Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

ATD 695-723

2009-08-28T19:41:53Z

Cortinas: /* Page XX */ Removed formatting example

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 697==

'''Cyprian''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page_489|page 489: Cyprian Latewood]].

[[Image:emigrants.jpg|thumb|Austro-Hungarian Emigrants embarking in Trieste ca. 1907|right]]
'''emigrant traffic to America''' 
According to this [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96sterreich-Ungarn#Auswanderung_aus_.C3.96sterreich-Ungarn german Wikipedia paragraph] about 3.5 to 4 Million emigrants left Austria-Hungary between 1876 and 1910, almost 3 millions of them heading to U.S.A., most of them via Hamburg but many from Trieste, too (the travel from there took about two weeks). In 1907 alone it was about half a million emigrants. In 1910 the population of Austria-Hungary was about 51.4 millions.

'''Fiume''' 
Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page_529|page 529: ''Fiume'']]. Present-day Rijeka.

'''Whitehead Torpedo Factory''' 
Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page_529|page 529]]: Whitehead works in Fiume and Robert Whitehead (1823-1905). ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Whitehead Wikipedia on Robert Whitehead])

'''Zengg''' 
German name for the town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senj Senj], Croatia.

'''Uskok''' 
Serbian/Croatian: fugitive. What Pynchon is circumscribing here is the fact that the Uskoks of Zengg were a famous pirate community. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uskoks Uskok])

'''Military Frontier''' 
In reality, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Frontier Military Frontier], which was the southernmost strip of the Kingdom of Hungary (itself part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy) was demilitarized and abolished as an administrative entity between 1869 and 1882, when Ottoman Turks ceased to control Serbia and Bosnia. Zengg was a Free Royal City but lay in the area officially called the Ogulin Regiment (one of the three regiments on the Adriatic coast) until 1871.

'''the Macedonian Question''' 
Cf [[ATD_678-694#Page_690|page 690: the Macedonia Question]]. 
Raised, apparently, only among non-Macedonians. What boundaries are the Powers to create and which Power is to have dominant interest there? 
served. 
Area known as Macedonia comprises five sovereign states in the present. There is a whole article on The Macedonia Question in The Encyclopedia Britannica, if anyone has access and wants to post it. Winston Churchill: "Macedonia has more history than it can consume".

This contributor tries to destill the "Macedonian Question" from Wikipedia and, just having access to the 1911 Encyclopedia Article on [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Macedonia Macedonia], from that article:

1. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 had its origins in the Russian goal of gaining access to the Mediterranean Sea and liberating the Orthodox Christian Slavic peoples of the Balkan Peninsula (Bulgarians, Serbians) from the Islamic-ruled Ottoman Empire. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Turkish_War%2C_1877%E2%80%9378 Wikipedia 1]

2. The war resulted in the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which granted control over Macedonia to russophile Bulgaria [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Stefano Wikipedia 2]

3. ...but got overruled by the Treaty of Berlin a few months later [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Berlin%2C_1878 Wikipedia 3], thereby giving back control over Macedonia to Turkey (Ottoman Empire)

4. The 1911 Britannica says the "Macedonian Question" arises with the Treaty of Berlin [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Macedonia read here about the complexities (last couple paragraphs)]

5. All this geopolitical/-commercial/nationalist/religion-inspired madness - among which the "Macedonian Question" is just a part - leads to "Balkan Wars 1 & 2" (1912-1913) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkan_Wars Wikipedia 4] (and WW1).

'''Trieste and Fiume on either side of the Istrian Peninsula''' 
See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Istria.png Picture] (remember Rijeka is Fiume).

==Page 698==

'''The Prater''' 
The Wiener (Vienna) Prater is a large public park (approximately 4,000 acres) and consists of lawns, gardens, and forests [http://www.lib.umd.edu/ARCH/honr219f/1873vien.html source] and is located in Vienna's second district [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prater Wikipedia] [http://www.prater.at/GalleryDisplay.php?Id=2 Fotos from about 1900]. Ever since the Prater was opened to the public in 1766 it has attracted fun-seekers - and prostitution.

The 1873 World Fair took place here. [http://expomuseum.com/1873/ This site] comes with interesting links about the Fair.

'''knout-fancier''' 
The knout was a heavy whip used for punishment and compulsion in Russia. A knout-fancier is a sadist specializing in this instrument.

'''Capuziner''' 
Should be: Kapuziner in German.
:It should be Kapuziner in the current orthography. Capuziner was in use in the past [http://www.zeno.org/Pierer-1857/A/Capuziner Entry in a German encyclopedia published between 1857 and 1865] (German orthography was regulated in 1901 and prescribed, among other things, many conversions from c to z or k in loanwords).

The Capucines were friars whose habits were hooded. One of the monks is supposed to have invented coffee with milk steamed from the urn. [[User:Owl of Minerva|Owl of Minerva]] 18:11, 4 April 2007 (PDT)
:This monk is supposed to be [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_d'Aviano Marco d'Aviano], but this story does not seem to have any basis. A theory that seems much more likely: The colour of the "Kapuziner" is similar to the cloth of the Capucine's habits.

The Austrian variety of Cappuccino; it is done with sweetened whipped cream instead of milk froth.
:No. A "Kapuziner" in Vienna is a Mocca to which a bit of liquid (i.e. unwhipped) whipping cream is added. What you probably mean is usually called "Franziskaner" in Vienna. See for instance [http://european-culinary-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/30_names_for_your_coffee_in_vienna this page] for a list of terms for coffee in Vienna. However, care should be taken, especially the not-so-established names may vary from place to place or be entirely unknown in many places. Also, this variety is a fairly local affair, even just outside of Vienna the coffee vocabulary is severely reduced. In rural areas one typically finds only a rather small selection of coffee types.

:The Kapuziner seems to have existed for a rather long time in Vienna and it is likely that the cappuccino took its name from it. It should be noted that a cappuccino as prepared in Italy differs from Kapuziner: Instead of mocca, the base coffee is espresso, which is topped up with steamed or frothed milk instead of (liquid) cream. While cappuccino in Italy became popular only in the 20th century, the Kapuziner apparently had been around for a longer time.

==Page 699==

[[Image:eisvogel.jpg|thumb|Restaurant Eisvogel ca. 1865|right]]

'''Leopoldstadt''' 
Vienna‘s 2nd district [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopoldstadt Wikipedia]. The relevant 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Vienna Vienna entry] reads: "Leopoldstadt which together with Brigittenau are the only districts on the left bank of the Danube Canal, is the chief commercial quarter, and is inhabited to a great extent by Jews."

'''Jewish quarter north of the Prater, across the railroad tracks''' 
The direction is wrong. The built-up areas north of the Prater are fairly recent developments (around 1900 and later) and to my knowledge were never considered a Jewish quarter. There are also no railroad tracks north of the Prater (apart from those along the Danube).

The traditional Jewish quarter, in which also many large synagogues were located, is indeed west of the Prater, towards the city center, and there have indeed been (elevated) railway tracks between this area and the Prater since the 19th century.

'''Eisvogel''' 
A traditional restaurant in the Prater. Eisvogel = kingfisher

'''the Giant Wheel''' 
[http://www.technologystudent.com/culture1/ferris1.htm The Giant Ferris Wheel] of Vienna, a landmark of the city opened in 1897, is located in the VolksPrater (Amusement Park) section of the Prater. This famous wheel rises 209 ft above the ground. It appeared in the movie ''The Third Man'' (1949): Joseph Cotten used the wheel as a meeting place with Orson Welles.

'''Misha and Grisha''' 
Russian: Diminutives, nicknames, short forms of the given names ''Mikhail'' and ''Grigorii,'' Michael and Gregory. Yes, they are both masculine names (and so is Sasha in most cases).

'''IX Bezirk''' 
The Ninth District (or Ward) of Vienna. Freud among many others kept an office there [http://www.lib.umd.edu/ARCH/honr219f/1873vien.html Wikipedia]. Basically, the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Vienna Vienna entry]; "Alsergrund, with the enormous general hospital, the military hospital and the municipal asylum for the insane, is the medical quarter." is still valid nowadays.

==Page 700==

'''The Colonel himself removed the blindfold''' 
see Cyprian's conversation with his father at P.491 - "Are you a general?" "More like a Colonel."

'''non-Prussian, indeed crypto-Oriental, blood''' 
Some writers were at pains to equate brutal Germans with Huns.

In case the Colonel is Max Khäutsch this recalls Lew‘s first impression when meeting him as a watchdog of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at the Columbian Fair (p. 47): "... the oblique plains of his face revealing an origin somewhere in the Slavic vastness of Europe as yet but lightly traveled by the recreational visitor..."

'''whipping him''' 
Persons interested in such practices, among whom I would never *ever* be numbered, might look askance at an author who muddies the distinction between use of a cane and of a whip.

'''Volksgarten''' 
A park in Vienna‘s inner city, close to the parliament [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksgarten_Wien german Wikipedia]

'''"Ritter Georg Hoch!"''' 
a hymn (sung to [http://ingeb.org/Lieder/prinzeug.mid this tune]) to the Führer of the "Alldeutsche Vereinigung", Ritter Georg von Schönerer (1842-1921), Austrian politician, Pan-Germanist, Arch-Anti-Semite, Slavophobe, Anti-Catholic. He was a son of Austrian Railroad Tycoon Matthias Schönerer. Schönerer‘s ideas had a major influence on Adolf Hitler who lived in Vienna 1908-1913 (aged 19-24) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Sch%C3%B6nerer Wikipedia] [http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Vienna-Apprenticeship-Brigitte-Hamann/dp/0195140532/sr=1-3/qid=1169966673/ref=sr_1_3/002-4941751-7235229?ie=UTF8&s=books interesting book]

==Page 701==

'''Crikey''' 
euphemism for Christ. (according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the link between 'crikey' and 'Christ' is uncertain. It is certainly an exclamation of astonishment.)

'''Newmarket''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page_495|page 495: Newmarket]].

'''Theign, Derrick''' 
Book title, Anglo-Saxon Theign: The collapse of Roman rule in Britain was not so much a sudden catastrophe as a long and drawn-out decline. The 'Celtic' Britons retreated gradually to the highland areas of Wales, Cornwall and the south-west of Scotland. Control of the fertile eastern lowlands was lost to warriors of Germanic origin who migrated from the Continent. These Germanic conquerors have become known to history as the 'Anglo-Saxons.' The word theign (or thane) referred to a noble ruler like an earl. Macbeth was 'thane of Cordor.'

In Henry James' novel The Outcry, there's a widowed Lord Theign, who to cover the gambling debts of his daughter Kitty Imber, is planning to sell his beautiful painting Duchess of Waterbridge by Sir Joshua Reynolds to American billionaire Breckinridge Bender; code name "Good Shepherd" in Vienna.

==Page 702==

'''Zsuzsa''' 
Pronounced ZHOO-zha. Has TRP been watching "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"? The artiste in maquillage will give Cyprian's hair a little ''zhözh.''

'''atelier''' 
Designer's/craftman's studio

'''Hotel Neue Mutzenbacher''' 
Josefine Mutzenbacher is a (probably fictional) Vienna courtesan from the 1906 novel of the same title. The novel was published anonymously, but is often ascribed to Felix Salten (author of "Bambi"). It is regarded as the only important work of pornographic literature in the German language, but didn't find a large audience until the 1970s. Josefine gets abused as a child and starts working as a prostitute at the age of 14, both of which is described in much detail. The novel has repeatedly been subject of discussions about artistic freedom, and was indexed as youth-endangering text in Germany in 1982, which was overruled in 1990 by the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Mutzenbacher Wikipedia]

The popularity in the 1970s has mostly been due to the homonymous movie version directed by Kurt Nachmann, which cleverly circumvented censorship by creating optical metaphors. The movie (rated 18+) became a classic and led actress Christine Schuberth (portraying the main character as a young adult) to minor stardom. Many follow-ups (also of openly pornographic nature) have been produced since.

