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Bhavani

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Jan 28, 2012, 9:30:45 PM1/28/12
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Pynch's writing seems to go up another notch at the start of this
section, if that's possible. The quantum jump to a different
location, what he calls a 'lateral resurrection,' could relate to what
physicists call a wormhole:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormhole

"Because of its robust theoretical strength, a wormhole is also known
as one of the great physics metaphors for teaching general relativity.
"

The poetic image a wormhole suggests relates to the very evocative,
and accurate to my experience, metaphor (or metaphive :-) of 'Cameling
along by night' through the desert. Also to the subdesertine frigate
the crew then travel in.

p. 433 - water from an oasis is much preferred by travelers over aryq
and hasheesh as "a facilitator of passage between the worlds."

"Aryq" doesn't show up in a google search, perhaps he coined it?

p. 434 has some great advice starting with:

"Only way a man can hang on to his wits ..."

These pages tour Chapel Perilous in some places.

Discussion of Shambhala, and a sacred city recalls a recent blog I
wrote about Woody Allen's film, Midnight in Paris.

Penultimate paragraph p. 435 also carries excellent advice.

Psmith

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Jan 30, 2012, 4:26:30 PM1/30/12
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aryq
441; The Russian Turcologists Malov and Tenishev mention a Western
Yugur word Aryq, meaning Chinese or muslim Turk. This is a loanword
from Tibetan, A-rig, the name of a country of nomadic herdsmen
situated to the west of Amdo. It originally may have referred to the
local Tibetan population. But Pynchon's use suggests it is a drink.
Hmmm.
Arak or araq is an anise-flavored liquor popular in the Middle East
- from http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=A

Bhavani

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Feb 3, 2012, 2:00:40 PM2/3/12
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Great link! I'm sure I'll refer to it again.

Pynch invokes 93 at the bottom of p.467 right after a short
conversation with a young boy talking about getting work from a Mr.
Archer delivering groceries that requires driving a horse-drawn wagon.

Psmith

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Feb 6, 2012, 2:44:37 PM2/6/12
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I wonder what Pynchon thinks about numbers.
I wonder what Pynchon thinks about Joyce.
I wonder what Pynchon thinks about Robert Anton Wilson.
I just wonder about Pynchon.

At Barnes and Noble yesterday I noticed that they had all of Pynchon's
books except V, and they had one guide to the Pynch. I didn't see Bob
Wilson in the index. I really think Pynchon read Wilson and that
Wilson influenced Mason and Dixon.

Bhavani

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Feb 7, 2012, 2:21:58 PM2/7/12
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A short passage early on in Against the Day goes into telephone
precognition - when the phone rings you know who calls before
answering - which I suspect derives from RAW talking about his new
found ability in Cosmic Trigger. Maybe not, but I've never heard
about it anywhere else.

Psmith

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Feb 7, 2012, 5:39:04 PM2/7/12
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On page 466 Pynchon mentions Cripple Creek, which makes me think of
the song by the Band, which brings us back to Dylan Castle and
Environs.

Bhavani

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Feb 7, 2012, 10:57:56 PM2/7/12
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Exactly.

Psmith

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Feb 10, 2012, 4:14:00 PM2/10/12
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On page 474 it says "people with stories like that tend to end up in
California, they're not careful." It happened to me.
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