Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Chapter 78: 758-773

2009-07-28T21:09:28Z

Compsonheir: Created page with '==Page 767== '''Clozay le Gob''' A verb in the imperative plural in French ends in "ez", pronounced like "ay", with "Gob" being British slang for "mouth".'

==Page 767==
'''Clozay le Gob''' 
A verb in the imperative plural in French ends in "ez", pronounced like "ay", with "Gob" being British slang for "mouth".

Chapter 69: 665-677

2009-07-28T21:06:37Z

Compsonheir: Created page with '==Page 669== '''Signore Drivelli''' The manager's name is a play on the expression "drivel", entertainment of a mindless or nonsensical nature.'

==Page 669==
'''Signore Drivelli''' 
The manager's name is a play on the expression "drivel", entertainment of a mindless or nonsensical nature.

Chapter 64: 623-628

2009-07-28T21:03:40Z

Compsonheir: Created page with '==Page 627== '''invsible-handed god''' Allusion to Adam Smith's ''Wealth of Nations''.'

==Page 627==
'''invsible-handed god''' 
Allusion to Adam Smith's ''Wealth of Nations''.

Chapter 62: 608-617

2009-07-28T20:59:23Z

Compsonheir: Created page with '==Page 612== '''Bavarian Rosicrucians''' The Rosicrucians were a secret society of intellectuals and scientists from the 17th century; Francis Bacon was believed to have been…'

==Page 612==
'''Bavarian Rosicrucians''' 
The Rosicrucians were a secret society of intellectuals and scientists from the 17th century; Francis Bacon was believed to have been a member.

Chapter 49: 476-483

2009-07-18T01:02:36Z

Compsonheir:

==Page 477==

'''Ensign Cheer''' 
Is this Dixon making a sarcastic remark, implying Mason is being pessimistic or discouraging about his Fire-flies plans?

==Page 478==

'''Eyre Coote''' 
Lieutenant-General Sir Eyre Coote, KB (1726 – April 28, 1783), was an Irish soldier who served time in India.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyre_Coote

==Page 482==

'''Epsilons usually. Miserable little sort of things.'''
This exchange is a reference to mathematical analysis and the rigorous foundations of the calculus of limits. Typically epsilon denotes an arbitrary positive number which a certain quantity is shown to be smaller than, in order to show that this quantity is in fact zero. This allusion is anachronistic because this idea of a limit first appears only in the writings of Augustin Louis Cauchy in 1821, and was only formally stated by Karl Weierstrass some decades later. Any student of mathematics will no doubt fondly remember having to master the epsilon-delta argument.

Chapter 44: 440-447

2009-07-18T00:51:49Z

Compsonheir: /* Page 442 */

==Page 440==
'''''[[L#ley-lines|Ley-lines]]''''' 
The term "ley lines" was coined by Alfred Watkins when explaining his theory that ancient sites around Britain had actually been constructed or formed giving alignments between and across the inhabited landscape of Britain. The sites mentioned include Stone Circles, Standing Stones, Long Barrows, Cairns, Burial Mounds and Churches; 440; [http://www.mystical-www.co.uk/leylines.htm MORE]; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_lines Wikipedia entry]

'''Any Argument from Design, here, must include a yearning for Flight''' 
"Argument from design for the existence of God, that is, proved by the simplicity and orderliness of his thereby presumed Creation. A GR theme and a poke at rationalism, which, the more it succeeds in reducing complexity to order, the more it emphasisies (sic) the presence of design, or is that Design, a terribly loaded word for we paranoid." -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''Oölite''' 
"(geology) a deposit of spherical grains within a mineral cortex accreted around a nucleus, often of quartz grains" -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oolite Wiktionary]

"I'm confused here as to how limestone can be used to make prisms, since
all the limestone I have ever climbed up has been opaque. Is there transparent oölite? Or are the egg-stones a plant." -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''Master-valve of rose Quartz''' 
"Master-valve" -- interesting choice of words! Generally speaking, a "valve" is a device (esp. a flap or hinge) that opens one line while closing another, generally to control flow.

