After two whole weeks of being on target, I’ve fallen a bit behind. My hopes to stall some more and catch up before going live this week were dashed when two DMers showed up in an innocent little sidepost about deviant flip-flop habits and jumped me with an (admittedly well-deserved) “where’s this week’s deathmarch post!”
So here’s the post, you goons! You thugs! You people who are not behind this week! Tuesday 5/8: Let’s make tracks for the bottom of page 747, which “would never be here, never exactly here, again.” (which is to say…. please use this thread to comment on anything up to page 747. Aim to finish reading that part of the book and to comment on it here by end o’ day next Monday)
Pugnax!
-Cecil
16 comments for “The Against the Day Deathmarch, Week 14”
other dan
May 3, 2007 at 8:12 am
brought my ATD to barcelona, that thing is heavier on a plane… talk about snakes on a plane, they should make pynchon on a plane. what a hassle. anyway, i’m still ahead and by the end of today will have finished this week’s journey. my guess is though i will fall behind next week due to all events spain related.
hey, looks like i’m traveling east with pynchon.
After snorting a big pile of cyclomite, I was officially caught up as of midnight Tuesday. Now I feel myself incrementally falling behind again with every passing second.
Meanwhile, I have a few questions:
-Taking a cue from p. 638, will so-called Steve now be calling himself “Ramón”?
-Likewise, am I now obligated to change my Deathmarch alias to “Gunther von Quassel”?
-And was that a Fabulous Freak Bros. reference I saw on 640-641? (“Mondragóns will get you through times of no money better than the other way around.)
I’m officially behind for the first time, and other than still being frightened of people in caves (who knew Tommyknockers could also be found in a more shifty way on the Continent?). I’m almost proud of my slow progress. It makes me feel closer to Cecil. I promise to catch up and be “thoughtful” next time ’round.
very curious and what-the-hell passage this sodomites&spies section. I only had a vague feeling I’d come upon Cyprian before in the book. and was there intentional location confusion going on – were we perpetually going ‘back to Venice’ even though we were already there, like Groundhog Day or something? anyway, confusion aside, I am not ashamed to admit that the first half of this section offends my sensibilities considerably. what dunderheads Foley and Scarsdale are – why should we care (and yet I read on…)? and then Hunter pegs it: “For a long time I imagined her quite deep indeed…. Then I saw that I was mistaking confusion for depth.” haha laugh’s on us, as always (I’m generally not like this but this book calls for this sort of sardonicism). “Like a canvas that gives the illusion of an extra dimension, yet each layer taken by itself is almost transparently shallow. You see what sorts of visitor come by. You see how long she can concentrate on anything. She’s living on borrowed time.” uh huh. but at least there’s this little jewel: “Her hair like a gong, redirecting his attention.”
I’m reading and on track but simply can’t comment substantively. We’re heading today to Santa Rosa to say farewell to our dearest friend, before all the machines are turned off.
Hadn’t pegged Cyps for a keeper, character wise. Spent the first few pages of our renewed acquaintance wondering who this jasper was again?
Seem to be in high recombination mode now: TP contenting himself with novel arrangements of his cast of characters.
Would be curious to know what others make of that “we of the futurity” statement on 706. More disclosure from our narrator than is customary, to say the least.
Had time to do some notes this week, after relying on abler hands for the past two or three legs.
All best to the marchers, and condolences to RaptorMage,
So-called Ramón, erstwhile Estaban, aka Heurtebise
Shoot! Am I late? It’s all or nothing with this book, it seems–I either read 100 pages in a couple big goes or it molders on the shelf. Placeholder here; promise to come back strong next week.
Imagine my elation when I read Kit’s thought on p. 675: “…he knew the closest he’d ever got to a religion was Vectors, and that too was already receding down a widening interval of space-time, and he didn’t know how to get back to it any more than Colorado.” Could it be true? No more Vectors?
It does seem that a disproportionate number of deathmarch hangers on have taken a plane ride. Somebody should do a study.
“He was doing the one thing authority cannot abide, will never allow to pass, he was refusing to do as he was told.”
When I dance, they call me Mascaregna. Hey the Mascaregna
i have at last caught up and am feeling lightheaded.
so is “We of the futurity” a hint that readers are the time travelers of the broken future? or is it a treat of the “this is my happening, and it freaks me out” variety?* pynchon indulged in this at least once before with “Reader, she bit him” [666], which shift cracked me up.
re plane trips–on the way out, i got the super search and i’m not saying i was selected because of the cavalier display of a thousand-pound book, but the guard did ask me about it, post x-ray, and then there was some giggling among the assembled (similarity of “pynchon” to a certain derogatory term, i figured–which seemed a strangely fitting response)….so i backpacked the thing on my return and sailed on through.
*Beyond-the-Valley-of-the-Dolls Deathmarch
Fell behind this week–here’s a placeholder.
It’s all or nothing with this book for me it seems; either 100 pages in 2-3 sittings, or dust accumulates on the jacket.
Will catch up and make up for lost time next round.
I was glad to read that Lew’s release from the TWIT was as easy as his entrance. I had worried that it was one of those secret societies where the only way out is…the hard way. And while it’s a little dissapointing to see him ditched by the cool kids, I’m reassured that “deslivers of coal, ice, milk, bread, butter, eggs, and cheese continued to arrive.”
