Traversals by Moulthrop Stuart; Grigar Dene; Tabbi Joseph & Dene Grigar

Author:Moulthrop, Stuart; Grigar, Dene; Tabbi, Joseph & Dene Grigar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 2017-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

Though plausible enough as college-daze memoir, this passage also could pass for one of the bizarre excursions (“cadenzas”) that crop up toward the end of Pynchon’s novel. It shares with those moments a theme of sinister, cosmic mystery—things in the physical world really can go on forever!?—conjoined with the terrible innocence of the schlemiel, someone always on the point of existential pratfall. See for instance Pynchon’s colloquy between Skippy and Mister Information concerning the terrible Pointsman (1973, 644–645) or the reconstruction of the numinous kreplach joke:

Remember the story about the kid who hates kreplach? Hates and fears the dish, breaks out in these horrible green hives […] in the mere presence of kreplach. Kid’s mother takes him to the psychiatrist. “Fear of the unknown,” diagnoses this gray eminence, “let him watch you making the kreplach, that’ll ease him into it.” Home to Mother’s kitchen. “Now,” sez Mother, “I’m going to make us a delicious surprise!” “Oh, boy!” cries the kid, “that’s keen, Mom!” “See, now I’m sifting the flour and salt into a nice little pile.” “What’s that, Mom, hamburger? oh boy!” “Hamburger, and onions. I’m frying them here, see, in this frying pan.” “Gee, I can hardly wait! This is exciting! What’re ya doin’ now?” “Making a little volcano in the flour here, and breaking these eggs into it.” “Can I help ya mix it up? Oh boy!” “Now, I’m going to roll the dough out, see? into a nice flat sheet, now I’m cutting it up into squares—” “This is terrif, Mom!” “Now I spoon some of the hamburger into this little square, and now I fold it over into a tri—” “GAAHHHH!” screams the kid, in absolute terror—“kreplach!” (Pynchon 1973, 737)

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