'''March''' 
1765

'''Azimuth''' 
#An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object; as, the azimuth of a star; the azimuth or bearing of a line surveying.
#The quadrant of an azimuth circle.
-- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/azimuth Wiktionary]

==Page 441==
'''strike''' 
Consider some multiple meanings of "strike" (v.) (all quotes from the OED):
*"To bring (an arc) into being"
*"To make one's way, go"
*"Of a serpent or other venomous animal: To wound (a person) with its fangs or sting"
*"To mark with lines, draw a line"
*"To mark, stigmatize"
*"To deal a blow, to smite"
*"To imprint on the mind"
*"to produce a flame with flint and steel or by the friction of a match"
*"To produce (music, a sound, note) by touching a string or playing upon an instrument"; "Of a clock: To make one or more strokes on its sounding part"
*"To kill or wound (deer) with an arrow or spear"; "To hit with a missile, a shot, etc"
*"To lance or cut (a vein)"
*"Of lightning, thunder, a thunderbolt: To descend violently upon and blast"; "To send out or forth (a beam of light)"
*"said of a moving shadow"
*"Of a thought, an idea: To come into the mind of, occur to (a person)"
*"To agree (to articles or terms)"
*"of an electric charge, to pass as a spark"

'''Ev'rything upon the Ground, by April, as they're about to begin the West Line, must be sighted thro' a haze of green Resurrection.''' 
"Wow! remember that radar screen in GR with its `green return' (also the
superhighways of July song with spring's green return). 'green resurrection links the cycle of the seasons back to Christ's cycle of suffering, which suggests Wicks is well aware of Christianity's pagan roots, at the psychological and historical level at least, if not necessarily theological and spiritual. But there is also a hint in 'Resurrection' at America, the New World being an Eden of - or was that for? - the Redeemed. Unlike the corrupt, fallen Old Worlds further East. Depending on which way you read it the New World is either virgin land ripe for corruption or a second chance from a loving creator. Which recalls the opinion expressed by Pynchon's narrator at GR 720 of 'we, the crippled keepers, [...] God's spoilers. Us. Counter-revolutionaries. It is our mission to promote death.' a chillingly beautiful passage leading up to and beyond the judgement at GR 722.22 `America *was* the edge of the World. ... In Africa, Asia, Amerindia, Oceania, Europe came and established its order of Analysis and Death.' Does Pynchon still believe this in M&D or does he believe there is life in America's old corpse still?" -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''Over Susquehanna,-- once you've cross'd the York to Baltimore Road,-- you'll see.''' 
"The Visto will cross Susquehanna about 20 miles West of the Tangent Line, the York-Baltimore road at 40 miles West. York and Lancaster, counties and cities, are mirror images, either side of Susquehanna, though, disconcertingly, York is West of Lancaster. York is 15 miles N of the Visto, Baltimor 20 miles South on the knee bend half way down Chesapeake Bay. The crossing point on the York-Baltimore Road is at towns called New Freedom on the Pennsylvania side, Maryland Line on the Maryland side. Anyone who can furnish relevant slavery/Civil War explanations for the names? This must be a
notable border checkpoint since it would likely have been a main trade route for Pennsylvanians West of Susquehannah, the river running too fast for easy ferrying of goods across to Philadelphia." -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

'''and he ain't just humming 'Love in a Cottage' either''' 
"First encountered in London as a show Mason wished he had not caught, no?
cf MDMD(10) [page] 292.18" -- [http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9801&msg=22958&sort=date Dinn's Notes on the Pynchon-L]

Not to mention the obvious joak: "you ain't just whistlin' Dixie!"

'''I lit East''' 
As with "strike" (see above) note that "lit" has connotations with light and fuses, an physical (as in physics) reaction that a human initiates.

'''cry in the right Uncle's ale-can''' 
???

'''fifty-weight of Harness''' 
???

'''the West Line ... will finally refer ... preparing for the Translation south''' 
"refer" and "Translation" paint a different image than "strike" and "lit" above, although all four words describe interaction with the lines. Why the difference? Note that "strike" and "lit" describe human movement along the lines, while "refer" and "Translation" seem to describe the interaction of lines with lines and points and mathematics.