And does the Cyprian imbroglio expose us to an operation that seems to parallel the TWIT, but with the more official, governmentally-sanctioned espionage channels?
brought my ATD to barcelona, that thing is heavier on a plane… talk about snakes on a plane, they should make pynchon on a plane. what a hassle. anyway, i’m still ahead and by the end of today will have finished this week’s journey. my guess is though i will fall behind next week due to all events spain related.
hey, looks like i’m traveling east with pynchon.
After snorting a big pile of cyclomite, I was officially caught up as of midnight Tuesday. Now I feel myself incrementally falling behind again with every passing second.
Meanwhile, I have a few questions:
-Taking a cue from p. 638, will so-called Steve now be calling himself “Ramón”?
-Likewise, am I now obligated to change my Deathmarch alias to “Gunther von Quassel”?
-And was that a Fabulous Freak Bros. reference I saw on 640-641? (“Mondragóns will get you through times of no money better than the other way around.)
I’m up to date, but I’m not sure if I have time to be thoughtful this week. Placeholder for now. Will try again later.
I’m officially behind for the first time, and other than still being frightened of people in caves (who knew Tommyknockers could also be found in a more shifty way on the Continent?). I’m almost proud of my slow progress. It makes me feel closer to Cecil. I promise to catch up and be “thoughtful” next time ’round.
very curious and what-the-hell passage this sodomites&spies section. I only had a vague feeling I’d come upon Cyprian before in the book. and was there intentional location confusion going on – were we perpetually going ‘back to Venice’ even though we were already there, like Groundhog Day or something? anyway, confusion aside, I am not ashamed to admit that the first half of this section offends my sensibilities considerably. what dunderheads Foley and Scarsdale are – why should we care (and yet I read on…)? and then Hunter pegs it: “For a long time I imagined her quite deep indeed…. Then I saw that I was mistaking confusion for depth.” haha laugh’s on us, as always (I’m generally not like this but this book calls for this sort of sardonicism). “Like a canvas that gives the illusion of an extra dimension, yet each layer taken by itself is almost transparently shallow. You see what sorts of visitor come by. You see how long she can concentrate on anything. She’s living on borrowed time.” uh huh. but at least there’s this little jewel: “Her hair like a gong, redirecting his attention.”
I’m reading and on track but simply can’t comment substantively. We’re heading today to Santa Rosa to say farewell to our dearest friend, before all the machines are turned off.
my heart goes out to you, RaptorMage.
Hadn’t pegged Cyps for a keeper, character wise. Spent the first few pages of our renewed acquaintance wondering who this jasper was again?
Seem to be in high recombination mode now: TP contenting himself with novel arrangements of his cast of characters.
Would be curious to know what others make of that “we of the futurity” statement on 706. More disclosure from our narrator than is customary, to say the least.
Had time to do some notes this week, after relying on abler hands for the past two or three legs.
All best to the marchers, and condolences to RaptorMage,
So-called Ramón, erstwhile Estaban, aka Heurtebise
Shoot! Am I late? It’s all or nothing with this book, it seems–I either read 100 pages in a couple big goes or it molders on the shelf. Placeholder here; promise to come back strong next week.
Imagine my elation when I read Kit’s thought on p. 675: “…he knew the closest he’d ever got to a religion was Vectors, and that too was already receding down a widening interval of space-time, and he didn’t know how to get back to it any more than Colorado.” Could it be true? No more Vectors?
Oh, and one more thing. Is a plane trip a necessary condition for finishing the book?
It does seem that a disproportionate number of deathmarch hangers on have taken a plane ride. Somebody should do a study.
“He was doing the one thing authority cannot abide, will never allow to pass, he was refusing to do as he was told.”
When I dance, they call me Mascaregna. Hey the Mascaregna
i have at last caught up and am feeling lightheaded.
so is “We of the futurity” a hint that readers are the time travelers of the broken future? or is it a treat of the “this is my happening, and it freaks me out” variety?* pynchon indulged in this at least once before with “Reader, she bit him” [666], which shift cracked me up.
re plane trips–on the way out, i got the super search and i’m not saying i was selected because of the cavalier display of a thousand-pound book, but the guard did ask me about it, post x-ray, and then there was some giggling among the assembled (similarity of “pynchon” to a certain derogatory term, i figured–which seemed a strangely fitting response)….so i backpacked the thing on my return and sailed on through.
*Beyond-the-Valley-of-the-Dolls Deathmarch
Fell behind this week–here’s a placeholder.
It’s all or nothing with this book for me it seems; either 100 pages in 2-3 sittings, or dust accumulates on the jacket.
Will catch up and make up for lost time next round.
I was glad to read that Lew’s release from the TWIT was as easy as his entrance. I had worried that it was one of those secret societies where the only way out is…the hard way. And while it’s a little dissapointing to see him ditched by the cool kids, I’m reassured that “deslivers of coal, ice, milk, bread, butter, eggs, and cheese continued to arrive.”
And does the Cyprian imbroglio expose us to an operation that seems to parallel the TWIT, but with the more official, governmentally-sanctioned espionage channels?
Gah. Didn’t post this week. Does this count? I’ve taken a plane trip.