==Page 703==

'''Stiftskaserne''' 
[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftskaserne Stiftskaserne in German]. Brief summary of that entry: The name means Orphanage Barracks.
: This is a misunderstanding. "Stift" (being a contraction of "Stiftung") roughly translates to "foundation," in the sense of a privately funded organization or structure. The first foundation at the location of today's Stiftskaserne was an orphanage. It was later converted into an engineering academy and eventually into barracks. So it would rather mean "Foundation Barracks".

Rather imposing building in Vienna's Seventh District, dating back to 1850s in its present form, used as orphanage, school, military prison, troop quarters, today houses some offices of Austrian Defense Ministry.

'''''Fiaker''...''Fiakerlieder''''' 
Traditional Viennese two horse cab [http://www.virtualvienna.net/community/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17 website]. "Fiakerlieder" are songs about/sung by the cabbys, more often than not of the sentimental kind.

There is a famous (well, in Austria) song known as ''Fiakerlied'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Pick Gustav Pick], composed for the 100-year celebration of the Fiaker's guild in Prater, and sung on this occasion by the well-known actor Alexander Girardi. It became a classic piece of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrammelmusik Schrammel music], and for some time something like an inofficial hymn of Vienna; at least the chorus ("I bin hoid a echts Weana Kind" - "I'm just a genuine child of Vienna") is still very well-known.
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWmt-cMYADo A pre-1920 recording of Alexander Girardi singing the Fiakerlied.]

'''Süd-Bahnhof''' 
One of Vienna‘s main railway stations [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_S%C3%BCdbahnhof Wikipedia]. Located about a mile from the city‘s center. From here trains would leave towards the south [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Southern_Railway "Südbahn"]. This railway wasnt nationalized until 1924.

'''Ostend Express...Staatsbahn''' 
Thats quite confusing: the Vienna-Ostend-Express (on tracks 1894-1914 & 1925 until mid 1990‘s [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oostende-Wien-Express german Wikipedia]) left from the Westbahnhof [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westbahnhof%2C_Vienna Wikipedia]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrian_Western_Railway "Westbahn"] was nationalized (german: verstaatlicht) in 1882, so "Staatsbahn" might refer to the Westbahnhof. However, from 1910-1914 the "Staatsbahnhof" was the railwaystation where trains to the east left Vienna - no trains to Belgium or a home further west there.

'''"A thousand Kreuzer? That isn‘t even ten quid.", ..."thirty K. per day"''' 
It is rather unlikely that Theign hands out "Kreuzer", unless the Fiaker-ride takes place pre-1900: Austrian currency from 1892 on was the "Krone" ("Crown"; abbrevation: K.) which consisted of 100 "Heller" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_krone Wikipedia]. From January 1st, 1900, on it completely replaced the "Gulden" which had consisted of 60 "Kreuzer" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_gulden Wikipedia]. But then, maybe, the old nomination "Kreuzer" remained as a common term for the new currency‘s smaller unit "Heller" for some while afterwards. "Quid" is slang for the British Pound Sterling [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_sterling Wikipedia]. According to [http://www.mswth.com/calculators.html this site] ten "quid" from early 1900s would equal some 700+ pounds as per 2006. 
: Kreuzer was the nickname for a 2 Heller coin.

'''...passing electric lamplight flaring...''' 
According to [http://www.magwien.gv.at/licht/gesch.htm this site (german)] in the early 1900s most of Viennas street lights with the exception of the inner city were still gas lights.

==Page 704==

'''''Kuppelei''''' 
German: Procuring, pimping.

'''Not even if England expects it''' 
Allusion to Nelson's signal at Trafalgar: "England expects that every man will do his duty."

'''''if you turn, you die''''' 
Sodom & Gomorrah motif, as well as that of the classical Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice, where lyre-player Orpheus descends to the Underworld and plays; as a reward he is told that his beloved Euridice may follow him up to earth and marry him -- but he should not look back before arriving home. He does, and she disappears back to Hades. [[User:Owl of Minerva|Owl of Minerva]] 18:23, 4 April 2007 (PDT)

==Page 705==

'''"He chortles. Bitterly."''' 
A typo ? Should be ''He chortles. Bitterly.'' without the quotation marks ?

I don't think so: Cyprian is saying this aloud, just being clever.[[User:Soupface|Soupface]] 02:34, 2 March 2007 (PST) 
I agree with Soupface. [[User:Owl of Minerva|Owl of Minerva]] 18:24, 4 April 2007 (PDT)

'''Buon Pastore''' 
Good Shepherd in Italian.

'''Semlin''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zemun Semlin], German for Zemun, is a major suburb of Belgrade, Serbia. At the time of the novel it belonged to Croatia-Slavonia (within Austria-Hungary), so Theign did not cross the border to Serbia.

'''Zagreb''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zagreb Zagreb] is the capital and largest city of Croatia.

'''Venice''' 
At this point I thought it is worth mentioning [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_von_Sacher-Masoch Leopold von Sacher-Masoch] and his novel ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_in_Furs Venus in Furs]'' (''Venus im Pelz''). It apparently contains whippings and (female) domination, and also a trip to Italy, Florence; in real life, Sacher-Masoch traveled to Venice in an analogous situation. However, its beginning is not set in Vienna, but Sacher-Masoch was a citizen of Austria-Hungary and lived in Vienna for some time.

==Page 706==

'''''pensione''''' 
Cf [[ATD_557-587#Page_578|page 578: ''pensione'']], a cheap Italian hotel.

'''Santa Croce''' 
[http://www.tours-italy.com/venice/guide_santa_croce.htm Santa Croce] is one of the six sestieri (districts) of Venice. It lies on the opposite side of the Grand Canal to the main railway station of Venice.

'''Mestre bridge''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestre Mestre] is a town in Veneto, northern Italy. Located on the mainland but is connected to Venice by a bridge.

'''Crotona''' 
Cf [[ATD_615-643#Page_633|page 633: Crotona in Magna Grecia Crotona]] (should be: Crotone) is a city in southern Italy on the Gulf of Taranto.

'''Some sort of strange sheep's-milk cheese from Crotona''' 
There is ''pecorino crotonese'', but I don't see what would be strange about it. A strange cheese from Calabria (the region in which Crotone is located) is ''casu du quagghiu'', which contains live larvae and is also made of sheep milk. This kind of cheese can apparently be found all over Italy, the most well-known variant being ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casu_marzu casu marzu]'' from Sardinia.

But maybe this phrase should just allude to something Pythagorean (Pythagoras and his followers were based in Crotone, then called Kroton).

'''Admiralty''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiralty Admiralty], before 1964, was the authority in Britain responsible for the command of the Royal Navy.

'''". . . miniature submarines . . . launched from the bow as if they themselves were torpedoes."''' 
This might refer to the "Ortella", from which - in WW2 - the Italians launched manned topedoes [http://www.comandosupremo.com/Decima.html Website]

'''Spezia . . . San Bartolomeo works''' 
[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/SOL_STE/SPEZIA.html Spezia] is a city of Liguria, Italy, 56 miles southeast of Genoa. It is the Chief Naval Harbor of Italy since 1861. The entrace is protected by forts while a submarine embankment renders it secure. The establishment of San Bartolomeo is exclusively used for electrical works and the manufacture of submarine weapons, especially torpedoes.

'''''Glauco'' class''' 
[http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/glauco_class.htm ''Glauco'' class] submarines were built between 1905 - 1909; and they were: ''Glauco'' (05), ''Squalo'' (06), ''Narvalo'' (06), ''Otaria'' (08) and ''Tricheco'' (09).

'''"we of the futurity"''' 
Who is speaking from such an omniscient 'future"?
If we assume the ''we of the futurity'' is the readership, it is also possible to equate us the readers, as voyagers into the past via the novel, with the ''they'' who raid the past to support an unsustainable future (our own?), raiders like Ryder Thorn (p. 551 ff, esp. p. 554-5). Which raises questions about the status of the novel itself as a device for time travel/depradation.

'''Siluro Dirigibile a Lenta Corsa''' 
Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page_529|page 529: Siluro Dirigibile a Lenta Corsa]].

==Page 707==

'''Voznab''' 
A typically Russian way of abbreviating a phrase with a lot of syllables.

'''''vozdushnyi nablyudenie''''' 
Russian: as translated in the text, but the gender agreement is wrong (should be ''vozdushnoye'').

'''...they may want you back at the Metternichgasse''' 
This refers most likely to the British Embassy in Vienna which is located at Metternichgasse 6. [http://www.bezirksmuseum.at/landstrasse/page.asp/2119.htm source, historical photos]. As this adress is in the "Embassy-Quarter" of Vienna it could refer to another Embassy (Among others, the Embassies of Germany, Italy and China reside at Metternichgasse as well).

'''Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leics''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch] is a small market town in the county of Leicestershire, England.

==Page 708==

'''unreflective desire''' 
Probably from a translation of Plato's ''Phaedrus.''

'''Partagas''' 
Brand of cigar; touts itself as "The World's Richest Cigar".

'''R.U.S.H.''' 
Rush is a Canadian rock band comprising bassist, keyboardist, and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. Rush has become known for the instrumental virtuosity of its members, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs drawing heavily on science fiction, fantasy, and individualist libertarian philosophy, as well as addressing humanitarian and environmental concerns.
Following the deaths of his wife and daughter, Peart embarked on a self-described "healing journey" ''by motorcycle'' in which he traveled extensively across North America. He subsequently wrote about his travels in his book ''Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road''. Their 1975 album ''Caress of Steel'' contains a track called ''Under the Shadow'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_(band)#Discography].

Interesting interpretation, given the Peart connection, but I think the acronym is pretty self-explanatory, since it refers to a group of speedy motorcyclists...

==Page 709==

'''the goddes Kali''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali Hindu goddes Kali] of darkness and violence associated with ''Shiva''; but sometimes she was considered as a benevolenet mother-goddess. "Kali" is from the Sanskrit feminine for "time" and also for "black", and has been translated as "She who is time," "She who devours time," "She who is the Mother of Time," "She who is black time," -- all of which have resonance with themes in the book.

==Page 710==

'''vecchio fazool''' 
Mock-Italian: old bean (fazool being a vernacular version of the correct italian word "fagioli")

'''Santa Lucia Station''' 
[http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/venice_railroad_station.htm Santa Lucia Station] is Venice main railway station in the city itself. The other main station (Mestre Station mentioned on page 706) is on the mainland.

'''Graz''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page_519|page 519: Graz]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graz Graz]

==Page 711==

'''the Evidenzbüro''' 
The Military and Counterespionage Organization in Vienna; also called the Combinbed Military Intelligence Agency of Austria.
This [http://www.washintonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/a_centur.htm Washinton Post article], Chapter 1 of a book ''A Century of Spies'', mentioned the Evidenzbüro in "The Czar's Spies" section. (This article also wrote about ''Sidney Reilly'', aka Chong of page 630 ATD, in "Sidney Reilly" section).

==Page 712==
'''Mozart Piano Concerto''' 
The first thing that springs to mind is the so-called 'Elvira Madigan' theme, which is an adagio from a Mozart piano concerto, but not K488. Nevertheless it seems relevant. Mozart was not a Romantic composer, and his adagio had nothing to do with the Elvira Madigan story of love and suicide. The association was only created by the film. So Cyprian would have to be 'prophetic' to have any such association. The general idea is that he has some kind of slow, fateful-sounding music as the 'score' for his personal film. But see below, "Romance".

'''"history of human emotion" 
Ah, wow! Cf. 'range of emotions' earlier.

'''subfusc 
subfusc \sub-FUHSK\, adjective:
Dark or dull in color; drab, dusky. It is also used in British slang to mean "under the table," in secret.

'''"romance"..in the history of human emotion..showed [with] great trembling through to "a hateful future"''' 
Some connection. The Romantic movement in music/art led to a hateful future? 
Certain elements of Romanticism, especially Late Romanticism, for example its over-the-top cult of love-and-death, heroics and Germanic mythology (Wagner) were influential on Nazism. And of course Hitler saw himself as a Wagnerian figure. On the whole Romanticism has been associated, especially by Marxist historians, with a dangerous kind of 'idealism', easily perverted into the total conviction that you're the good guy because you have the right ideals that can justify anything (anyone for 'freedom'?). As opposed to good old historical materialism (easily perverted etc. etc....).