==Page 442==
'''scry''' 
"To predict the future using crystal balls." -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scry Wiktionary]

'''heptagon''' 
(geometry) A polygon with seven sides and seven angles." -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heptagon Wiktionary]

I believe this is the first appearance of a seven-sided object, but note that several octagonal shapes have appeared, including a couple of deadly devices (the Octuple Gloucester--a big cheese--on page 137 and "The octagonal Barrel" of the rifle that M&D consider swapping for a Tub on p. 428) as well as the Octagon Room on page 437.

'''line of work''' 
Speaking of scrying...

'''Mr. Franklin's [[G#armonica|Armonica]]''' 
Musical instrument consisting of a set of graduated and tuned glass bowls sounded by the friction of wet fingers on the rims. It was invented by [[F#franklin|Benjamin Franklin]] in 1761. His "armonica" consisted of hemispherical glasses suspended on atreadle-operated spindle, overlapping so that only their rims were visible. A trough of water beneath the glasses moistened them as they rotated through it. It spanned four octaves. Mozart composed ''Adagio und Rondo'' K 617 and ''Adagio für Harmonika'' K 356 for the instrument. Beethoven also composed for it, as well as others; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_harmonica Wikipedia entry]. See page 268.

'''light of the Sun, and whatever Medium bears it to us''' 
The luminiferous aether, the medium through which it was thought, at the end of the 19th century, light propogated. The idea of such a medium was eventually done away with as a result of Einstein's special theory of relativity.

==Page 443==
'''Body-jobber''' 
Pynchon having more playful fun with the job title of "jobber." Cf. Land Jobbers and Labor Crimps (naval Body-jobbers), both on p. 365, and Love-Jobbers, p. 427.

'''Parts of a single great Machine''' 
Tell it to John Henry! Humorous, but dehumanizing the human traffic brings slavery to mind.

'''"Developer," or Projector of Land-Schemes''' 
Wicks (Pynchon?) seems to hold Land Jobbers (p. 427) in nearly as high esteem as lawyers.

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 41: 410-421

2009-07-18T00:34:02Z

Compsonheir:

==Page 410==
'''Nonpareil''' 
from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nonpareil Wiktionary]:
# A person or thing that has no equal; a paragon.
# A small, flat chocolate drop covered with white pellets of sugar.

'''Lepton Castle''' 
"Lepton" is Greek money. It is also a subatomic particle. See, also, [http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9712&msg=22311&sort=date "Dinn's Notes": MDMD(14) Notes & Questions Part 1, 410.16]

'''his Lordship''' 
[[L#lepton|Lord Lepton]]

==Page 411==
'''Tallow Dips, and the last feeble Rush-Light''' 
"The first candles probably consisted of dried rushes soaked in grease.
Homemade rushlights were commonly used in England as late as 1800
because, although they smoked and smelled horribly, they were so
cheap ... Eventually someone discovered the method of making a "tallow dip"
with a wick running longitudinally through its center. The wick -- a few
threads of flax, hemp, or cotton, lightly twisted or plaited -- was dipped
in melted tallow and allowed to cool, again and again, until the candle
had a desired thickness" -- [http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/500-599/nb590.htm ''Candles''. Nature Bulletin No. 590. Forest Preserve District of Cook County. February 6, 1960]

Note that the lighting technologies are listed regressively, as if moving back through time.

'''Bloomeries''' 
bloomery -- a forge in which wrought iron is made straight from ore ([http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bloomery Wiktionary])

'''Invisible Hand''' 
“Adam Smith's notion that rational agents guided by their own self-interest would act in such a way as to promote the public interest, the foundation of laissez-faire economics which caused much of the misery associated with the Industrial Revolution” – [http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/mason-dixon/alpha/i.html HyperArts entry: Invisible Hand]

==Page 412==
'''Gangue''' 
"(mining) The earthy waste substances occurring in metallic ore" -- [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Gangue Wiktionary]

