn und Taxis-Hohenlohe, in whose castle Rilke wrote the elegies. Excerpts from the elegies appear in ''GR''.

a: 67, b: 51 - '''aqua regia''' 
Aqua regia (Latin for "royal water") is a highly corrosive mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is one of the few reagents that dissolves gold and platinum. It was so named because it can dissolve the so-called royal, or noble metals. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_regia Wikipedia]

b: 54 - '''encre''' 
French: ink

b: 54 - '''hight''' 
Archaic/Middle English: named/called

a: 73, b: 57 - '''blank verse''' 
Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse Wikipedia]

b: 58 - '''trow''' 
Archaic/Middle English: think/believe

a: 75, b: 59 - '''picket the V.A.''' 
Veteran's Administration, probably.

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Young Republican''' 
Young Republicans is the name of an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Republicans Wikipedia]

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Hap Harrigan comics''' 
Hap Harrigan was a character in the 1931 film, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021973/ The Hot Heiress] (IMDB), but Weisenburger and Grant believe that Pynchon may have meant Hop Harrigan, a comic strip and radio character from the 1940s.

a: 79, b: 62 - '''I'm the projector of the planetarium''' 
This reference to creation recalls the Remedios Varo painting in Chapter 1, in which the girls in the tower weave the world. Cf. "Shall I project a world?" from this novel.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 3

2010-04-22T02:45:02Z

Memelab: translations: encre, hight

{{CL49 PbP Text}}

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Yoyodyne''' 
The company also appears in ''V.'', where the power (dynamis in Greek, cf. dynamo, dynamite, dynasty) and physics of the yo-yo's motion is meditated upon. Yoyodyne is said to be 'modeled"--given Pynchon's sea-changing mind--on the Boeing Company where Pynchon worked in the early sixties.

[[Image:oscilloscope.gif|thumb|right|200px|Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope, with 90 degrees phase difference between x and y inputs.]]
a: 47, b: 34 - '''oscilloscope... Lissajous figures''' 
An oscilloscope is a piece of electronic test equipment that allows signal voltages to be viewed, usually as a two-dimensional graph. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscilloscope Wikipedia] Lissajous curves (Lissajous figures or Bowditch curves) are the graph of the system of parametric equations which describes complex harmonic motion, and are displayed on oscilloscope monitors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lissajous_curve Wikipedia]

a: 47, b: 34 - '''Stockhausen''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Stockhausen '''Karlheinz Stockhausen'''] (b. 1928, d. 2007) was a German composer, and one of the most important and controversial composers of the 20th century. He is best known for his ground-breaking work in electronic music and controlled chance in serial composition. The Beatles, among other rock musicians, claimed him as an [http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2OLVL0rWGZE0bskTr5kVlUqJLag '''influence''']:

:. . . .So taken were the Beatles by Stockhausen's music, they asked permission to use his photo on the cover of the 1967 LP Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He appears fifth from the left in the back row.

Stockhausen's [http://ccrma.stanford.edu/CCRMA/Courses/154/Hymnen '''Hymnen'''], composed in 1966/1967 is an obvious primary inspriation for John Lennon's experiment in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concrète '''Musique Concrète'''], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_9 '''Revolution # 9'''].

a: 48, b: 34 - '''Mike Fallopian''' 
Obviously, Fallopian tubes are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. 
The ''-ian'' ending of his name indicates that Mike is a member of California's vigorous Armenian-American community which is a satirization of the John Birch Society.

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Disgruntled''' 
Pynchon's fictional navy includes the USS Scaffold and the Susanna Squaducci (V.), the John E. Badass (GR), and the Inconvenience (ATD).

a: 49, b: 35 - '''Bogatir... Gaidamak''' 
The bogatyr was a medieval Russian heroic warrior, comparable to the Western European knight errant. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogatyr Wikipedia] The parallel with Charlemagne's "paladins" may be even closer.