'''Hotel Klomser''' 
Colonel Alfred Redl [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Redl] was an Austrian intelligence officer who, when blackmailed by Russian Intelligence because of his homosexual activities, betrayed Austria's entire military plan for Serbia and for general mobilization in case of war with Russia. Caught by his own men, he committed suicide at the Hotel Klomser in 1913[http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/redl_a,3.html]. [http://www.burgenkunde.at/wien/w_palais_batthyany-strattmann/w_palais_batthyany-strattmann.htm This site] comes with photos of what the Hotel Klomser looks like today and a (German) account of the buildings history.

'''angles of repose''' 
Positions assumed by falling objects at their final eqilibrium point (geological); title and guiding image of a novel by Wallace Stegner, also involving western mining districts.

'''coffee...ultramodern machines''' 
The description suggests a vacuum coffee pot, at that time popular, though not new. For the historical background, look [http://baharris.org/coffee/History.htm here].

'''''Feinschmeckerei''''' 
German: epicureanism.; being a gourmet.

==Page 713==

'''history of civilization as distinguished by the asymptotic approach of industrial production tolerances...to some mythical, never attained Zero."

1. Six-Sigma: the processes of eliminating systematic production variance so as to approach a six sigma success rate of 99.99966% (compare to Ivory's 99.44% pure) or less than 3.4 defects per million "opportunities."
Which is 0.00034% which is asymptotically approaching a theoretical, though never attained Zero. 
2. Closely tied to this is the idea of computer availability at 5-Nines.
Which translates to system downtown of 5.2 minutes of downtime per year.
Six Sigma computer availability would be less than 1 minute of downtime per year. 
3. Within the Pynchon lexicon: the history of civilization as the drive to the 00000 rocket of ''GR''. (5 Zeros vs. 5 Nines). 
4. Production tolerances -- civilization as the drive to ethnic (reproductive) purity. Germany of 1940 had 80.6MM people. At a Six-Sigma level there would have been only 275 people not within "tolerance."

'''Sachertorte mit Schlag''' 
A world-renowned Viennese cake, here served with whipped cream. The next part of the exchange notes that ''Schlag'' also means a blow, English cognate - slug.

'''praetorian''' 
A judge in ancient Rome. It can also be a reference to the Praetorian Guard used by Roman Emperors but this is unlikely. Therefore we must assume a "praetorian apparatus" is a judge apparatus.

'''Miskolci''' 
Hungarian name derived from the town of Miskolc.

'''''Dracula''''' 
Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' was published in 1897 and indeed very popular at that time [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula Wikipedia].

'''haematophages''' 
Hematophagy is the habit of feeding on blood. There might be a hint at the Catholic eucharist and transsubstantiation, drinking wine as the blood of Jesus; the "subcircuit of the Buda-Pesth telephone exchange" establishes a ritual community, though all religious implications apparently fall away.

'''first Moroccan crisis''' 
Triggered in 1905 by a visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Morocco. Due to German economical interests, Wilhelm argued for Moroccan independence and thereby affronted France as a colonial power. France immediately got supported by Britain, which weakened Germany's position lastingly [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Moroccan_Crisis Wikipedia].

==Page 714==

'''Zentralbad''' 
Was written "Centralbad" back then. A bathing establishment in Viennas Inner City, nowadays the gay sauna "Kaiserbründl". [http://www.kaiserbruendl.at/neue_seite_4.htm website] (the site comes with english "history" and depictions of "Viennese Orientalism" - for German readers the "Presse" section is the most informative regarding the history). It's architecture is said to have influenced director Fritz Lang's movies architecture [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/fritzlang.htm source]

'''literalism of the hydropathic''' 
This might refer to the fact that the Centralbad - other than most of Vienna‘s Inner City houses since at least 1873, when the water supply main between the alps and the city was accomplished [http://wasserwerk.at/geswien2.htm german weblink] - still took its water from its own well. This gave rise to quite a few discussions, that the Centralbad‘s water, what with the leaking canalisation system of the city, might be unhealthy. [http://www3.billrothhaus.at/cgi-bin/project2/showtext.pl?PE_ID=6&VO_ID=5&PAGE=293&ZOOMED=25 source (German)]
[[Image:Dianabad.jpg|thumb|Dianabad - Men‘s Steambath ca. 1910|right]]

'''Astarte-Bad... far out on one of the "K" or river-quay lines''' 
No establishment of that name in Vienna as far as the contributor knows. It most likely refers to a bath named after another antique goddess, the "Dianabad" [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianabad German Wikipedia], though this is/was not located "far out" on the river-quai line, but is just across the "Donaukanal" from Vienna‘s Inner City northwestern corner. According to sources [http://wiener-tramwaymuseum.org/stadtver.htm 1]

In 1907 Viennese a nifty schema for tramway lines was introduced, which (with some simplifications and modifications) more or less is still in use today ([http://xover.mud.at/~tramway/cafe/l.pdf extensive description in German]). It basically assigns numbers to radial and tangential (with respect to the city center) lines. The city center itself is surrounded by the innermost "circle" of this system, formed by Ring and Kai (along the Donaukanal, a branch of the Danube). Several tram lines went on radial routes to this inner circle, ran on it, and then go radial again. In order to know whether the tram turns right or left when reachig the inner circle,
index K indicated "towards Kai" and R "towards Ring". Apart from "far out" everything would work here, all K lines reach the Kai, and Dianabad is just across the Donaukanal from the Kai.

Astarte (Biblical Ashtaroth) was a Middle-Eastern goddess corresponding to Greek Aphrodite - i.e. goddess of love, fertility etc. and thus the exact opposite of the virginal Diana. Suggesting that all sorts of things probably went on that wouldn't be tolerated at the Dianabad.

'''Leclanché cells''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leclanche_cell A kind of wet-cell storage battery] with sal ammoniac (ammonium chloride) as the electrolyte.

'''Cosmoline''' 
A brand of petrolatum or petroleum jelly.

'''Electricity!...the 'elan vital' itself....! 
'elan vital' = life force.
Ironically thematic?

Oh, much more than that ! Élan Vital [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89lan_Vitalis] is a term coined by French philosopher Henri Bergson in his book L'Évolution créatrice (Creative Evolution, complete English text here: [http://web.archive.org/web/20060516195812/http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~lward/Bergson/Bergson_1911a/Bergson_1911_toc.html]), published in 1907. In it, Bergson postulates a number of complicated theories with spiritualist leanings , among them a definition of "duration" which implies a subjective experience of time, as opposed to mathematical, objectively measurable "clock time." As for the link with electricity, some followers of Bergson's ideas assumed that this Élan Vital ("Life Force" or "Vital Impetus") could be injected in an inanimate substance and activated with electricity, perhaps taking literally another of Bergson's metaphorical descriptions, the "current of life". A lot of ideas developed in L'évolution Créatrice appear throughout AtD. More on Bergson here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Bergson]

'''''Beda Chanson‘s "Ausgerechnet Bananen"''''' 
Friedrich Löhner-Beda (1883-1942) was one of the most successful Austrian writers of lyrics for popular music and cabarets in the 1920s and early 30s, usually signing as "Beda" [http://www.virtualvienna.net/community/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=303 weblink]. He translated/adapted Frank Silver and Irving Cohn's song [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yes%2C_We_Have_No_Bananas "Yes, We Have No Bananas"] (released 1923 (!)) into German. While the original makes fun of a fruitshop-owner who cant say "we run out of bananas", Beda's german version is the lamento of a beau/Don Juan about the capricious demands - the fruit being the symbol of the exotic back then and hard to find in Europe - of the adored lady. "Ausgerechnet Bananen" translates as: "Of all things, bananas (Bananas she's asking of me)". [http://ingeb.org/songs/yeswehav.html english/german lyrics] 

'''Yzhitsa''' 
In the pre-1917 Russian alphabet, the last letter (not available in this character set), used in a few Greek-derived words. In present-day Russian it's called ''izhitsa,'' but the letter is shaped a little like a '''Y''' and may be correctly transliterated so. "To write izhitsa to someone" means to eliminate them.

==Page 715==

'''''Liebling''''' 
German: darling.

'''Kundschaftsstelle''' 
German: reconnaissance office.

'''''Honigfalle''''' 
German: honey trap. A honey trap in espionage-speak is a seduction, either as motivator or as basis for blackmail. This passage suggests, or at least plants the suspicion, that Theign has become a double agent.

'''Leo Slezak''' 
Tenor, born in Moravia 1873, performed in Europe and America, died 1946. His son was the actor Walter Slezak. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Slezak Wikipedia]

'''the Opera House''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_State_Opera#The_opera_house The Vienna State Opera House], a neo-romantic building, was inaugurated on May 25, 1869 with Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' and rebuilt after World War II. The rebuilt house, seating more than 2,200, reopened on November 5, 1955.

'''Verbindungsbahn''' 
German: junction line.

'''''Dickwanst . . . Fettarsch''''' 
German: potbelly . . . fat-ass.

These words are rather colloquial, but typical for Germany. Viennese people, especially in those times would rather not have used them, but for instance "Gfüda" ("Gefüllter" - "stuffed one"), "Blader" ("blad" [blah-d] is Viennese jargon for "corpulent"), or (ruder) "blade Sau" ("fat pig"). Then again, the callers could have been people from Germany.

'''Favoriten''' 
Vienna‘s 10th district [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Favoriten Wikipedia].
It is a multi-ethnic, working-class, densely populated area.

'''huge Socialist demonstrations''' 
1909 - 1911 Vienna‘s Socialist Party organized several huge demonstrations culminating in one against the rapidly increasing prices for meat on September 17, 1911, with 36.000+ participants. Not only police but military as well "observed" the demonstrators, thus increasing their nervosity and aggressivity. Though the party's politicians tried to calm the masses it came to clashes after the demonstration dissolved itself. The military forces chased the participants out of Vienna‘s center back into the outer districts, resulting in three casualities, ninety wounded by the cavallery and 200 busts. [http://www.dasrotewien.at/online/page.php?P=11697&PHPSESSID=99dcfc58475e6ff3192a11bc9154fa12 website] 
--plausible, but confusing. This scene is set during the first Moroccan crisis, thus in 1905 or 1906. According to the website you cite, the unrest did not occur until 1911, which would coincide with the second Moroccan crisis.

--I agree: its confusing and I have quite a problem with the timetable throughout this novel. However I dont agree with: "This scene is set during the first Moroccan Crisis." The scene which is set during the first Moroccan Crisis is the one in which Theign came to appreciate the "help" provided by Miskolci (p. 713). Further up on p. 713 we have learned that Cyprian during this very jourmey to Vienna (which eventually will lead him into the turmoils of the huge socialist demonstrations in question here) happens to run into several members of Theigns "praetorian apparatus" which had been put together "over his (Theigns) years on the Vienna station." Miskolci obviously is one such member and TP tells us the story how he became a praetorian during the first Morrocan Crisis - his proposition to help Theign therefore might have happened quite some time - maybe even years - before Cyprian meets Miskolci on p. 715. Whenever the demonstrations take place on the historical timetable, Theign obviously isnt in Vienna (what with having let Cyprian travel to Vienna with the Südbahn alone (p. 710-712)), and the first Morroccan Crisis belongs to the past already.
Be it as it may, there have been huge (socialist) demonstrations from 1905 to 07, too: [http://www.wien.spoe.at/online/page.php?P=12230&bid=12571 foto] That time they demonstrated for a reform of the electoral law [http://www.wien.spoe.at/online/page.php?P=11730 1]
[http://www.demokratiezentrum.org/de/startseite/themen/demokratiedebatten/wahlen/wahlrechtsentwicklung_in_oesterreich_1848_bis_heute.html 2] several times, which massively favored priests, high ranking officials and military, hugescale landlords etc.. With some success: 1907, for the first time, all males of 24+ yrs. were allowed to vote and their ballott was worth the same for poor and privileged. No records of police/military excesses during these demonstrations I could find on the web, though.

'''the Ringstrasse''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringstra%C3%9Fe The Ringstrasse] is a circula road surrounding the Innere Stadt (Inner City) district of Vienna. The Opera House of Vienna is located here.