'''more room inside than could possibly be contained in the sorrowing ruin''' 
Cf. "a Conveyance, wherein the inside is quite noticeably larger than the outside", [[Chapter 35: 349-361|Ch. 35 p. 354]]

'''Plafond''' 
“Plafond, in a broad sense, is any (flat, vaulted or dome) ceiling of any premise. Plafond can be product of monumental and decorative painting and sculpture; subject or ornamental - also is designated by the term "Plafond". Picturesque plafonds can be executed directly on plaster (in technique of fresco, oil, glutinous, synthetic paints, etc.), on a canvas attached to a ceiling (panel), a mosaic, and other methods. As a part of decorative furniture of church and palace stateroom plafonds received a wide circulation in 17 - beginning of 19 centuries. For plafond compositions of this period typically use of effect of illusory break in architectural in open or proceeding behind a ceiling space, the image of figures and architectural details in strong foreshortenings.” – [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plafond Wikipedia]

'''silver sconce and Sperm Taper Light''' 
"sperm taper is a candle made from spermaceti or sperm oil. sconce, LME, aphetic fr Fr esconse = hiding place or lantern, or fr med Lat sconsa aphetic fr absconsa (laterna) = dark (lantern), 1 a) A lantern or candlestick with a screen to protect the light from the wind, and a handle for carrying, LMW-M18, b) a flat candlestick with a handle, M19, 2 A bracket for a candle or a light hung on or fixed to an interior wall, rare M19." -- [http://osdir.com/ml/culture.literature.thomas-pynchon/2002-03/msg00114.html from MDMD Dinn's notes on Ch. 41]

==Page 413==
'''from the Oboick Reveries of the Besozzis, as the Imperial Melismata of Quantz''' 
* Besozzis: probably Antonio Besozzi and his son Carlo Besozzi, oboists and composers (numerous gifted woodwind players apparently sprung from the Besozzi family tree)
* Melismata: plural form of melism, “a melody or melodic sequence of notes. Usually spec. (in singing and vocal composition): the prolongation of one syllable over a number of notes; an instance of this” – the OED
* Quantz, Johann Joaquim (1697-1773): German flautist and composer, and court composer for Frederick II, the Great. He wrote a treatise on flute playing and composed a huge quantity of pieces for the flute.

Question: Did Quantz compose a piece entitled "Melismata"?

No, but he wrote a treatise on Flute Playing which deals with ornamentation such as Melismata - see [http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Topics/Ornamentation.htm]

Trivia: Quantz and Carlo Besozzi were both oboists for the Dresden court: Carlo from 1754 until his death; Quantz seemingly earlier as he entered Frederick the Great's service in 1741.

'''Hurricanoe''' 
“aka "Hurricane" (a large private party - 18th cent.)” – [http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/mason-dixon/alpha/h.html HyperArts entry: Hurricanoe/Hurricane]

==Page 414==
'''Climbers' Discourse''' 
???

'''behave inconveniently''' 
[[I#inconvenience|Inconvenience]] again, see entry on [[Chapter 40:399-409| page 401]].

'''Churs of Stroud''' 
Churs = electors???
Stroud = Stroud, Gloucestershire UK: [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=stroud+United+Kingdom&ie=UTF8&om=1 Google Map]

'''Calvert agent''' 
Calvert County Realtors - Calvert Agents In Maryland.

==Page 415==
'''Raby Castle''' 
[[Image:RubyCastle.jpg|thumb|Raby Castle from Jones' Views (1819)|right]]
"Raby Castle [...] near Staindrop, County Durham is one of the largest inhabited castles in England. It has opulent eighteenth and nineteenth century interiors inside a largely unchanged late medieval shell. It is a Grade I listed building. Raby once belonged to the Neville family, who became one of the most powerful in England" -- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raby_Castle Wikipedia]

[http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=raby+castle,+Staindrop,+County+Durham&sll=54.630531,-1.773605&sspn=0.168921,0.460739&ie=UTF8&ll=54.595166,-1.808538&spn=0.010567,0.028796&z=15&iwloc=addr&om=1 Google Maps]

'''Brunswick style''' 
worn with a petticoat, the Brunswick was an informal gown or Riding Habit. A riding habit consisted of a petticoat, jacket, and waistcoat.