At the time of the U.S. Civil War, gaidamak or haydamak denoted an 18th century Ukrainian fighter for national independence. The name is sometimes translated as "Ukrainian Cossack," perhaps in part because it was extended to Cossack anti-Bolshevik troops after the 1917 revolution.

a: 50, b: 36 - '''Birch Society''' 
The John Birch Society is an Americanist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. It was named after John Birch, a United States military intelligence officer and Baptist missionary in World War II who was killed in 1945 by armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, and whom the JBS describes as "the first American victim of the Cold War." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Birch_Society Wikipedia]

"Our left-leaning friends in the Birch society" is a joke as the Birch Society was right-wing, although of course Fallopian is being serious. The PPS is beyond far right in this sense.

a: 51, b: 37 - '''Marxism... Industrial ''anything''''' 
Some critics have interpreted this to mean that the Pinguid Society is so anti-communist that it even opposed capitalism... because it led inevitably to communism! While funny, this seems to miss the point. The guiding philosophy of the Pinguid Society is not anti-communism. It opposes "industrial ''anything''", which indicates a belief in another philosophy Pynchon has written much on, Ludditisim. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Wikipedia entry on Luddite]; the 1984 essay, [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html Is it OK to be a Luddite?] by Pynchon; and [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/paper_gibbs.html Portrait of the Artist as a Young Luddite], an essay on ''Minstral Island'', the aborted sci-fi musical written by Pynchon and future leading Luddite, Kirkpatrick Sale.

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Get in touch with Kirby through WASTE only. . . .''' 
First apperance of the '''W.A.S.T.E. Postal system.

see [[Understanding_W.A.S.T.E.|'''Understanding W.A.S.T.E.''']] 

a: 52, b: 38 - '''Muted Posthorn/Sigil''' 
The visual design of the [http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/4/45/MutedPosthorn.png '''Symbol'''] of the W.A.S.T.E. postal system appears to be an improvised [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigil_(magic) '''Magical Sigil''']. Note that a number of these sigils can be found in A. E. Waite's [http://tinyurl.com/3cakdj '''Book of Black Magic'''], a work referenced in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_733-735 '''Geli Tripping's love spell'''] in the author's next work, [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page '''''Gravity's Rainbow''''']. The [http://www.geocities.com/xeroiii/Goetia/Amd.gif '''Seal of Amduscias'''] [found on page 218 of Weiser's 1972 reprint] appears to be the likely inspiration. Miles Davis is another probable inspiration. See a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''', below.

a: 53, b: 39 - '''Washington and Dallas chapters''' 
For readers in 1966, singling out Washington and Dallas might bring to mind the recent assassination of President Kennedy.

:Charles Hollander sees CoL49 as a big coded commentary on the assassination. [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm '''''Pynchon, JFK and the CIA: Magic Eye Views of The Crying of Lot 49''''']

a: 56 b: 41 - '''ogived''' 
From WIktionary: (architecture) A Gothic pointed arch, or a rib of a Gothic vault

a: 56, b: 41 - '''reconstruction of some European pleasure-casino''' 
Perhaps the Casino Hermann Goering from ''Gravity's Rainbow''?

a: 57, b: 42 - '''trimaran''' 
A multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, attached to the main hull with lateral struts.

a: 57, b: 42 - '''Godzilla II''' 
There seems to be some kind of joke from somewhere that Pynchon was rumored to be writing a novel about Godzilla and Mothra at some point... More???
In a letter to his editor in the sixties, Cork Smith, as he was writing ''Gravity's Rainbow'', he spoke of also working on two other books. One was about the two
men who created the Mason/Dixon line, an easy one for us, the other was said
to be inspired by Pynchon's love of the Godzilla movies and was about a monster which came from under the ice. [Spoiler for another work]: That, if not a put-on, which TRP did not seem to do with Cork Smith, seems to be a small but real part of what became ''Against the Day''. 
In this context it is important to remember the origins of the Godzilla story.

a: 58, b: 43 - '''sfacim''' 
Italian slang, literally "semen" but also used as an insult roughly equivalent to "son of a bitch."

a: 58, b: 43 - '''Darrowlike''' 
Clarence Seward Darrow (1857 - 1938) was a famous American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenaged thrill killers and defending John T. Scopes in the so-called "Monkey" Trial. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Darrow Wikipedia]

:Hollander [http://www.vheissu.info/art/art_eng_49_hollander.htm#chap_3 interprets] the mention of Darrow as proof of his theory that the Russian naval encounter described by Fallopian is a reference to the purchase of Alaska from Russia, "Seward's folly."