'''return of the repressed''' 
A psychoanalytic term, from Freud himself in which our refusal to honour or recognise an impulse--usually the sexual impulse-- does not drive the impulse away. It returns in a dehumanised way, transformed into something wild and destructive.
Here, applied to marching working-class men and women, the psychoanalytic
meaning merges with the social meaning, it seems: 'the oppressed.' The capitalist bankers and industrialists had been able to repress the thought of the poverty-stricken and malnourished workers by living away from working-class neighborhoods, but as organized Socialists, the 'repressed' returned to central Vienna

==Page 716==

'''Czerny's ''School of Velocity''''' 
Music students' exercise book; velocity is of course a term in calculating a vector. 
[http://www.carolinaclassical.com/czerny/ ''Carl Czerny''] (1791-1857), an Austrain piano teacher and composer. Remebered as the most famous piano student of Beethoven, he developed a reputation as one of the most significant piano teachers of the 19th Century. His pupils included Thalberg, Liszt and Heller, and his pedagogical works had and continue to have wide currency.

'''Mariahilf''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariahilf Mariahilf] is the name of Vienna's sixth district.

'''Snazzbury's Silent Frock''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page_500|page 500: Snazzbury & Silent Frock]].

'''Cloak of invisibility''' 
Harry Potter reference. Any other echoes? 
Sure, the ''Tarnhelm'' in [http://www.wagneroperas.com/indexwagneroperas.html Wagner's Ring operas] (it appears in ''Das Rheingold, Siegfried'' and ''Götterdämmerung''). The Tarnhelm can render the wearer invisible or make him seem to be someone else. 
And pretty close to the pub date of ''AtD,'' [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/10/061019-invisible-cloak.html a real-world invisibility cloak] was revealed, if that's the right word.

'''Both offices''' 
The Okhrana, Russian secret police, and the Kundschaftsstelle, Austrian security agency.

==Page 717==

'''the Japanese war, rebellions up and down the rail lines.''' 
Cf [[ATD_588-614#Page_595|page 595: Japanese won & In the East . . . up and down the railroad lines.]]

'''Volks-Prater''' 
Inside the (Vienna) Prater an area closest to the city center contains a large amusement park known as Volksprater (People's Prater). At its entrance stands the Giant (Ferris) Wheel.

'''Venedig in Wien''' 
''Venice in Vienna''. A theme park in Volks-Prater, was opened in May 1895. [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=V Alpha Index]

'''the Doge's Palace''' 
Located next to the Piazza San Marco, the Doge's Palace is one of the most famous sites in Venice. This is the home and offices of the Doges of Venice. See [http://jssgallery.org/Essay/Venice/San_Marco/Dodge_Palace/Photo_West_Elevation_Ducale.htm Doge's Palace Photo].

'''the Ca' d'Oro''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ca'_d'Oro The Ca' d'Oro] (the ''Golden House'') is one of the most beautiful palazzos on the Grand Canal in Venice. It was built between 1428 to 1430 for the Contarini family. In 1922 it was bequeathed to the State by its last owner. It is now open to the public as a gallery.

'''Hypatia''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypatia_of_Alexandria Hypatia] Ca. 370-415, Alexandrian mathematician, astrologer and Neo-Plantonist murdered, physically torn to shreds, by a Christian mob.

==Page 718==

[[Image:Dobner1.jpg|thumb|regulars at Dobner‘s on the day it closed its doors (1909)|right]]
'''Colney Hatch''' 
Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page_239|page 239: Colney Hatch]] 
Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum (or Friern Hospital) was a hospital located in Colney Hatch in what is now the London Borough of Barnet. It was in operation from 1851 to 1993. At its height the asylum was home to 3,500 mental patients and had the longest corridor in Britain, and hence, its name was synonymous among Londoners with any mental institution [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colney_Hatch_Lunatic_Asylum].

'''Dobner''' 
A coffehouse located at Getreidemarkt 1. According to the text that came with the source of the foto of its interior it closed its doors in 1909. From [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/fritzlang.htm this article on director Fritz Lang‘s youth in Vienna]: "...the Cafe Dobner, on a busy corner where the Getreidemarkt cuts the Linke Wienzeile. With its billiard tables and cabaret performances, the Dobner was well-known as a meeting place for theater artists, opera stars, journalists, and beautiful prostitutes." [[Image:Dobner2.jpg|thumb|Dobner at Getreidemarkt Nr.1 ca. 1900|right]]

'''Getreidemarkt''' 
German: grain market. The street separating Vienna‘s 1st ("Inner City") and 6th ("Mariahilf") district.

'''Szekszárdi Vörös''' 
Red wine from the Szekszárd region of Hungary.

'''Gewürztraminer''' 
White wine from Alsace. Not necessarily so, but most of it traditionally is produced there. It is an earthy white wine that tastes slightly of herbs. Its origin is North Eastern Italy (the village of Tramin in Alto-Aldige) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gew%C3%BCrztraminer Wikipedia]

'''a white cloth bag of tarhonya from the previous century''' 
Tarhonya are tiny pellets of dried pasta, a popular and well-storable ingredient in Hungarian country cooking.

'''the Anglo-Russian Entente''' 
Cf [[ATD_615-643#Page_618|page 618: the Anglo-Russian Entente]].

'''Romanoffs''' 
Also spelled [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanov ''Romanovs''], the last imperial dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country from 1613 to 1917.

==Page 719==

'''Otzovist''' 
Cf [[ATD_615-643#Page_616|page 616: Otzovists]].

'''Vienna teeming with Bolshies''' 
Bolshies: an anachronistic nickname for Bolshevists or Bolsheviks. Cf [[ATD_615-643#Page_616|page 616: Bolshevists]]. Trotsky in pre-WWI exile was based in Vienna, Lenin also stayed there for a while, and Stalin's only taste of the West before assuming power was a visit to the imperial city.

'''Mrs. Burchell''' 
Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page_228|page 228: Mrs. Burchell]].

'''the Serbian outrage''' 
The assassination of the Serbian royal couple (June 11, 1903), which Mrs. Burchell predicted on page 228. Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page_228|page 228: Alexander and Draga Obrenovich, the King and Queen of Serbia]].

'''''nervnost'''''' 
Russian: edginess.

==Page 720==

'''"Monsieur Azeff"''' 
Yevno Fishelevich Azeff (1869-1918), Social Revolutionary provocateur and terrorist; in hiding outside Russia after 1908.

'''Socialist Revolutionary''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialist-Revolutionary_Party The Socialist Revolutionary Party] (SR) was a Russian political party established in 1901. It, not Lenin's Bolsheviks, played a major role in Russian 1905 Revolution (of page 595) and the 1917 February Revolution in which the Tsar regime was overthrown. The SR leader Kerensky was the Prime Minister of the new Russian Government. After Lenin's November coup the SRs faded, even though in the only democratic election held in 1918 after the Soviet came to power the SRs gained 57% of the popular vote as opposed to Bolsheviks' 25%. Lenin just disbanded the newly elected Constituent Assembly by force and arrested all those delegates who did not follow Lenin's policy. Many SRs fought against the Soviet regime in the Russian Civil War (1918-1921).

'''darázsfészek''' 
Hungarian: literally, wasps' nest. A rolled, filled pastry with almonds.

'''Dobos torte''' 
Several thin layers of sponge cake and chocolate cream, topped with a hard caramel glaze.

'''Rigó Jancsi''' 
A chocolate sponge cake with chocolate mousse filling. Named after a virtuoso Magyar Gypsy violinist, who made the headlines when he ran away with the American wife of the Belgian Duke of Chimay.

'''Váci út''' 
A street name; the second word is Hungarian: road.

'''Angel's Field''' 
''Angyalföld'' in Hungarian, a working-class neighbourhood in northern Budapest.

==Page 721==
[[Image:Spittelberg.jpg|thumb|Spittelberg today|right]]
'''Spittelberggaße''' 
should be Spittelberggasse. The Spittelberg has been a redlight district within Vienna‘s 7th district ("Neubau") for centuries (until about 1960). It is said that Giacomo Casanova enjoyed himself and a few ladies there. After renovations started in the early 1980‘s it‘s a place for the urban rich today.

'''. . . the limitless civic passion for window-shopping''' 
Two quotes from [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/fritzlang.htm this article on director Fritz Lang‘s youth in Vienna]: 1. "... to visit three of the most notorious spots on Spittelberg, regarded as an immoral part of town. "Spittelberg," as Lang put it, "was not a Berg [mountain] at all, it's just that one of the streets was called that. This was where girls with exposed breasts lay in street-level windows and invited passersby to a visit with the most obvious gestures." This was Lang's first "Scarlet Street."" 2. " The family enjoyed distinctly Viennese activities, such as the promenade past elegant shop windows in the late afternoon. Lang remembered the men in their frock coats and toppers, the military clicking of heels, the corseted women with furs and boatlike hats. Idly gazing into shop windows--kicking one in, in Rancho Notorious--became ritual behavior in Lang's films. Two of his finest Hollywood dramas, The Woman in the Window and Scarlet Street, begin, with deceptive innocence, with window-shopping."

'''Josephstadt''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josefstadt Josephstadt], commonly spelled Josefstadt, is the eighth, the smallest, district of Vienna.

'''catamite''' 
A boy kept for purposes of sexual perversion. (Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary)

==Page 722==

'''high-tessitura dismay''' 
Italian ''tessitura'' (literally "texture") means the way a vocal part "lies." High tessitura means sustained singing in a high register. The phrase here means screaming or shrieking.

'''bora''' 
An occasional violent cold north to northeast wind that blows over the northern Adriatic from the interior highlands. (Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary)

'''''Ma signori, um po' di moderazione, per piacere''''' 
Italian: Sirs, a little moderation, if you please. (should be: "un po'", not "um po'")

==Page 723==

'''Earl's Court''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl's_Court Earl's Court] is a place in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It is an inner-city district. Earl's Court preceded Soho as London's center of gay nightlife.

'''a Bank Holiday''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_Holiday A Bank Holiday], in Britain and Ireland, is equivalent to the public holiday of the US.

'''willy''' 
slang for penis.

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 525-556

2009-08-17T07:41:21Z

Cortinas: /* Page 546 */ Moving hydrogenated oil grafs

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 525==

'''Ostend''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page 521|page 521: Ostend]], a seaport in northwest Belgium. Among English-speaking tourists, Ostend (or Ostende) is best known as a ferry port.

'''Fishermen's Quai''' 
Fishermen's Quay, also called ''De Trap''. The shrimp boats come home here from the sea in the morning. Along the quay many stands sell lots of seafoods.

'''Boulevard van Isenghem''' 
A major thoroughfare in Ostend, locally called ''Van Iseghemlaan'', extending diagonally from seafront southwest through the city.

'''street-plausible''' 
Presentable.

'''Quai de l'empereur''' 
Since Ostende is in the Flemish part of Belgium this should be the Keizerskaai, a street along the old part of the harbour, 1919 renamed Vindictivelaan.

'''estaminet''' 
According to the OED - A café in which smoking is allowed. Now, any small establishment selling alcoholic liquor.

'''twelve-centime''' 
one centime is the French equivalent of one cent. A twelve-centime beer would cost 12/100 of a franc.

Although the definition above still stands, remember these are Belgian francs, a different currency than French francs.

'''Quaternions''' 
Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 130|page 130:Quaternions]]. Quaternions are a non-commutative extension of complex numbers (Hamilton, 1843). 

Analogy with the complex numbers (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 132|page 132:complex number]]) being represented as a sum of real and imaginary parts, a + b''i'', where ''i''² = −1, a quaternion is defined as a combination a + b''i'' + c''j'' + d''k'', where ''i''² = ''j''² = ''k''² = ''i j k'' = −1, and a, b, c, d are ''four'' explicit real numbers. The non-commutative property refers to ''i j = −j i = k; j k = −k j = i; k i = −i k = j''. (i.e. ''i j ≠ j i; j k ≠ k j; k i ≠ i k''; etc.) The using of ''i, j, k'', the imaginary numbers (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 133|page 133:imaginary number]]), led to the phrases of "the ''ijk'' lot" of page 533 and "creature of ''i-j-k''" of page 534.

