This book has certainly claimed its place among my favorites of the semester. Although its characters and story line weren't necessarily my favorite, I was highly intrigued by the way it was composed. Pynchon's unique style of writ ting masterfully directs the readers through the series of twists and turns that compile his plot. He takes his readers out of their own atmosphere and practically places them within the head of Oedipa. I came to consider the protagonist as just slightly crazy. I read her to be forming this whole elaborate plot in her head and finding plausible excuses to support her beliefs.
Pynchon does an unbelievable job of dictating circumstances in which his readers can directly connect with his leading lady. He writes in unusually lengthy sentences that bring the reader around in a circle. Such a circular pattern can be related to the trails that Oedipa chases that inevitably lead her no where. This manner of writing adds an entirely new spin to the story and contributes a new level of greatness to the tale. Rather than simply telling or imploring the reader to believe that Oedipa is a little crazy, the author drives the reader insane themselves. As i was reading the book I was getting slightly frustrated and definitely felt a little crazy.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
What's In a Name
While reading, I was intrigued my numerous parts of the story, even within the first chapter. One of the main things that caught my attention, however, were the interesting names of the characters. The reader encounters names such as Oedipa, Pierce Inverarity, Mucho Maas, and Dr. Hilarious. Initially all of these names sound odd; but, when I contemplated them even further, I feel they contribute an entirely other meaning to the story.
The protagonist possesses one of the most recognizable names, Oedipa. Oedipa is extremely similar to Oedipus. Most of us know Oedipus as the Greek character who slept with his mother and killed his father. Obviously, at least not thus far in the story, Oedipa has not displayed such extreme characteristics; however, she is searching for a sense of freedom or liberation. I relate her search for liberation to Oedipus's sense of "liberation" of gained from eventually fulfilling his lustful desires. We haven' really read far enough to say for certain, but I could easily see Oedipa's search for liberation being along the lines of sexual freedom as well.
Pierce is a very strong name. I don't really believe his name has any hidden connotation, I just feel that it contributes to the story. He is portrayed as a very savvy businessman and a name such as Pierce contributes to his look. A name like Bob or Jim just doesn't give off the presence of someone who is as business-minded as Pierce appeared to be.
Oedipa's husband, Mucho Maas, also has a very interesting name. In Spanish, "mucho" means "a lot" and "mas" (very similar to "Maas") means more. I wasn't sure if this was a signifier to how much he demanded of Oedipa or something else along those lines. I perceived his particular character as someone who lacked ambition and just continuously drained Oedipa. If my assumptions are correct, the alleged connotation of his name would correspond nicely.
Finally there is Dr. Hilarious. This name doesn't require much explaining. He comes off as a more or less a "quack" rather than a justified doctor. I'm not aware of too many doctors that attempt to persuade their patients to use LSD. "Hilarious" is a term often associated with that which is funny or comical; something that is not to be taken seriously. Dr. Hilarious was no exception and I believe Oedipa eventually came to realize that.
The protagonist possesses one of the most recognizable names, Oedipa. Oedipa is extremely similar to Oedipus. Most of us know Oedipus as the Greek character who slept with his mother and killed his father. Obviously, at least not thus far in the story, Oedipa has not displayed such extreme characteristics; however, she is searching for a sense of freedom or liberation. I relate her search for liberation to Oedipus's sense of "liberation" of gained from eventually fulfilling his lustful desires. We haven' really read far enough to say for certain, but I could easily see Oedipa's search for liberation being along the lines of sexual freedom as well.
Pierce is a very strong name. I don't really believe his name has any hidden connotation, I just feel that it contributes to the story. He is portrayed as a very savvy businessman and a name such as Pierce contributes to his look. A name like Bob or Jim just doesn't give off the presence of someone who is as business-minded as Pierce appeared to be.
Oedipa's husband, Mucho Maas, also has a very interesting name. In Spanish, "mucho" means "a lot" and "mas" (very similar to "Maas") means more. I wasn't sure if this was a signifier to how much he demanded of Oedipa or something else along those lines. I perceived his particular character as someone who lacked ambition and just continuously drained Oedipa. If my assumptions are correct, the alleged connotation of his name would correspond nicely.