[[Image:jaguarxke.jpg|thumb|150px|right|a 1965 Jaguar XKE]]
a: 59, b: 43 - '''XKE''' 
The Jaguar XKE was a famous sportscar, later selected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York as the 'world's most beautiful automobile.' Some connection with mafioso Tony Jaguar?

a: 61, b: 46 - '''Lago di Pietà''' 
An actual historical event?

a: 63, b: 48 - '''The Courier's Tragedy''' 
An anonymous black-clad femme is the first to mention the play, though she does so without actually naming it:

:"You know, blokes," remarked one of the girls, a long-waisted, brown-haired lovely in a black knit leotard and pointed sneakers, "this all has a most bizarre resemblance to that ill, ill Jacobean revenge play we went to last week." 
See [[Bonjour_Tristesse!!!|'''Bonjour Tristesse!!!''']] & [[Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy]]

a: 65, b: 49 - '''civil war''' 
The English Civil War consisted of a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians (known as Roundheads) and Royalists (known as Cavaliers) between 1642 and 1651. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Maenad roar of nitre's song''' 
In Greek mythology, Maenads were female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication, and the Roman god Bacchus. The word literally translates as "raving ones". They were known as wild, insane women who could not be reasoned with. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maenads Wikipedia] In Euripides' Bacchae, some of the women are voluntary worshippers of the god, strike the earth for milk, wine, and honey, hunt and tear apart wild animals, eating the flesh raw (sparagmos); the women of Thebes are driven mad as a punishment, however, for not giving the god (from Thebes itself originally, his mother being a Theban princess) full respect. The boy-king Pentheus' own mother tears him apart in a grotesque distortion of the "real" maenads' practice of "sparagmos". Dionysus himself is torn apart (and reborn) in some versions of the story.

Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter, an essential ingredient of gunpowder.

a: 66, b: 50 - '''cantus firmus''' 
In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition, often set apart by being played in long notes. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantus_firmus Wikipedia]

a: 66, b: 50 - '''Thurn und Taxis''' 
The Princely House of Thurn and Taxis (German: Das Fürstenhaus Thurn und Taxis) is a German family that was a key player in the postal (mail) services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of countless castles. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurn_and_Taxis Wikipedia] Also noteworthy is Rainer Maria Rilke's dedication of [http://homestar.org/bryannan/duino.html '''Duineser Elegien'''] to Princess Maria von Thurn und Taxis-Hohenlohe, in whose castle Rilke wrote the elegies. Excerpts from the elegies appear in ''GR''.

a: 67, b: 51 - '''aqua regia''' 
Aqua regia (Latin for "royal water") is a highly corrosive mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid. It is one of the few reagents that dissolves gold and platinum. It was so named because it can dissolve the so-called royal, or noble metals. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_regia Wikipedia]

b: 54 - '''encre''' 
French: ink

b: 54 - '''hight''' 
Archaic/Middle English: named/called

a: 73, b: 57 - '''blank verse''' 
Blank verse is a type of poetry, distinguished by having a regular meter, but no rhyme. In English, the meter most commonly used with blank verse has been iambic pentameter. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blank_verse Wikipedia]

a: 75, b: 59 - '''picket the V.A.''' 
Veteran's Administration, probably.

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Young Republican''' 
Young Republicans is the name of an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Republicans Wikipedia]

a: 76, b: 59 - '''Hap Harrigan comics''' 
Hap Harrigan was a character in the 1931 film, [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021973/ The Hot Heiress] (IMDB), but Weisenburger and Grant believe that Pynchon may have meant Hop Harrigan, a comic strip and radio character from the 1940s.

a: 79, b: 62 - '''I'm the projector of the planetarium''' 
This reference to creation recalls the Remedios Varo painting in Chapter 1, in which the girls in the tower weave the world. Cf. "Shall I project a world?" from this novel.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy

2010-04-12T14:47:48Z

Memelab: Corrected reference to Chapter 3

The Courier's Tragedy is a fictional Jacobean revenge play written by the fictional Richard Wharfinger. Oedipa sees a performance of it in San Narciso in [[Chapter 3]]
:Recall that Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is the greatest tragedy of antiquity.

==Characters from Squamuglia==
'''Angelo''' 
The evil Duke of Squamuglia. Murders the Duke of Faggio with poison.

'''Domenico''' 
Friend of Niccolo. Tries to betray his friend to Angelo. Killed by Ercole.

'''Francesca''' 
Sister of Angelo. Angelo wants her to marry Pasquale, who is her son. She is also sleeping with her brother Angelo.
: Note the incest theme from Oedipus Rex.

'''Vittorio''' 
Another courier.

==Characters from Faggio==

'''Original Duke of Faggio''' 
Poisoned by Angelo. One reason is that he was sleeping with Angelo's sister, which resulted in Pasquale.

'''Pasquale''' 
Evil illegitimate son of the Duke of Faggio. Takes over as regent of Faggio for his half-brother Niccolo when their father is murdered. Plans to murder Niccolo eventually. Killed by Ercole agents while having an orgy.

'''Niccolo''' 
Rightful heir of Faggio. Flees home, ends up in Squamuglia, posing as a Thurn und Taxis courier.