'''Kellner''' 
German: waiter, barman. Use of the German word would be insulting to the Belgian barman.

Well, I don't think it may sound insulting for the waiter, as Ostend is in the part of Belgium were Flemish (Dutch) is spoken and in that language ''kelner'' is the word for waiter, which sounds like the German ''Kellner''. Pynchon misspelling, maybe? (DCB)

'''''demi''''' 
A half-pint glass (25 centiliters, actually).

'''Lambic''' 
Pron. ''lahm-BEEK.'' Unique Belgian beer style, sour and often thin in body.

'''skimmer''' 
Straw hat ("Panama").

==Page 526==

'''biquaternion''' 
Or "octonion," an innovation of English mathematician W.K. Clifford, [[ATD_243-272#Page_249|referred to on p. 249.]]

'''Barry Nebulay''' 
Pun on a term from heraldry, ''barry nebuly.'' The term barry (rhymes with "starry," not "carry") refers to a shield divided into an even number of parts by horizontal lines. Nebuly, possibly also spelled ''nebulée,'' signals that the lines are deformed into stylized "cloud" shapes. (Actually the dividing line looks more like interlocking parts of a jigsaw puzzle.) [http://www.rarebooks.nd.edu/digital/heraldry/partitions.html Here you can see an example.]

A play on the astronomical term ''nebulae'' is just conceivable, but then why "Barry"?

'''University of Dublin''' 
The Alma Mater of Hamilton, the father of Quaternion. He studied, graduated and taught at Trinity College, the University of Dublin, Ireland's oldest university.

If University College, Dublin, then Joyce had graduated in 1902. 

'''Quaternioneers''' 
Quaternion believers.

'''Gibbsian Vectors''' 
Vector Analysis (or Vector Calculus) developed by Willard Gibbs (Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Professor Gibbs]]) in 1881 and 1884. It is a branch of calculus that deals with vectors and process involving vectors. It is much more easily applied to phsics and other applied sciences than Hamilton's Quaternions (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]]). 
A vector is defined by not only a magnitude but also a direction, such as a velocity vector, ''v'' is defined by ''v'' = a''i'' + b''j'' + c''k'',
where a, b, and c are the magnitudes of the velocity components in directions of ''i, j'' and ''k'' which are unit vectors, (not imaginary numbers as in Quaternion), with magnitude of 1. In three dimensional cases and ''xyz'' coordinate system is used then ''i, j, k'' are related to ''x, y, z'' directions ("''xyz'' people" of page 533); but they, in general, may be used irrespective of the notation of the coordinates.
Mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication), differentiation (''curl'' — Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326:Curl]] and p. 536, ''Laplacian'' — Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326:Laplacian]] and p. 536, etc) and integration can be applied to vectors. It is interesting to know that one of the two multiplication operations is called cross product; for unit vectors (''i, j, k'') perpendicular to each other, then, ''i × i = j × j = k × k = 0'', ''i × j = k'', ''j × i = -k'', etc. ([http://web.mit.edu/wwmath/vectorc/summary.html Vector Calculus]). 
A simple vector anyalysis example here: if ''k'', the unit vector, stands for the direction upward and g is the gravitational acceleration, then the acceleration vector, ''a'', for a projectile, is defined for downward action, (the ''i'' and ''j'' directions have zero components): 
:''a'' = -g ''k'' 
Integrating ''a'' would give the velocity vector, ''v'' 
:''v'' = -g t ''k'' 
for zero initial velocity case, and t standing for time. 
And integrating ''v'' would yield the position vector, ''h'', for the projectile 
:''h'' = -½ g t² ''k'' 
toward the sea level.

'''Quaternionists''' 
Quaternion believers, same as Quaternioneers.

'''Tasmania''' 
Tasmania is an island of the southern coast of Australia. Known for its relative isolation, it was a prison for English convicts in the 1800s

'''Having been inseparable from the rise of the electromagnetic''' 
In his 1865 work ''The Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field'', James Clerk Maxwell unified electricity and magnetism. He put forth twenty equations, with twenty unknowns, in vector form (though different in notation and form than the equations that now bear his name) that completely described all known electromagnetic phenomena. In his 1873 treatise on the subject, he expressed the equations in the mathematics of quaternions. It appears that the quaternion form of the equations remained popular even though, at the behest of his publisher, Maxwell reverted to the 1865 form in the second edition (1881)--though they remain scattered throughout. In 1892 Oliver Heaviside (On the Forces, Stresses, and Fluxes of Energy in the Electromagnetic Field. ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.'' A, Vol. 183. pp423-480), while spewing scientific vitriol at the Quaternionists, reformulated Maxwell's original 1865 equations (Heaviside chose to remove the vector potential and scalar fields from the equations; the inclusion of these terms had served as Maxwell's justification for the use of quaternions), and provided the notation still in use today. See this [http://www.zpenergy.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=60 PDF] for the evolution of Maxwell's equations.

'''Hamiltonian devotees''' 
The Quaternion faction, after William Hamilton, who devised the scheme.

'''Grand Hôtel de la Nouvelle Digue''' 
There is a Hotel Digue in the Seychelles; this is a New Hotel Digue by Pynchon?

Grand Hotel of New Dyke, may be a made up hotel name.

'''anterooms of death''' 
This metaphor is sometimes applied to concentration camps. Here the lyric "feel like I'm fixin' to die" seems more apposite.

'''Belgian Art Nouveau''' 
Art Nouveau, 1890(or 80) to 1914, explores a new style in the visual arts and architecture that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the 19th century. At its height (~1907), Art Nouveau was a concerted attempt to create an international style based on decoration. It was developed by a brilliant and energetic generation of artists and desisgners, who sought to fashion an art form appropriate to the post-Industrial Revolution modern age. 
Brussels was one of the Art Nouveau centers and represented different style from the others. The jewelers there, accepted as artists rahter than craftsmen, (together with those in Paris) defined Art Nouveau in jewelery and achieved the most renown. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau Art Nouveau]).

==Page 527==

'''dossing''' 
British slang for "sleeping", "staying overnight"

'''Russian nihilists''' 
:The following four are local, Belgian, not Russian, nihilists !
:: It only says Russian in the first edition.

'''Eugénie''' 
Female. Possibly named for Empress Eugénie (1826-1920), consort of French Emperor Napoleon III. Ultimately for St. Eugenia, 3rd-century Roman martyr whose feast is celebrated on December 25.

'''Fatou''' 
Female. A pseudonym? In view of the date of the action, certainly not named after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatou the mathematician Fatou] (1878-1929).

Although there is no reference to ethnicity in the text, Fatou is an African name, very common in Senegal. It would be highly uncommon to find a white Belgian bearing that name in the early 20th century. And it would make sense if a revolutionary group named Young Congo had at least one or two African members!

'''Denis''' 
Male. Named for St. Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of Paris and of France, 3rd-century bishop of Paris, martyr, beheaded on the hill now called Montmartre. "Montjoie St. Denis!" was a warcry used by French troops in the Middle Ages. His intercession is effective against demonic possession and headache.

'''Policarpe''' 
Male. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarp Saint Polycarp] was a Christian bishop of Smyrna (now İzmir in Turkey) in the second century. He was stabbed and died a martyr after an attempt to burn him at the stake failed. His intercession is sought against earache and dysentery.

again, possibly African. It was very common for white missionaries in Africa to give their newly converted flock the names of famous Saints.

'''Young Congo''' 
Probably in reference to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turks Young Turks], a Turkish revolutionary movement

'''Garde Civique''' 
A part of the Belgian army. According to the [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Belgium 1911 Britannica], "the mass of the garde civique does not pretend to possess military value. It is a defence against sedition and socialism."

'''French Second Bureau boys''' 
Deuxieme Bureau; French Intelligence.

'''''phalange''''' 
French: phalanx. A military (here mock-military) group ready for combat. 

It also conjures up memories of the early 19th century utopian socialist
Charles Fourier, who theorized that people should live communally in "phalanxes" of a specific number based upon their "passions." His solid ideas included equality of the sexes, but he also taught wacky things such as the moon being made of lemonade. Of particular relevance is his rejection of industrial civilization. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopian_socialism]

'''"...until something had happened, something too terrible to remember..."''' 
Again this theme of an unknowable past transgression, here invoked almost as if the unknown signifies the other 'lateral' (a word which has cropped up at least a dozen times already) 'vector'.

'''the Digue''' 
French for "dyke"

'''Congo... Belgians''' 
The Belgian colonisation of the Congo was, as Conrad's ''Heart of Darkness'' makes clear, notable for its greed and brutality.

'''Leopold, King of the Belgians''' 
1835-1909, reigned 1865-1909. A man of almost Nixonian fiendishness. In the Congo he acted as sole proprietor and absolute ruler. The positive outcomes of his exploitation include ''Heart of Darkness'' and the phrase "crime against humanity."

'''co-conscious''' 
mental processes outside the main stream of consciousness but sometimes available to it — from Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary.

'''Force Publique''' 
Belgian armed forces operating in the Belgian Congo ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique Wikipedia]). "King Leopold's private army" may be a more accurate description.

'''rubber worker''' 
See above: One of the early missions of the FP was to increase rubber export quotas through forced labor and related atrocities.

==Page 528==

'''''khâgne''''' 
an informal term used by French students for Classes Préparatoires Littéraires, the two-year cycle of classes taken after the Baccalaureat (taken at age 17-18), to prepare for the entrance examination to the Ecole Normale Supeieure. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%C3%A2gne khâgne]).

'''Reclus''' 
J. J. Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), French geographer but mainly educated in Germany. Several times he was forced to leave France because of his political views; he traveled widely in Europe, the British Isles, the United States, and South America and for many years lived in Switzerland. He was professor of comparative geography at the University of Brussels from 1895 to 1905. He had quite an extensive connection with various socialist and anarchist circles (met Bakunin while in Florence).Once he was imprisoned in Versailles in 1871 for his part in the ''Paris Commune''. In 1882 he initiated the ''Anti-marriage movement'' while in Geneva. [[http://academic.reed.edu/formosa/texts/reclusbio.html Reclus]).

'''Stirnerite''' 
Follower of Max Stirner, 19th century German philosopher and author of ''The Ego and Its Own,'' a work influential in anarchist thought. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Stirner Wikipedia entry]. [[Max Stirner|Discussion...]]

'''''Anarcho-individualiste''''' 
i.e. he has doctrinal differences with Stirnerism, strictly speaking; see P. 324, and "Eigenheit".

'''Leopold''' 
See [[#Page 527|p. 527]].

'''going down lately''' 
Being assassinated.

'''Sipido''' 
Jean-Baptiste Sipido (1884-1959), a Belgian socialist. Accusing the Prince of Wales of causing thousands of inocents were killed in the Boer War in South Africa, on April 5, 1900, Sipido leaped onto the foot board of the royal compartment right before the train left the North Railway Station (Gare du Nord), Brussel, and fired two (or one? as reported in ''The Manchester Guardian'', or four? as stated in the text here) shots through the window but missed everyone inside. He was arrested, tried and acquitted. The leader of the House of Commons called the acquittal a "grave and most unfortunate miscarriage of justice." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Sipido Sipido]).

'''Prince... of Wales''' 
(Maud Gonne's husband claimed to have been involved in another such plot.)

'''Hippodrome''' 
Hippodrome Wellington, a horse racing track in Ostend built in 1883. The facility hosts both harness and flat racing events. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_Wellington Hippodrome]).

'''Royal Bathing Hut... twenty francs''' 
A bathing machine ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathing_machine bathing machine])? The King of Belgium certainly would not want to be seen in a swimsuit on a public beach... It seems unlikely, though, that such a royal bathing machine would be for hire.

'''twenty francs''' 
???

==Page 529==

'''picric family''' 
The explosive picric acid (2,4,6-trinitrophenol) and its derivatives. For picric acid, Brugère's powder and Designolle's powder, [http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/PER_PIG/PICRIC_ACID_or_TRINITROPHENOL_C.html see this Britannica article.]

'''Brugère's powder''' 
See "picric family" above.

