Difference between revisions of "Chapter 2"

 
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a: 23, b: ? - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens'''<br>
+
a: 23, b: 13 - '''Sick Dick and the Volkswagens'''<br>
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." Might this mean that Pynchon was fond of the Beatles but "did not believe in" them?
+
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.
 +
*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''] (2006), and especially in [http://bleedingedge.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_20#Page_223 ''Bleeding Edge''] (2013).
  
a: 24, b: ? - '''printed circuit'''<br>
+
a: 24, b: 14 - '''printed circuit'''<br>
 
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.   
 
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: ? - '''believe in his job'''<br>
+
a: 25, b: 14 - '''believe in his job'''<br>
Echoes the "believe in" language from two pages back. Pynchon is drawing a metaphor between "believing in" a band and "believing in" a 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.<br>
  
a: 25, b: ? - '''religious instant'''<br>
+
:"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.
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. Similar to the "Proustian moment" or Joycean epiphany?
+
:also see [[Voices,_Voices|'''Voices, Voices''']]
  
a: 25, b: ? - '''giants of the aerospace industry'''<br>
+
a: 25, b: 14 - '''religious instant'''<br>
 +
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'''<br>
 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.
 
Pynchon worked as a technical writer at Boeing from 1960-62.
  
a: 26, b: ? - '''horse'''<br>
+
a: 26, b: 15 - '''horse'''<br>
 
Heroin.
 
Heroin.
  
a: 26, b: ? - '''the Paranoids'''<br>
+
a: 26, b: 17 - '''the Paranoids'''<br>
 
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].
 
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].
  
a: 30, b: ? - '''Gallipoli'''<br>
+
The Paranoids are a pastische of various Rock & Roll bands struggling in L.A. in the wake of the success of the Beatles.  
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: ? - '''hierophany'''<br>
+
see [[The_Paranoids|'''The Paranoids]]
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: ? - '''Book of the Dead'''<br>
+
b: 18 - '''kasher'''<br>
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]
+
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: 31, b: ? - '''singling up all lines<br>
+
a: 30, b: 19 - '''Gallipoli'''<br>
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.
+
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]
  
Pynchon uses this term in almost all his novels, notably as the first sentence of ''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: 19 - '''Hun'''<br>
 +
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: 33, b: ? - '''a cash nexus'''<br>
+
b: 20 - '''Fangoso'''<br>
?
+
Spanish: muddy.
  
a: 33, b: ? - '''Manni di Presso'''<br>
+
a: 31, b: 20 - '''hierophany'''<br>
Manic depression?
+
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: 36, b: ? - '''Botticelli'''<br>
+
a: 31, b: 20 - '''Book of the Dead'''<br>
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]
+
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]
  
[[Image:oscilloscope.gif|thumb|right|200px|Lissajous figures on an oscilloscope, with 90 degrees phase difference between x and y inputs.]]
+
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''']:
a: 47, b: ? - '''oscilloscope... Lissajous figures'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''Stockhausen'''<br>
+
::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. . . .
Karlheinz Stockhausen (b. 1928) is 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. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlheinz_Stockhausen Wikipedia]
+
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.]
  
a: 48, b: ? - '''Mike Fallopian'''<br>
+
<div id="single_up_all_lines">a: 31, b: 20 - '''singling up all lines</div>
Obviously, Fallopian tubes are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus.
+
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.
  
a: 49, b: ? - '''Disgruntled'''<br>
+
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].
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: ? - '''Bogatir... Gaidamak'''<br>
+
b: 21 - '''Jerry'''<br>
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.
+
A nickname for German soldiers that was popular among the British.
  
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: 33, b: 21 - '''a cash nexus'''<br>
 +
a phrase of Karl Marx that refers to the way interpersonal relations in a
 +
(Capitalist) society are 'reduced' to economic relationships.
  
a: 50, b: ? - '''Birch Society'''<br>
+
a: 33, b: 22 - '''Manny di Presso'''<br>
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]
+
Manic depression?
  
"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: 36, b: 24 - '''Botticelli'''<br>
 
+
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]
a: 51, b: ? - '''Marxism... Industrial ''anything'''''<br>
+
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: 53, b: ? - '''Washington and Dallas chapters'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''reconstruction of some European pleasure-casino'''<br>
+
Perhaps the Casino Hermann Goering from ''Gravity's Rainbow''?
+
 
+
a: 57, b: ? - '''trimaran'''<br>
+
A multihull boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls, attached to the main hull with lateral struts.
+
 
+
a: 57, b: ? - '''Godzilla II'''<br>
+
There seems to be some kind of joke from somewhere that Pynchon was rumored to be writing a novel aboubt Godzilla and Mothra at some point... More???
+
 
+
a: 58, b: ? - '''sfacim'''<br>
+
Italian slang, literally "semen" but also used as an insult roughly equivalent to "son of a bitch."
+
 
+
a: 58, b: ? - '''Darrowlike'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''XKE'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''Lago di Pietà'''<br>
+
An actual historical event?
+
 
+
a: 63, b: ? - '''The Courier's Tragedy'''<br>
+
See [[Making sense of The Courier's Tragedy]]
+
 
+
a: 64, b: ? - '''civil war'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''Maenad roar of nitre's song'''<br>
+
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]
+
 
+
Niter or nitre is the mineral form of potassium nitrate, KNO3, also known as saltpeter, an essential ingreident of gunpowder.
+
 
+
a: 66, b: ? - '''cantus firmus'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''Thurn und Taxis'''<br>
+
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]
+
 
+
a: 67, b: ? - '''aqua regia'''<br>
+
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]
+
 
+
a: 73, b: ? - '''blank verse'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''picket the V.A.'''<br>
+
what's the VA?
+
 
+
a: 76, b: ? - '''Young Republican'''<br>
+
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: ? - '''Hap Harrigan comics'''<br>
+
b: 26 - '''Lord love a duck'''<br>
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.  
+
An inoffensive expression of surprise of British origin. Another example of Miles' affectation of British mannerisms.
  
a: 79, b: ? - '''I'm the projector of the planetarium'''<br>
+
b: 26 - '''seraglio'''<br>
This reference to creation recalls the Remedios Varo painting in Chapter 1, in which the girls in the tower weave the world.  
+
Harem.
  
 
{{CL49 PbP}}
 
{{CL49 PbP}}

Latest revision as of 22:27, 15 December 2013

Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.
If your edition has 183 pages, follow the pages marked a: 49a.jpg 49b.jpg If your edition has 152 pages,
follow b:
49c.jpg

a: 23, b: 13 - Sick Dick and the Volkswagens
Fictional, but a 1970s New York City punk band adopted the name. [1] "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.

  • 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 Against the Day (2006), and especially in Bleeding Edge (2013).

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

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. 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, 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

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. 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' Wikipedia

Also a reference to the Bardo Thodol, or Tibetan Book of the Dead, a text 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 The Psychedelic Experience. In turn, this rediscovered material from the Tibetan Book of the Dead influenced the Beatles on their first track recorded for the LP Revolver, Tomorrow Never Knows.

a: 31, b: 20 - singling up all lines

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 Against the Day. For more, see 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 - Manny 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. 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.



Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6
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