'''wine-colored Cordovan''' 
a favorite boot color of TRP's. There is a "wine-cordovan boot" on page 121 of ATD, also a female's.

'''French Court heels''' 
Ladies of the French court once carried canes to support themselves on uncomfortable high heels. Heels became lower after the French Revolution, not surprisingly.

'''Iron Nabob''' 
Nabob (from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nabob Wiktionary]):
#an Indian ruler within the Mogul empire; a nawab
#(by extension) someone of great wealth or importance

'''Phrygioid if not Phrygian''' 
According to unvarying tradition the Phrygians were most closely akin to certain tribes of Macedonia and Thrace; and their near relationship to the Hellenic stock is proved by all that is known of their language and
art, and is accepted by almost every modern authority. -- [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Phrygia Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 th edition]. Pynchon's wit makes up the word Phrygioid to mean something like "like Phrygian" that is fake Phyrgian due to the prevalence of 'British modality'--preceding phrase.

"Phrygian Mode - A lot of traditional music, especially Scottish and Irish is termed 'Modal' because it does not follow the conventional modern major or
minor scales. There are seven modes, and Phrygian is the one that starts with E." --[http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/levy_mason_and_dixon.pdf Toby Levy's ''Three Pages Per Day'' Project]
This is not quite accurate; the Phrygian mode starts with E if C is the tonic, in general the Phrygian mode starts with the 3rd note of a major scale. Alternatively, the Phrygian scale is an ordinary minor scale, but with a flatted 2nd.

==Page 416==
'''pierc'd paint Eyes of Nevilles and Vanes''' 
"Presumably like some Hammer House of Horror movie there is a tunnel passing behind the portraits in the gallery" ([http://osdir.com/ml/culture.literature.thomas-pynchon/2002-03/msg00114.html from MDMD Dinn's notes on Ch. 41]). Raby's castle was once held by the Nevilles ([http://www.rabycastle.com/history/nevills_raby.htm Raby Castle History: Nevilles]) and was later passed to the Vanes ([http://www.rabycastle.com/history/vanes_raby.htm Raby Castle History: Vanes]).

'''Bellezza, che chiama''' 
"a beauty that beckons" - [http://www.hyperarts.com/pynchon/mason-dixon/alpha/i.html HyperArts entry: Italian Translations]

'''multiply-bepoxed''' 
??? suggestion that he has syphilis???

'''after three of these trans-Stygian Years, become Journeyman''' 
Stygian (from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stygian Wiktionary]):
#Dark and gloomy
#Infernal or hellish
#Of, or relating to the river Styx

==Page 417==
'''Chatelaine''' 
from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chatelaine Wiktionary]:
#The mistress of a castle or large household.
#A chain or clasp worn at the waist by women in the 16th to the 19th centuries, with handkerchief, keys, etc., attached.

'''Mignonette''' 
"A type of fine French bobbin lace made in narrow strips and having the consistency of tulle. Occas. more fully mignonette lace. Now hist" -- OED

'''Great Chain of Being this, Great Chain of Being that, [...] this rather lengthy ''Chain'' [...] Is there something [...] dangling from its bottom end?''' 
The great chain of being is a classical and western medieval conception of the order of the universe, whose chief characteristic is a strict hierarchical system. 
It is a conception of the world's structure that was accepted, and unquestioned, by most educated men from the time of Lucretius until the Copernican and Darwinian revolution and the ultimate flowering of the Renaissance. The chain of being is composed of a great number of hierarchal links, from the most basic and foundational elements up through the very highest perfection, in other words, God, or the Prime Mover. 
God, and beneath him the angels, both existing wholly in spirit form, sit at the top of the chain. Earthly flesh is fallible and ever-changing: mutable. Spirit, however, is unchanging and permanent. This sense of permanence is crucial to understanding this conception of reality. One does not abandon one's place in the chain; it is not only unthinkable, but generally impossible. The hierarchy is a chain and not a ladder. 
The natural order, earth (rock) is at the bottom of the chain; these elements possess only the attribute of existence. Moving on up the chain, each succeeding link contains the positive attributes of the previous link, and adds (at least) one other. Rocks, as above, possess only existence; the next link up, plants, possess life and existence. Beasts add not only motion, but appetite as well. 
Man is a special instance in this conception. He is both mortal flesh, as those below him, and also spirit. In this dichotomy, the struggle between flesh and spirit becomes a moral one. --abridged (slightly) from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chain_of_Being Wikipedia]