'''Designolle's''' 
See "picric family" above.

'''Monsieur Santos-Dumont''' 
Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932), a pioneer of aviation from Brasil. Check out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Santos-Dumont Wikipedia] to get a look at the way he was wearing his "trademark Panama hat".

'''Green Hour''' and '''''l'heure vertigineuse''''' 
Absinthe-drinking time. The liqueur is green. In French, ''l'heure verte,'' so ''vertigineuse'' (vertiginous, causing dizziness) is a pun on the word for "green."

'''Rocco and Pino''' 
Rabid Quaternionists and sudden friends of Kit Traverse.
:No, they were not mathematicians at all, let alone Quaternionists, but two "Italian naval renegades" !!
::"Rocco and Pino" are, in temperament, something like the "Mason and Dixon" of manned-torpedoes... cf. the "torpedo" (i.e., "Electrick-Eel") of ''Mason & Dixon''.

'''Whitehead works in Fiume''' 
Anticipating GR's V2 works.

''Robert Whitehead'' (1823-1905), an English engineer. He developed the first self-propelled torpedo in 1866. He attended Manchester's Mechanics Institute, worked in a shipyard in Toulon (1844), France, and as a consultant engineer in Milan (1847), Italy. Later he moved to Trieste and in 1856 became a manager of a company called ''Founderia Mettali'' (later, ''Stabilimento Tecnico di Fiume'') in Fiume producing ship steam boilers and engines which were the most advanced of that era. He also developed the first self-propelled torpedo which was very popular. Whitehead's torpedo was propelled by a compressed air engine, carried 18lbs dynamites and a self-regulating device which kept the torpedo cruising at a constant preset depth. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Whitehead Whitehead]].

''Fiume'' is now Rijeka, Croatia. Trieste is on the northwestern edge of the Istra Peninsula, Rijeka is east of it. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijeka Fiume]].

Interesting sidebar: Whitehead's fortune from Fiume and the torpedo went solely to his granddaughter Agatha Whitehead, who married Baron von Trapp. The Von Trapp money came from Robert Whitehead, and most of the von Trapp singers were his great-grandchildren.

'''''Alberta''''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_yacht Wikipedia] entry on royal yachts goes back to the 17th century but doesn't include ''Alberta.'' The craft does get a mention in [http://www.bouncing-balls.com/timeline/people/nr_leopoldmorel.htm this page on Leopold and the Congo.]

'''Siluro Dirigibile a Lenta Corsa''' 
or S.L.C. "slow course torpedo", "slow-running torpedo". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_torpedo Wikipedia] Italy‘s Navy was among the first to experiment with manned torpedos. Though according to [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/sm/chariots.html this site] this did not happen until 1935, Italian frogmen as early as October 31, 1918 made it into the harbour of Pula with the help of a modified german torpedo and sank the former Austrian but by then since a few hours Croatian/Slovenian/Bosnian battleship SMS ''Viribus Unitis''. [http://www.geocities.com/tegetthoff66/viribus.html website]

The Wikipedia entry linked above doesn't contain the Italian word ''dirigibile'' (steerable), which sets up the torpedo as a counterpart of the dirigible ''Inconvenience.''

:I suspect there's a connection between the torpedo and "Not the usual lateener, in fact appearing to have neither sails, masts, nor oars" in Miles' reversed vision, [[ATD_243-272#Page_250|page 250.]] Needs work, though.

==Page 530==

'''exfiltrate''' 
Make a surreptitious escape (as "infiltrate" means to make a surreptitious entrance).

'''''Macchè''''' 
Italian: certainly not, not a chance. And in Pynchon's Italian is used as an all-purpose exclamation.

'''''Ehi, stu gazz', categoria''''' 
Stu gazz' is a dialect representation of ''sto cazzo'', literally meaning ''this dick here''. Normally you could translate the sense of the sentence as: ''yeah, why not, a fucking category! ''. -- blicero2 - 2007.02.22

'''''mezzogiornismo''''' 
Denigrating the Italian South. Mezzogiorno means ''midday'' in Italian but refers generally to Southern Italy.

==Page 531==

'''Bruges''' 
An exceptionally beautiful Belgian town of canals which is thus one of several towns known as the 'Venice of the north'. In the 14th cettury Burges already became an international finanacial and trading center, but
started to decline in the 15th century. In the 20th century, however, the city was discovered by the international tourism and the medieval heritage turned out to be a new source of wealth. A new harbor of Zeebrugge, 10 miles outside of Bruges at the North Sea coast, brought new developments and new industries to the region. For the city and its history see ([http://www.trabel.com/brugge.htm Bruges]).

'''Raoul's Atelier de la Vitesse''' 
French: Ralph's Speed Shop.

'''Ghent''' 
Belgian city, less than 30 miles southeast of Bruges, on the rail line about halfway between Ostend and Brussels. It is the fourth largest city of Belgium. It is bigger than Bruges but not as famous as a tourist attraction. But the city is a showcase of medieval Flemish wealth and commercial success. See ([http://www.trabel.com/gent.htm Ghent]).

'''Daimler six-cylinder''' 
Six cylinder engine (most likely a "straight six", as V6 engines weren't made before 1950) manufactured by the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company), German engine and later automobile manufacturer (of the famous Mercedes), in operation from 1890 until 1926. Later merged with the Benz Co. and thus was born the Mercedes Benz. Merged with Chrysler in 1998 and is now know as Daimler AG. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimler_Motoren_Gesellschaft]

'''a hundred horsepower''' 
In the early 1900's, Daimler's top straight six cylinder engines (see above), the only ones being manufactured in continental Europe, could manage an impressive 75 horsepower. So the engine here is most likely a supercharged version of a car engine.

'''''guaglion''''' 
italian (dialectal) = boy, young person

'''Umeki Tsurigane''' 
Umeki is typically made with some combination of the various kanji for "plum" (ume) and "tree" (ki), though one has the ki being the character for "ghost/devil" and one obscure reading that's entirely redundant, where ume is "plant" (usually read ue). There is one where ume is the kanji for "buried or embedded". Tsurigane, means a "temple bell", which can stand alone or be followed by the grass kanji to mean "bellflower" (lots of botanical stuff happening here, if that means anything; hardly the only example in ''AtD''). Given the search for Shambhala going on, "Buried Temple Bell" seems a likely translation, at least at this point; the botanical meanings could perhaps emerge later.

Or, another terrible name-pun? "You make [m]e sore again." See another on P. [[ATD_748-767#Page_757| 757]]

'''Professor Knott''' 
Cargill Knott (1856-1922), professor of physics; seismologist. See his biography [http://www.penicuikcdt.org.uk/Cargill_Knott.html here].

==Page 532==

'''Kimura''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Kimura]] and [[ATD_318-335#Page 318|page 318:Shunkichi Kimura]].

'''drover's sombrero''' 
Cowboy hat.

'''furoshiki''' 
Japanese all-purpose cloth. Can be worn, used as wrapping, or used as a bag.

'''taupe''' 
A brownish gray.

'''boilermakers and their helpers''' 
[[ATD_358-373#Page_360|See annotation to p. 360.]]

'''Anharmonic Pencil''' 
''Pencil'' is a term commonly used in Synthetic Geometry. Straight lines incident with a plane - coplanar lines - and passing through a common point are said to be concurrent lines and the set of all such concurrent coplanar lines is called the ''pencil''. (Cf [[ATD_429-459#Page 456|page 456:Pencil]]). For a figure and a not quite precise definition see [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Pencil.html pencil]. If a, b, c and d, are four distinct coplanar lines and their double ratio λ = (abcd) = -1, then a, b, c, d are called a harmonic quadruple of lines; they are said to constitute a ''harmonic pencil''. A ''pencil'' which is not harmonic then is known as ''anharmonic pencil''. See Pencil (lines 8-9), Double Ratio λ (lines 32-35) and Harmonic Pencil (line 39) of [http://ca.geocities.com/ingsaler6/mathworld.html Mathworld].

'''''Comptes rendus''''' 
''Comptes rendus des séances hebdomadaires,'' Proceedings of the weekly sessions (of the Academy of Sciences), published from 1835, later (ca. 1935) retitled ''Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences,'' Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences. (Notice that the academy didn't see the need to specify "French." Take that, Royal Society of London!) For about a century, one of two journals so universally circulated and recognized that bibliographies nearly always cited them in nickname form: ''C.R.'' The other was ''Ber.,'' short for ''Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft,'' Reports of the German Chemical Society (from 1868).

'''De Forest''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:De Forest]].

'''Gibbs''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Professor Gibbs]].

'''Maxwell Equations''' 
Cf [[ATD_57-80#Page 58|page 58:Maxwell Field Equations]].

==Page 533==

'''aniline teal''' 
The wallpaper dye; aniline dyes were the first synthetic dyes, discovered by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Perkin William Perkin] in 1858. Their intense and fade-resistant colors were very fashionable at the end of the nineteenth century. The dyes are also significant in ''GR'' as the products of I.G. Farben.

'''Heavisiders''' 
Oliver Heaviside (May 18, 1850 – February 3, 1925) was a self-taught English electrical engineer, mathematician and physicist who adapted complex numbers to the study of electrical circuits, developed techniques for applying Laplace transforms to the solution of differential equations, reformulated Maxwell's field equations in terms of electric and magnetic forces and energy flux, and independently co-formulated vector analysis. Although at odds with the scientific establishment for most of his life, Heaviside changed the face of mathematics and science for years to come.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaviside].

'''Grassmanniacs''' 
Nineteenth century German mathematician and linguist, essentially the inventor/discoverer of vector space. Grassmann showed that once geometry is put into the algebraic form he advocated, then the number three has no privileged role as the number of spatial dimensions; the number of possible dimensions is in fact unbounded.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Grassmann].

'''in the mood for a clambake''' 
Anachronistic Broadway show tune? If so, the clambake in ''Carousel'' turns into a brawl; the assembled factions of mathematicians could be in the mood for either a party or a brawl, apparently.

'''Monopole de la Maison''' 
Monopole of the House, a fanciful name of a fanciful drink. 
There is, since 1898, a well known restaurant called ''Monopole Lunch & Sea Grill'' in Plattsburgh of upper New York state. ([http://www.monopole.org Monopole Restaurant]). 
Most probably, it's the Magnetic monopole being referred here. In physics, a monopole is a magnet with a net magnetic charge, i.e. there is only one pole instead of two (so no net magnetic charge) as usual. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_monopole Monopole]). It's existence had been theoretically predicted by various particle theories (superstring theory, etc) but never been proved experimentally. Proving the existence of a monopole would certainly earn a Nobel Prize.

'''Idiom Neutral''' 
An invented language, like Esperanto. Idiom Neutral dictionaries first appeared in 1902. It looks like a simplified Latinate language and it grew out of Volapuk, another "auxiliary language." It was abandoned by the ''Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal'' in 1908.

For a list of all the invented languages that linguists are keeping track of, including Klingon, try [http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/GetListOfConstructedLgs.html Eastern Michigan's Linguist List]. And don't forget to click on the link to "Browse sites devoted to constructed languages."

'''phatic''' 
Basically, small talk or chatter. Words used to convey fellow-feeling rather than to impart information.

'''''Kampf ums Dasein''''' 
German: struggle for existence.

'''Q-brother''' 
Fellow Quaternioneer or Fellow Quaternionist.

'''We are the Jews of mathematics, wandering out here in our diaspora--some destined for the past, others the future, even a few able to set out at unknown angles from the simple line of Time, upon journeys that no one can predict''' 
In keeping with the analogy of Judaism, those "few" people within the Quaternionists "able to set out at unknown angles" are most likely being compared to Kabbalists who claim to partake in a mystic "journey to the Throne of God through the mythological realm of the seven heavens" (Armstrong, A History of God--p. 247). Throne Mysticism in Kabbalah is explored extensively in Gravity's Rainbow.

Perhaps this is obvious to some, but these "Jews of Mathematics" worship the Hamiltonian Tetractys [http://www.math.ucr.edu/home/baez/dublin/]; those other Jews worshipped the Tetragrammatron. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton] The proliferation of 4s continues.