'''Ercole''' 
Scheming henchman who saves the life of young Faggio and smuggles him out of the palace.

'''Gennaro''' 
Assumes head of state when Pasquale is killed until Niccolo (who is in Squamuglia) can be located.

==Act IV==

Gennaro is marching on Squamuglia with an army. Angelo sends Niccolo with a message of peace. Once he hears who Niccolo actually is, he sends ''someone'' to go get after him, but that someone is not named. They turn out to be three people: "with dancer's grace... long-limbed, effeminate, dressed in black... black silk hose pulled over their faces..." Trystero. Trystero kills Niccolo, in presumably the tragedy of ''The Courier's Tragedy''.

==The riddle of The Courier's Tragedy==

The play is so intentionally convoluted that it's easy to read through without pausing to even learn the characters, let alone think through carefully. But amidst the entire mess there is really only one plot element not fully explained. Niccolo is sent from Angelo bearing a letter. This letter was the "lying document" in which Angelo sues for peace.

But that isn't the letter found on Niccolo's body. This new letter, although bearing the same seal as the original, is a "confession by Angelo of all his crimes, closing with the revelation of what really happened to the Lost Guard of Faggio." Although seemingly written by Angelo, it makes reference to Niccolo's death, which just happened. Since Angelo is presently in an orgy and, in any case, back in his castle, '''it is clear that this new letter is a forgery. By who else but Trystero.''' So Trystero is summoned by Angelo to kill Niccolo. They betray Angelo, kill Niccolo anyway, but all to incite Gennaro to destroy Squamuglia.

The Courier's Tragedy, then, for all its twists and turns really only has one bit of information to convey: '''Trystero will betray anyone or kill whomever to accomplish its own mysterious goals, which can run to the magnitude of destroying an entire city.'''

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:51:23Z

Memelab: Added definition of seraglio

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

b: 18 - '''kasher''' 
Generally refers to a process that renders a utensil fit for use ("kosher") by removing material that has been absorbed in it. However, it can also be used (as Metzger does) in reference to the process by which meat is made kosher,A which involves soaking the meat in water, salting it, and then rinsing it. This process pulls the excess blood out of the meat and makes it kosher for eating.

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

b: 19 - '''Hun''' 
Slang/nickname for Germans. Refers to a speech made by Emperor Wilhelm II in July 1900, wherein he urged his troops to emulate the brutal and merciless conduct of the Huns under Attila.

b: 20 - '''Fangoso''' 
Spanish: muddy. Hardly a glamorous name for a luxury housing development!

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

b: 26 - '''Lord love a duck''' 
An inoffensive expression of surprise of British origin. Another example of Miles' affectation of British mannerisms.

b: 26 - '''seraglio''' 
Harem. Could be considered quite racy by those in the know, but Pierce seems to enjoy having the last laugh.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:48:42Z

Memelab: Added entry for Lord love a duck

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

b: 18 - '''kasher''' 
Generally refers to a process that renders a utensil fit for use ("kosher") by removing material that has been absorbed in it. However, it can also be used (as Metzger does) in reference to the process by which meat is made kosher,A which involves soaking the meat in water, salting it, and then rinsing it. This process pulls the excess blood out of the meat and makes it kosher for eating.

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

b: 19 - '''Hun''' 
Slang/nickname for Germans. Refers to a speech made by Emperor Wilhelm II in July 1900, wherein he urged his troops to emulate the brutal and merciless conduct of the Huns under Attila.

b: 20 - '''Fangoso''' 
Spanish: muddy. Hardly a glamorous name for a luxury housing development!

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

b: 26 - '''Lord love a duck''' 
An inoffensive expression of surprise of British origin. Another example of Miles' affectation of British mannerisms.

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:32:00Z

Memelab: Added definition of kashering

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

b: 18 - '''kasher''' 
Generally refers to a process that renders a utensil fit for use ("kosher") by removing material that has been absorbed in it. However, it can also be used (as Metzger does) in reference to the process by which meat is made kosher,A which involves soaking the meat in water, salting it, and then rinsing it. This process pulls the excess blood out of the meat and makes it kosher for eating.

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

b: 19 - '''Hun''' 
Slang/nickname for Germans. Refers to a speech made by Emperor Wilhelm II in July 1900, wherein he urged his troops to emulate the brutal and merciless conduct of the Huns under Attila.

b: 20 - '''Fangoso''' 
Spanish: muddy. Hardly a glamorous name for a luxury housing development!