Notice Pynchon's multimeaning playfulness with the "chains" of the Chainmen and, one must think, the chains of the slave trade. This joking on the concept by Lord Lepton seems to touch some deep themes of M & D.

What [creature] dangles at the bottom of the chain? Where does it "fall" if it 'fails to hold on'? One is reminded of the supposedly real witticism as joke about an Eastern creation myth. The Earth is held up by a turtle
which is held up by another turtle, someone explained. "And that turtle?" asks the interlocuter. "Another turtle"...."And that one"?......."O No, you're not going to trap me...it's turtles all the way down."

'''Perhaps it is a Helixxx''' 
DNA? Though note the suggestion of a snake. (Cf. "the Serpent," [[Chapter 13: 125-145|Ch. 13, p. 135]]; "Something underground, moving Westward," [[Chapter 30: 296-301|Ch. 30, p. 299]])

==Page 418==
'''fiduciary''' 
from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fiduciary Wiktionary]:
#One who holds a thing in trust for another; a trustee.
#One who depends for salvation on faith, without works; an Antinomian.

'''nitter-natter''' 
??? chitter-chatter? ???

'''Staithes''' 
plural for Stath (from OED):
#The land bordering on water, a bank, shore.
#A landing-stage, wharf; esp. a waterside depôt for coals brought from the collieries for shipment, furnished with staging and shoots for loading vessels.
#An embankment.

"Staithes is an English village at the most northerly point of the North Yorkshire coast [...] Roxby Beck (a small river) running through Staithes is the border between North Yorkshire and neighbouring Redcar and Cleveland. Formerly one of the largest and most productive fishing centres in North-East England, Staithes is now largely a tourist destination thanks to its picturesque appearance [...] Staithes is noted for its sheltered harbour, bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters. A mile to the north, Boulby Cliff is the highest cliff in England" -- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staithes Wikipedia]

'''You sound like one of those Leveler chaps''' 
Levelers or Levellers, English Puritan sect active at the time of the English civil war. The name was apparently applied to them in 1647, in derision of their beliefs in equality. The Levelers demanded fundamental constitutional reform—a written constitution, a single supreme representative body elected by universal manhood suffrage, proportional representation, and the abolition of monarchy and noble privilege. Their ideals, far in advance of their time, were those of complete religious and political equality. They were adept at the use of mass petitions and extensive pamphleteering to arouse the public. When the Long Parliament did not respond to their ideas, they tried to build support in the ranks of the army, with some success. -- Columbia Encyclopedia

==Page 419==
'''It is difficult in these days of closer-fitting Attire, to imagine the enormous volumes of unoccupied Space that once lay between is Skirt's outer Envelope and the woman's body far within.''' 
"Is this another case where inside and outside have wildly different metric
properties. And what about ''these days'' [?] Were skirts so much tighter in the 1780s than in the 1760s [?] If not then who is speaking and when?" -- [http://osdir.com/ml/culture.literature.thomas-pynchon/2002-03/msg00114.html from MDMD Dinn's notes on Ch. 41]

'''Majordomos''' 
Plural form of Majordomo (from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/majordomos Wiktionary]):
#The head servant in a wealthy European household
#A butler

'''Soubrette''' 
a lightweight soprano voice or type of soprano role, frequently found in comic operas or operettas; the soubrette usually possesses a flirtatious demeanor and street wise manner, as in the case of Adele in Die Fledermaus, or is a particularly fetching country innocent, like Adina in The Elixir of Love. Webster's online dictionary.