==Page 534==

'''Poiret gown''' 
A gown designed by Paul Poiret (1879-1944), a French fashion designer based in Paris. "In the annals of fashion history, Paul Poiret is best remembered for freeing women from corsets and further liberating them through pantaloons . . . it was Poiret's remarkable innovations in the cut and construction of clothing . . . Working with fabric directly onto the body, Poiret helped to pioneer a radical approach to dressmakeing that relied more on the skills of drapery than on those of tailoring." (from [http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={0DC3D00F-4611-4F91-8DC2-CC3C1A5C48D5} MetMuseum],
New York Metropolitan Museum's Special Exhibitions, ''Poiret: King of Fashion'', May 9, 2007 to August 5, 2007). For a picture of Poiret gown see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Poiretgown.jpg Poiret Gown]. ''The New York Times'' reported on February 1, 2007 that A Poiret Gown Brings $5,500 at [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07EFDA1538F93AA15756C0A967948260 Christie's Auction] - the gown was made in 1913 when Poiret was at the height of his career. For his bio see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Poiret Poiret].

'''''green and long''''' 
Pickle, or... what?
: A green and long ''gherkin'' (a small, immature fruit of a variety of cucumber used in pickling).

==Page 535==

'''no-name wine''' 
1970s idiom for common European practice?

'''set theory''' 
Set theory deals with the properties of well-defined collections, or ''sets'', of entities - the ''elements'' or ''members'' of the set - conceived as a whole. The elements may be of a mathematical nature or non-mathematical. The set theory grew out of the German mathematician Georg Cantor's (1845-1918) study of infinite sets of real numbers.

The ''language of sets'' has become an important tool for all branches of mathematics, but is of very little relevance to the practice of mathematics in everyday life. As a source of metaphors, however, it's been quite productive; "subset," "superset," "universe," "intersection" and "Venn diagram" have found varying degrees of acceptance. Recasting Aristotle's syllogisms in set-theoretic language also makes them easier for many people to understand.

'''Hamilton . . . early genius''' 
Hamilton, according to ''Chambers Biographical Dictionary'', "at fifteen knew thirteen languages, had read Newton's ''Principia'', and commenced original investigations". At twenty-two, "while still an undergraduate, he was appointed professor of Astronomy at Dublin and Irish Astronomer-Royal"; at thirty "he was knighted".

'''Hamilton . . . in the grip of a first love''' 
??? 
Pynchon probably didn't mean Quaternion was Hamilton's first love, but its effect on him was similar to that of a first love. In 1843 at the age of 38 Hamilton invented the Quaternion, the first non-communtative algebra to be studied. He felt this would revolutionise mathematical physics, and he spent the rest of his life working on it. In 1853 he published a large volume, ''Lectures on Quaternions'', on his grand invention. The last seven years of his life, Hamilton was writing an 800-page book ''Elements of Quaternions'' modeling on Euclid's ''Elements''. The last chapter of the book was completed by his son after his death.

'''the Walt Whitman of English physics''' 
Whitman pops up again, last seen on [[ATD_489-524#Page_491|page 491]].

==Page 536==

'''Oscar Wilde''' 
Note that Wilde's Dorian Gray also undergoes a kind of bilocation.

'''Kursaal''' 
German: "cure hall" aka a spa or, more generally, a place of healthy amusement, eg casino.

'''vectors''' 
For serious minds, see Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 526|page 526: Gibbsian Vectors]], but let's follow Pynchon's lighter mood, here is a non-mathematical definition by Kamen (1995):
:''Many things have more than direction;''
:''The magnitude is also a question.''
:''With acceleration or force,''
:''And many more things, of course,''
:''It's vectors that make the connection.''

'''Curls''' 
Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326: Curl]]: curl is a vector operator that shows a vector field's rate of rotation.

'''Laplacians''' 
Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace (March 23, 1749 – March 5, 1827); French mathematician and astronomer who summarized and extended the work of his predecessors in his five volume Mécanique Céleste (Celestial Mechanics) (1799-1825), translating the geometrical study of mechanics used by Isaac Newton to one based on calculus, known as physical mechanics.

He is also the discoverer of Laplace's equation. Although the Laplace transform is named in honor of Laplace, who used the transform in his work on probability theory, the transform was discovered originally by Leonhard Euler. The Laplace transform appears in all branches of mathematical physics — a field he took a leading role in forming. The Laplacian differential operator, much relied-upon in applied mathematics, is likewise named after him. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace].

:Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326: Laplacian]]: Laplacian is a differential operator named after Laplace. The text here was talking about mathematical operations and operators — rates of change, rotations, partial differentials, Curls, ''Laplacians'', . . .

'''beginning to appal''' 
By 1905 there had been years of outrage at conditions in the Belgian Congo, King Leopold's private fief. Conrad's ''Heart of Darkness'' had been published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899 and as a book in 1902. There were missionaries' accounts of the brutality, and newspaper reports. Leopold and his apologists published rebuttals. The Norton Critical Edition of ''Heart of Darkness'' contains an extensive collection of both.

'''baize''' 
Baize is a coarse woolen felt.

==Page 537==

'''broken symmetries''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_symmetry Broken symmetry] is a concept used widely in mathematics and physics. For a simplest explanation (good enough for the text here), this term means that an object breaks either rotational symmetry or translational sysmetry - when one can only rotate an object in certain angles or when one is able to tell if the object has been shifted sideways. For a little bit more detailed explanation see [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/OrderParameters/BrokenSymmetry.html Identify the Broken Symmetry]; or even more [http://scienceweek.com/2005/sw050708-6.htm On Broken Symmetry].

'''''sphinxe Khnopffienne''''' 
refers to the Belgian symbolist painter Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921), famous for his painting "The Caress", in which a female sphinx erotically lures a young man. The painting can be seen in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernand_Khnopff wikipedia entry]

'''Pléiade Lafrisée''' 
in French, "friser" means to curl or twist. "La frisée" could mean "curled," by extension "twisted." The Pleiades is a cluster of hundreds of stars, though only a few are visible, sometimes referred to as The Seven Sisters. If Pleiades are Sisters, Pléiade is ''one'' Sister, so her name means Twisted Sister!

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas (you kow, the guy who was condemned to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity) and the sea-nymph Pleione.

They are:
Maia, eldest of the seven Pleiades, was mother of Hermes by Zeus.
Electra was mother of Dardanus and Iasion by Zeus.
Taygete was mother of Lacedaemon, also by Zeus.
Alcyone was mother of Hyrieus by Poseidon.
Celaeno was mother of Lycus and Eurypylus by Poseidon.
Sterope (also Asterope) was mother of Oenomaus by Ares.
Merope, youngest of the seven Pleiades, wooed by Orion. In other mythic contexts she married Sisyphus and, becoming mortal, faded away. She bore to Sisyphus several sons.

Pléïade is also used in French to describe a group of talented people. When capitalized, it refers to a group of poets. It is also the name of the most prstigious collection of books published in French. If you make it to the Pléïade, you become an immortal author.

Lafrisée translates literally to "The Curly One"

'''''Conseilleuse''''' 
Female consultant?

Not an actual French word, but it's tolerable. If we were to describe somebody who counsels or gives advice (in the female form), it would be "conseillère". The suffix "euse" is sometimes used in French to denote a lesser form. In French Canada, for example, the word "violoniste" is used to describe a "violonist", and "violonneux" is used to describe a "fiddler". Therefore, "Conseilleuse" would suggest an unofficial counseler of sorts.

==Page 538==

'''retroversion matrix''' 
???

'''''Ma foi''''' 
Literally "My faith", i.e. "By my faith!", a mild exclamation of incredulity.

'''ten thousand francs''' 

Based on currency conversions relative to gold, this is equivalent to
about $30,000 US today.

'''piker''' 
Someone cheap or cautious, possibly named after people from PIke County, Missouri, who came to California in the 1800s, looking for work. They were poor, hence cheap.

'''what is a Quaternino?''' 
Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]] for a mathematical definition. From ''The Random House Dictionary of the English Languages'', The Unabridged Edition (1966): Quaternion is "a quantity or operator expressed as the sum of a real number and three complex numbers, equivalent to the ''quotient of two vectors''. The field of quaternions is not commutative under multiplication.".

'''Bertie ('Mad Dog') Russell''' 
'Mad Dog' seems to be used with heavy irony here. Bertrand Russell was known most for his rationalism, so to speak, his work in modern logic.
He did little in his public roles (at this time in AtD) that would have
him referred to as "crazy', as we say, beyond the social norm, "mad".
It might be argued that his use of 'logic' against philosophers such as Hegel and McTaggart within ''Against the Day'' showed up their 'madness'.
(Many did think McTaggart was a bit...different...for seriously not believing in Time.) McTaggart broke with Russell after an early influential friendship---Russell was the younger man and the influenced one. He said he was an Hegelian because of McTaggart--Russell wrote in his
Autobiography that McTaggart said he no longer wanted to meet/talk with him bcause he could no longer stand Russell's opinions.

[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1950/russell-bio.html Bertrand Russell] (1872-1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician and social critic. Best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. In late spring of 1901 he discovered the so-called [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell-paradox/ Russell Paradox], "the most famous of the logical or set-theoretical paradoxes. The paradox arises within naive set theory by considering the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Such a set appears to be a member of itself if and only if it is not a member of itself, hence the paradox." (On-line Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He won the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature in "recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought".

'''Barry Nebulay''' 
[[ATD_525-556#Page_526|See annotations to page 526.]]

'''Hegel... puns''' 
Probably refers to the fact that quite a lot of Hegel's philosophy deals with the is-ness of the world as we know and experience it.

On page 787 of Bertrand Russell's ''History of Western Philosophy'' is a summary, perhaps, of this remark about Hegel's puns: "as a result of analysis of the concept "existence", modern logic has proved this [Cartesianism, refuted by Kant, reinstated by Hegel] argument invalid....."

We know from other places that TRP himself seems to 'not like' Cartesianism. See 'cartesian' citations within this wiki.

==Page 539==

'''a vector quotient''' 
The result of one vector divided by another. According to the English dictionary definition of previous page this is just a Quaternion.

'''unit vector''' 
Unit vector is a vector with magnitude of one. The unit vectors in 3-dimensional space, ''i, j, k'', associated with ''x, y, z'' directions are used in defining a general 3D vector (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 526|page 526:Gibbsian Vectors]]).

'''''square root of minus one''''' 
Imaginary number (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 132|page 133:Imaginary Number]]). The imaginary numbers ''i, j, k'' are used in defining a Quaternion (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]]).

''''Triangle Asana'''' 
A basic yoga pose.

[http://yoga.org.nz/postures/yoga_positions_images_page.htm Here are images of several basic poses.]

''''Dr Rao abruptly vanished'''' 
Might be a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner Martin Gardner]'s
[http://www.amazon.com/No-Sided-Professor-Fantasy-Mystery-Philosophy/dp/0879753900 "No-Sided Professor"]

''''Quadrantal Versor Asana'''' 
A triangle pose taken that extra dimension.

'''''"Uwe moer!"''''' 
Looks a lot like the Dutch "Uw moeder!" - a cry of astonishment ("Your mother!"), the equivalent to the black English "yo mama".

'''noncommutative''' 
A term typical to mathematics. A commutative equation is one that can operate in exact reverse and still yield the same results. 'Noncommutative' then suggests unidirectionality. The ability to go from point A to point B, but not from B to A.

'''reticule''' 
A woman's drawstring handbag; usually made of net or beading or brocade; also: A system of lines forming a pattern of squares at the focal plane of a telescope, used in micrometers.
[http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/glossary.htm]
:Isn't that sort of a red herring? "[P]roducing from her reticule a . . . watch" doesn't really allow of that second meaning. 
:It could be a pun, since a reticule/ handbag always shows its pattern of lines, and a watch (timepiece) is drawn from it. Remember that, e.g. railroad lines of tracks, are a sign of industrialism encroaching on the natural and the spiritual.

'''Vacheron & Constantin watch''' 
Made by a Swiss company founded in 1755. From 1819 to 1970 the name was as in the text, then the & dropped out. See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacheron_Constantin Wikipedia entry.]