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:24:23Z

Memelab:

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

b: 19 - '''Hun''' 
Slang/nickname for Germans. Refers to a speech made by Emperor Wilhelm II in July 1900, wherein he urged his troops to emulate the brutal and merciless conduct of the Huns under Attila.

b: 20 - '''Fangoso''' 
Spanish: muddy. Hardly a glamorous name for a luxury housing development!

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:22:43Z

Memelab: Added definition of Hun

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

b: 19 - '''Hun''' 
Slang/nickname for Germans. Refers to a speech made by Emperor Wilhelm II in July 1900, wherein he urged his troops to emulate the brutal and merciless conduct of the Huns under Attila.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:02:34Z

Memelab:

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

{{CL49 PbP}}

Chapter 2

2010-04-11T20:02:00Z

Memelab: Added entry for "Jerry"

{{CL49 PbP Text}}
 

a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens''' 
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [http://black2com.blogspot.com/2006/03/black-to-comm-back-issue-update-hey-ya.html] "I Want to Kiss Your Feet" no doubt an allusion to the 1963 Beatles hit, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." The 1960s Volkswagens were referred to as "Beetles" because they were similar in shape to the insect. (Get it?) Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them? Also, Pynchon explores the foot fetish in greater depth in [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=F#footfetish ''Against the Day''] ...

a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit''' 
Many people have undoubtedly seen civilization from a plane or high place and been reminded of a circuit board, but this description is probably one of, if not the first time it's been set down in American fiction.

a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job''' 
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a job. 

"Believing in" here seems to mean something like identifying with; being one with (sorta); not being alienated from. Which seems thematic to the mystery
within the story.

also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]

a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant''' 
May be a stretch, but Pynchon's works seem to have many such "religious instants," in which a character experiences a flood of ideas and emotions in just a few moments. [[Talk:Chapter_2|Further discussion]]

a: 25, b: 15 - '''giants of the aerospace industry''' 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.

a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse''' 
Heroin.

a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids''' 
Some fan has made a mock-up of what a CD by The Paranoids might look like, [http://www.entropic-empire.com/cds/paranoids.html here].

The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.

see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]

a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli''' 
The Battle of Gallipoli took place at Gallipoli from April 1915 to December 1915 during the First World War. A joint British and French operation was mounted in an effort to eventually capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (Istanbul). The attempt failed, with heavy casualties on both sides. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli Wikipedia]

a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany''' 
Physical manifestation of the holy or sacred. This manifestation can be in many forms, often in symbols or rituals. An example of a hierophany would be an apparition or image appearing on a window bearing resemblance to the virgin Mary.

a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead''' 
ancient Egyptian funerary text used by the ancient Egyptians as a set of instructions for the afterlife. Not all the spells were used for every burial; some depended on wealth and status. Some spells were gifts to the gods, while other were used so the person could walk, a spell for not dying again in the afterlife, and even a spell 'For preventing a man from going upside down and from eating feces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead Wikipedia]

Also a reference to the [http://near-death.com/experiences/buddhism01.html '''''Bardo Thodol'''''], or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bardo_Thodol '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''], a text [http://www.randychase.com/leary_1.htm '''Timothy Leary''']:

::I was tremendously influenced by Thomas Pynchon whose book, "Gravity’s Rainbow," I think, is the Bible of the information and communication age. Naturally, it’s underestimated and ignored, because it’s so powerful, and because he won’t play the game. . . .
found invaluable in exploring the [http://tinyurl.com/337xqe '''''The Psychedelic Experience''''']. In turn, this rediscovered material from the [http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/dead/otherworld.html '''''Tibetan Book of the Dead'''''] influenced the [http://www.egodeath.com/johnlennonhelp.htm '''Beatles'''] on their first track recorded for the LP [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album) '''Revolver'''], [http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=Tomorrow%20Never%20Knows '''Tomorrow Never Knows.]

<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Pynchon was in the Navy for a spell and "single up all lines" is a common nautical term. Ships are docked with lines doubled -- that is, with two sets of ropes or chains holding the vessel to the dock. To "single up all lines" is to remove the redundant second lines in preparation to make way.

b: 21 - '''Jerry''' 
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.

Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Against the Day.''] For more, see [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_1-25#Page_3 ATD, page 3].

a: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus''' 
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.

a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manni di Presso''' 
Manic depression?

a: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli''' 
Botticelli is a guessing game which requires the players to have a good knowledge of biographical details of famous people. The game has several variants, but the common theme is that one person or team thinks of a famous person, reveals their initial letter, and then answers yes/no questions to allow other players to guess the identity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli_%28game%29 Wikipedia]

{{CL49 PbP}}