==Page 420==
'''Otick Catarrh''' 
Mason is suggesting he will get an ear ache (or infection) from Dixon's "loud" and "moist" whisperings:
*Octic - "(anatomy) of, relating/pertaining to, or located near the ear" ([http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Otic Wiktionary]) 
*Catarrh - "inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose and throat" ([http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Catarrh Wiktionary])

'''Ague''' 
Apogee (from [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apogee Wiktionary]):
# (astronomy) That point in the orbit of any object which is at the greatest distance from the center of the central body. For example, the point in the moon's orbit which is the greatest distance from the center of the earth.
# The highest point.

'''Viudas de Cristo''' 
Spanish: "The Widows of Christ"

==Page 421==
'''Paradise of Chance''' 
Cf. [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=C#chums The Chums of Chance in ''Against the Day''].

A-and from an article on the Ancient Greek philosopher perhaps most associated with the concept of Chance, Democritus: "it[chance] seems to be an attempt to show how an apparently ordered arrangement can arise automatically, as a byproduct of the random collisions of bodies in motion. No attractive forces or purposes need be introduced to explain the sorting by the tide or in the sieve: it is probable that this is an attempt to show how apparently orderly effects can be produced without goal-directioned forces or purpose." [http://plato.stanford.edu/search/searcher.py?query=democritus Democritus] 
Such a condition would be Paradisaical in Pynchon's anti-determinism vision.

'''E-O Wheel''' 
"Even Odds"; a roulette (French: "small wheel") wheel, a gambling game based on opposing pairs, e.g. black/white, even/odd, in which players bet on which red or black numbered compartment of a revolving wheel a small ball (spun in the opposite direction) will come to rest within. Bets are placed on a table marked to correspond with the compartments of the wheel.

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 27: 266-274

2009-06-26T09:39:26Z

Compsonheir: /* Page 268 */

==Page 268==
''' quite thoroughly charmed by your Glass Armonica ''' 
Having observed glasses played as instruments, Franklin invented his armonica, consisting of a series of glass bowls mounted on a spinning rod; the first performance on the instrument was given by Marianne Davies. Several composers wrote for the instrument, among them Mozart; see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE_MZzvigd4].

==Page 271==
'''Carpenters Wharf''' 
now covered by Highway 95. Many coffee houses and taverns were there including the famous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Tavern Tun Tavern] which was built by Sam Carpenter, the namesake for the Wharf. 

'''London Coffee House''' 
Located at [http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=S+Front+St+AND+Market+St++Philadelphia,+PA&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&iwloc=addr Front and Market]. It was a meeting place for Tories during the war. [http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=36 historical market info on London Coffee House]

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 27: 266-274

2009-06-26T09:39:10Z

Compsonheir: reference to glass armonica

==Page 268==
''' quite thoroughly charmed by your Glass Armonica '''
Having observed glasses played as instruments, Franklin invented his armonica, consisting of a series of glass bowls mounted on a spinning rod; the first performance on the instrument was given by Marianne Davies. Several composers wrote for the instrument, among them Mozart; see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE_MZzvigd4].

==Page 271==
'''Carpenters Wharf''' 
now covered by Highway 95. Many coffee houses and taverns were there including the famous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tun_Tavern Tun Tavern] which was built by Sam Carpenter, the namesake for the Wharf. 

'''London Coffee House''' 
Located at [http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=S+Front+St+AND+Market+St++Philadelphia,+PA&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&iwloc=addr Front and Market]. It was a meeting place for Tories during the war. [http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=36 historical market info on London Coffee House]

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}

Chapter 22: 215-227

2009-06-26T09:07:44Z

Compsonheir: allusion to Newton's development of calculus on p. 220

==Page 220==
'''The first book he publish'd was upon Fluxions.''' 
Newton's name for the form of differential calculus he developed was the "Method of Fluxions", see [http://www.archive.org/details/methodoffluxions00newt].

==Page 222==
'''De Litteraria Expeditione et Soforthia''' 
This translates to "about letter military operation and soforthia," so maybe: "you've studied about the letter of military operation and so forth." '''....?''' 

==Page 223==
'''mio caro Ruggiero''' 
my dear Roger (Italian)

==Annotation Index==

{{MD PbP}}