Finally there is Dr. Hilarious. This name doesn't require much explaining. He comes off as a more or less a "quack" rather than a justified doctor. I'm not aware of too many doctors that attempt to persuade their patients to use LSD. "Hilarious" is a term often associated with that which is funny or comical; something that is not to be taken seriously. Dr. Hilarious was no exception and I believe Oedipa eventually came to realize that.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
"There Was a Queen"
I found this to be a very intriguing story and found the obvious plot interesting. I was also under the impression that this story was set during the Reconstruction period and I found this to give an entirely new light to story as well as to the relationships between the women. I could be on the entirely wrong page, but I saw this story as a an allegory to the New South versus the Old South post Civil War. I perceived Faulkner as using "There Was a Queen" as a channel to verbalize his opinion about the post-war occurrences.
History plays a large role in my perception of the tale. Immediately following the war and the undoing of the "Old South" Lincoln began his ploy to redo the Southern states which eventually resulted in the "New South." In Faulkner's story we see a "new" force reforming the traditional ways. I saw him as presenting Elnora as the New South as he guides his readers through her trials, specifically her African American lover. The idea of a white woman taking an African American lover on her own free will was still extremely socially taboo and virtually unheard of, just as many of the reforms presented in the New South. We also eventually witness her triumph over her grandmother, whom can be seen as the Old South.
At first I read this as more of a light hearted, intriguing piece, but the more I analyzed it and tried to consider what to Blog about I took into consideration the era in which it was written. I eventually came to perceive this as more of a political piece or an attempt to make a statement about reconstruction.
History plays a large role in my perception of the tale. Immediately following the war and the undoing of the "Old South" Lincoln began his ploy to redo the Southern states which eventually resulted in the "New South." In Faulkner's story we see a "new" force reforming the traditional ways. I saw him as presenting Elnora as the New South as he guides his readers through her trials, specifically her African American lover. The idea of a white woman taking an African American lover on her own free will was still extremely socially taboo and virtually unheard of, just as many of the reforms presented in the New South. We also eventually witness her triumph over her grandmother, whom can be seen as the Old South.
At first I read this as more of a light hearted, intriguing piece, but the more I analyzed it and tried to consider what to Blog about I took into consideration the era in which it was written. I eventually came to perceive this as more of a political piece or an attempt to make a statement about reconstruction.
Monday, April 9, 2007
"The Young Housewife"
Out of all of William's pieces that we read, "The Young Housewife" was by far my favorite. William's writing style, with a hint of mystery and scandal, drew me in and captured my attention all while leaving plenty of room for me to form my own conclusions about various situations. Peter Baker points out exactly what I am referring to in his analytical piece about "The Young Housewife." He states, "One must do a sort of double-take to figure out how the speaker could know this if she is behind the walls of a house." We see the passing doctor detailing seductive features about the young housewife, specifically her attire. As the reader, we learn that the young women is adorned in a sheer negligee; most certainly an object of sensuality.
We also witness the doctor approaching her as almost untouchable. He references her with such regard that we are initially under the impression that he feels insignificant next to her and that she is just a mere wish that he could never obtain. However, as we read farther, I stumbled upon the idea that he had already had her. He uses such detail and describes such perfect images, I came to believe that he had first hand knowledge of these things, and that he hadn't just merely observed them from behind "wood walls. Barry Ahearn accredits this situation by stating, "The encounter between the passing doctor and the young housewife is scrupulously polite and legitimate. Yet the poem hints at potential sexual contact." After completing the piece, I eventually concluded that his "scrupulously polite" descriptions were almost a game, or a fantasy, of the doctor's. I believe that he had certainly seen the housewife, and the negligee, up close.
We also witness the doctor approaching her as almost untouchable. He references her with such regard that we are initially under the impression that he feels insignificant next to her and that she is just a mere wish that he could never obtain. However, as we read farther, I stumbled upon the idea that he had already had her. He uses such detail and describes such perfect images, I came to believe that he had first hand knowledge of these things, and that he hadn't just merely observed them from behind "wood walls. Barry Ahearn accredits this situation by stating, "The encounter between the passing doctor and the young housewife is scrupulously polite and legitimate. Yet the poem hints at potential sexual contact." After completing the piece, I eventually concluded that his "scrupulously polite" descriptions were almost a game, or a fantasy, of the doctor's. I believe that he had certainly seen the housewife, and the negligee, up close.
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