Difference between revisions of "ATD 374-396"

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'''"The idea was that water should be everywhere, free to everybody. It was life. Then a few got greedy."'''<br>
 
'''"The idea was that water should be everywhere, free to everybody. It was life. Then a few got greedy."'''<br>
The idea of dual natures, or dual forces has come up repeatedly. Here we have a variation that is a bit like the concept of Original Sin. There is a single location near the desert where all the rain that would have fallen in the desert falls. This is a punishment for the greed of some people. Alternatively, it could be seen -- and in fact is described in the passage -- as a balance. The greed of 'some people' distorts the intended even distribution of water. To balance this, a concentration occurs somewhere else. Notice that with the idea of balance, the old Original Sin concept is altered. 'Intent' in the sense of divine intent or punishment, is much less clear. Instead there is a notion of consequences. One imbalance leads to a counter balance.
+
The idea of dual natures, or dual forces has come up repeatedly (cf. [[Page 226|Renfrew]]). Here we have a variation that is a bit like the concept of Original Sin. There is a single location near the desert where all the rain that would have fallen in the desert falls. This is a punishment for the greed of some people. Alternatively, it could be seen -- and in fact is described in the passage -- as a balance. The greed of 'some people' distorts the intended even distribution of water. To balance this, a concentration occurs somewhere else. Notice that with the idea of balance, the old Original Sin concept is altered. 'Intent' in the sense of divine intent or punishment, is much less clear. Instead there is a notion of consequences. One imbalance leads to a counter balance.
  
 
==Page 394==
 
==Page 394==

Revision as of 02:25, 31 December 2006

Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.


Page 374

a dime novel . . . suffering in its name
The novel is, presumably, The Chums of Chance in Old Mexico, as described on p. 7.

Ewball Oust
Eyeball? Cueball?

Toplady Oust
???

Patio method
???

Page 375

Washoe process
???

Espato... espanto... Espantoso
???

Page 376

General Huerta
General labor-strike (Spanish).

Bajio... Torreon... Zacatecas... Leon... Silao
???

tlachiqueros
???

maguey juice
Juice from the maguey, or century plant.

Vera Cruz puros
???

zinc
Galvanized iron doesn't rust?

Empresas Oustianas, S.A.
???

Page 377

pulque
A Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of various agaves.

callejon... subida
???

Semana Santa
Holy Week (week before Easter) (Spanish).

juzgado
Sp. court, likely orgin of hoosegow.

Mordida
Sp. bribe.

Broomhandle
Cf German self-loader.

esposas
Spouses.

Panteon
Cemetery.

Cerro del trozado
???

El Palacio de Cristal
The Crystal Palace (Spanish).

Page 379

chinches
???

Dwayne Provecho
???

No say prayo-coopy, compadre
"No se preoccupe"? Don't worry?

Page 380

Amparo
???

Page 381

lisonjeros
???

bolillos
Mexican rolls.

El Chinganariz
The nosefuck?

paredon
???

P.L.M.
???

Flores Magon
???

Camilo Arriaga
???

potosino
i.e. from San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi

Page 382

muñeca
???

caldereros y sus macheteros
???

Page 383

cuchillo
Knife.

momias
Mummies (Spanish). More about Guanajuato's famous Mummies at Wikipedia.

'"everybody here thinks you're the Kieselguhr Kid"'
The 'Kieselguhr Kid' has become a myth, a construct. There has to be one. All sorts of things are expected of 'him' from both his enemies and his friends. A little like Bin Laden?

Page 384

Marfil
???

compinche
???

Ay, Jalisco
(Not italic?)

El Ñato
Also a character in Gravity's Rainbow, where he was the leader of the Argentinians trying to emigrate to Germany.

Page 385

a very large tropical parrot
Cf. the "parrot with a disdainful smile," p. 129.

pendejo
A Mexican obscenity used an an insult, roughly translates to "dick."

sin embargo
Nevertheless (Spanish).

el Famoso Chavalito del Quiselgur
The famous Kieselguhr Kid (Spanish).

Page 386

copa
Cup (of coffee).

pues
Well (Spanish)

a partial vacuum in the passage of time
Cf. p. 373, "a place promised them, not by God, which'd be asking too much of the average Anarchist, but by certain hidden geometries of History, which must include, somewhere, at least at a single point, a safe conjugate to all the spill of accursed meridians, passing daily, desolate, one upon the next."

Que guapa, que tetas fantasticas, verdad
???

Page 387

Cuban claro
???

Partidos wrapper
???

tropa
???

huevon
???

'Double refraction'
Once again the theme of dual natures.

psitticide
Parrot-murder.

Caray
???

loco... lucas
???

Page 388

jack
???

Monte el Refugio
???

Huertistas
Huerta's troops.

Sombrerete
???

Tarahumares
???

Page 389

Yaquis
Central American Indian tribe. Wikipedia entry.

Mayas
???

Mausers
???

fandango saloon
???

Page 390

Hasta lueguito
See you in a little bit?

El Espinero
The thorn-man (Spanish).

shabotshi
???

Que toza tienes alla
"What a log you've got there." Frank should be flattered. A toza is pretty much an entire tree trunk. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Trillo-6_tronco_de_pino.png

Page 391

nopales
Prickly pear cacti.

scalenohedral
Having the form of a scalenohedron, a solid body the faces of which are all scalene triangles.

Page 392

Hikuli
Peyote. This scene, with the brujo giving Frank peyote, followed by him barfing and then flying, is highly reminiscent of Carlos Castaneda's works, esp. Tales of Power.

while it was alive
(Most vegetables?)

Page 393

"The idea was that water should be everywhere, free to everybody. It was life. Then a few got greedy."
The idea of dual natures, or dual forces has come up repeatedly (cf. Renfrew). Here we have a variation that is a bit like the concept of Original Sin. There is a single location near the desert where all the rain that would have fallen in the desert falls. This is a punishment for the greed of some people. Alternatively, it could be seen -- and in fact is described in the passage -- as a balance. The greed of 'some people' distorts the intended even distribution of water. To balance this, a concentration occurs somewhere else. Notice that with the idea of balance, the old Original Sin concept is altered. 'Intent' in the sense of divine intent or punishment, is much less clear. Instead there is a notion of consequences. One imbalance leads to a counter balance.

Page 394

Tears of Job
An annual grass (Coix lacryma-jobi) native to Asia and naturalised in North America.

Page 395

Bolson de Mapimi
???

Budweiser Little Big Horn panorama
"This depiction of a horrific (if somewhat-deserved) massacre has been brought to you in sweeping panorama by Bludweiser and by Blud Lite. Bludweiser - this Blud's for you!"

blood . . . Fin
Cinematic imagery.

El se fue
He left (Spanish).

jarrito
???

Annotation Index

Part One:
The Light Over the Ranges

1-25, 26-56, 57-80, 81-96, 97-118

Part Two:
Iceland Spar

119-148, 149-170, 171-198, 199-218, 219-242, 243-272, 273-295, 296-317, 318-335, 336-357, 358-373, 374-396, 397-428

Part Three:
Bilocations

429-459, 460-488, 489-524, 525-556, 557-587, 588-614, 615-643, 644-677, 678-694

Part Four:
Against the Day

695-723, 724-747, 748-767, 768-791, 792-820, 821-848, 849-863, 864-891, 892-918, 919-945, 946-975, 976-999, 1000-1017, 1018-1039, 1040-1062

Part Five:
Rue du Départ

1063-1085

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