'''hunting-case''' 
For a pocket watch, a case with a hinged metal cover. More often called "hunter case" (and such a watch a "hunter").

==Page 540==

'''"haar rekening, ja?"''' 
''Her bill, yes?" (Dutch/Flemish) I.e., give the check to the lady.

Given the presence of Chris 'Kit' Traverse here, this very much suggests a reference to Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe, Elizabethan poet, playwright and contemporary of Shakespeare. Marlowe was stabbed to death in 1593, in murky circumstances, ostensibly over a bill or 'reckoning', though he was widely believed to have been involved in some form of espionage.

Strictly speaking "haar rekening" means that the lady pays for herself only. If Root wanted to make sure that Pléiade pays for the whole company he would have to say "de hele rekening voor de dame".

That is not correct; "haar rekening, ja?" unambiguously means that they are making sure that the entire bill will be for her.

'''Piet Woevre''' 
The Woëvre is a natural region of Lorraine in north-east France. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of Meuse. During World War I, there was much fighting there due to vast mineral resources that had been discovered in the Briey basin or Eastern Woevre at the end of the 19th century. "Piet" is Dutch for "rock" or "stone" and is a fairly common Dutch name, the English equivalent being Peter.

Piet doesn't have a meaning as a name in Dutch, it is just a fairly common name and denotes that he is from humble origin (whereas he superior de Decker may be from nobility).

Woevre is not a common name in Flandres. Interestingly the sound reminds one immidiately of Woeste, which is a better know name. Charles Woeste (1837-1922) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Woeste] was a conservative catholic politician in Belgium trying to stop the struggle of the liberation of the Flemish textile workers in Aalst by Priester Daens[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Daens] .

If the surname is pronounced as in Dutch, Woevre is another Pynchon villain with a "V"-name (Vond, Weissman, Vibe).

This is not correct, neither in Dutch nor in French (which would be the language spoken by the upper class in Belgium at that time) is the W pronounced as a V. So it is not a "V"-name.

'''Force Publique''' 
The Force Publique (FP) was the official armed force for what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of direct Belgian rule (1908-60), until the beginning of the Second Republic in 1965. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique Wikipedia entry]

'''made him reach''' 
Possible allusion to a famous line, "When I hear the word culture I reach for my gun." From Hanns Johst's biographical play ''Schlageter''. The original line is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning," "Whenever I hear of culture... I release the safety-catch of my Browning!" (Act 1, Scene 1). It is spoken by another character in conversation with the young Schlageter. In the scene Schlageter and his wartime comrade Friedrich Thiemann are studying for a college examination, but then start disputing whether it's worthwhile doing so when the nation is not free.

The line is often misattributed to better-known Nazis and others [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanns_Johst].

*In Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 film [http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/0997/09057.html ''Le Mépris'' (''Contempt'')], Jack Palance's character "Jeremy Prokosch," an American movie-producer, intones to Fritz Lang: "Whenever I hear the word culture, I reach for my checkbook."

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That's_When_I_Reach_For_My_Revolver That's When I Reach for My Revolver] is a song written in the beginning of the 1980ies by Clint Conley of Mission of Burma. It has been covered many times, most prominently by Moby.

'''not unambiguous''' 
Ie, ambiguous.

'''''rastaquoueres''''' 
Social upstarts

'''de Decker''' 
In Dutch/Flemish, the name means "roofer." (''De'' in these names almost never means "of, from" as in French; it's nearly always the definite article.)

The small "d" in "de Decker" denotes that he is from the upper-class, likely nobility. Piet Woevre, on the contrary, is a much more common name.

==Page 541==

'''''bobbejaan''''' 
Afrikaans: baboon. (Afrikaans is the language spoken by descendants of Dutch colonists in present-day South Africa. Some items identified as Dutch or Flemish in this wiki may really be Afrikaans.)

The South African song "Bobbejaan klim die berg" ("Bobbejaan climbed the hill") is the source of the stage name of Belgium's most famous country and western musician, Bobbejaan Schoepen (b. 1925). In 1943 he was suppressed by the Nazis after performing a South African song, "Mamma, 'k wil 'n man hê" ("Mama, I want a man"), which contains the line "No, Mama, I don't want a German, because I don't like pork." He founded the Bobbejaanland theme park in Belgium, where he still lives.

'''MKIV/ODC... Mark Four''' 
This would be the Mark IV Ohmic Drift Compensator ([[ATD 557-587#Page 565|Page 565]]), a key component of the Q-weapon, which "regulates how much light is allowed to enter the silvering of the mirror! Special kind of refraction! Calibrated against imaginary index! Dangerous! Of the essence!'"

'''not part of your remit''' 
Not included in your job description, instructions, authorization. "Remit" (noun) is usually a British usage.

'''''gatkruiper''''' 
Dutch/Flemish: brownnose, ass-kisser.

'''one on her wrist''' 
All the bruises reflect some refinement or artistry except this one, which may have been inflicted crudely.

'''over the day''' 
Title motif?

==Page 542==

'''trans-horizontic''' 
Across the horizon " a screaming comes across the sky"

'''Edmund Whittaker''' 
Edmund Whittaker (1873-1956), an English mathematician. He is best known for his work in numerical analysis. And he contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of applied mathermatics and physics. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._T._Whittaker Whittaker]).

The Sir Edmund Whittaker Memorial Prize is awarded every four years by the Edinburgh Mathematical Society to an outstanding young mathematician having a specified connection with Scotland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Edmund_Whittaker_Memorial_Prize].

'''louche''' 
The cloudy effect caused by the addition of water to absinthe. Dictionary definition: "of questionable taste or morality; decadent."

'''"Now, with no sensible passage of time, the rooms were resonant with absence."''' 
Cf. [[ATD_397-428#Page_414|page 414]], where Chick Counterfly first encounters the Trespassers at Candlebrow U. ("as if positive expressions of silence and absence were being deployed against him").

'''cheval-glass''' 
Standing mirror in a freestanding vertical frame.

'''as if someone''' 
Sound-cancelling vs opacity-cancelling?

'''"dressing-gown...faceless, armless, attending him"''' 
Not saying this is a deliberate reference by TRP, but this section where Kit appears to see Pliéiade Lafrisée's dressing-gown standing by itself in the moonlight against the window reminds me strongly of a particular image from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany ''A Prayer for Owen Meany''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving John Irving]. Without going on forever here, if you know that book, you probably know the image I'm talking about, and it's uncannily similar to this section of ''AtD''...a faceless, armless mannequin holding a dress belonging to the narrator's mother, taken by Owen to be an angel of death. It's a central image in that novel that recurs in various ways.

Isn't there an apparition like this in one of the ghost stories of M.R. James? James (1862-1936) is the British author famous for, among other things, the story ("Casting of the Runes") which was turned into the 1957 horror film "Night of the Demon." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.R._James]

==Page 543==

'''wraith of Pleiade Lafrisee'''

Pleiade manifests one of her not-visible stars. Perhaps this sister has somehow twisted herself on an imaginary axis ala Dr. V. Ganesh Rao.

'''monitory''' 
Warning, giving advice, by extension ominous or menacing.

'''Against....the day....'''
Note: this phrase happens at the exact halfway point of the novel: p.542.3

'''He Who Must Come''' 
The evil-doer who must come might be Adolf Hitler. It would make sense. The implication being that Europe is precipitating into a no-return situation. Capitalism cannot but end in WW2. 
Ah, a lot more and less than capitalism going on here, especially if anyone specific like Hitler is meant.
:When French writers use this phrase (''celui qui doit venir'') they '''do''' mean the Messiah . . . although a few devout quibblers point out that the Messiah has already come. It's rather tiresome Googling the phrase; the first 83 hits definitely refer to Christ and most of them quote the first verses of Matthew 11. But there's also a Camus reference (in English, I think) down at No. 90, if anyone has a JSTOR account:
:links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0361-1299(1985)39%3A4%3C251%3ACFS%22M%3E2.0.CO%3B2-X

Recalls Yeats' 'The Second Coming' once again: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" [http://chumpsofchoice.blogspot.com/2007/05/casino-royale-in-flanders-field.html#c3637134446204467798 ]

What this had *me* thinking of was the aria "Es gibt ein Reich" in the Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hofmannstal opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_auf_Naxos]. When Ariadne sings this, in Act II, she has been abandoned by her lover and she awaits the arrival of the god Hermes, who will surely carry her off into The Land of the Dead. A portion of the von Hofmannstal text can be translated as "Soon a herald will come, / Hermes is his name [...] It is you who will save me, / My captive soul freed of this burden of being." Here's some good writing that places the aria in context. [http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1680.html ] The opera had its premiere in 1912, but Strauss and von Hofmannstal were *very* much a part of this period. And, of course, Strauss-iana does pop up around here.

'''General Boulanger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Boulanger Georges Boulanger], French military man, and War Minister in the late 19th century. He was one of those men "on a white horse" that some conservatives looked to, as he urged an attack on Germany and the end of the French Republic with a return to monarchy. He was also notorious for his harsh reprisals against workers' demonstrations. "'Boulangisme'" threatened a coup in 1889, but the general's procrastination brought the crisis to an end. 
In ''The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism''
by Matthew Carr, 2007, Boulanger is called the "father" of fascism.

'''what death and what transfiguration''' 
Allusion to Richard Strauss' tone poem "Death and Transfiguration" (''Tod und Verklärung''), premiered in 1890.

'''''"Zeker"''''' 
Dutch: certainly.

'''''dead cert''''' 
Dead certainty, sure thing.

'''Von Schlieffen''' 
Alfred von Schlieffen was the author of a German war plan to win a two-front war against both France and Russia by quickly defeating France before Russian troops could be mobilized. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_Plan Schlieffen Plan] included an attack on France through Belgium, disregarding its neutrality.

'''Wilhelm has offered Leopold part of France, the ancient Duchy of Burgundy''' 
[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/fr-bg.html History of the duchy.] [http://www.freiburg-madison.de/freiburg_history/1386-1517_The%20Early%20Habsburgs.htm Map,] with portrait of Duke Charles the Rash.

'''lowlands''' 
Title of Pynchon's first published story. Here, ass?

Actually the second published story, being "The Small Rain" the first in '59. And I think it means literally lowlands, as they are below sea level.

The Netherlands and Flandres are known as the Low Lands (Nether/Neder = under, below).

==Page 544==

'''Place d'Armes''' 
Main square of Ostend; literally "drill field".

'''peau de soie''' 
"Skin of silk" A heavy, smooth satin with very fine ribbing; somewhat dull in sheen compared with traditional silk finishes.

'''Krafft-Ebing''' 
Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, Austro-German psychiatrist and author of ''Psychopathia Sexualis'' (1886), a pioneering study of deviant sexual behavior and fetishism. Coined both ''sadism'' and ''masochism'' as terms for these respective behaviors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Freiherr_von_Krafft-Ebing Wikipedia entry].

'''toque''' 
Toque here refers to a lady's hat, originally of fur but here in velvet, which is rather like a flattened chef's hat in shape.

Proust: in ''À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs'' the narrator first sees Albertine wearing a toque. There seem to be quite a few Proust themes and references running throughout the novel. Indeed '''Pléiade''' is the French publisher of Proust's works.

'''guipure''' 
Lace trim.

'''midinette''' 
A shopgirl or dressmakers apprentice. A milliner.
These days, mostly used to describe a naive and sentimental young girl

'''Lambic''' 
A distinctive Belgian style of beer. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic Wikipedia]

'''sous''' 

Coins. Originally Roman gold coins, latterly any kind of coin.

Also an old French currency

Specifically small change. She is affecting modesty by claiming that a hat like hers can be had for pennies in any unpretentious shop. In France "sou is used as slang for money, as in ''sans le sou''. 'I'm broke', 'without money'. It is also a slang term for the Canadian cent (standard French, cent)." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sou Wikipedia])

'''mayonnaise''' 
Brautigan's "Trout Fishing in America" famously ends with the word mayonnaise. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0395500761&id=rbEjDovfyNMC&pg=RA2-PA111&lpg=RA2-PA111&ots=ELKl5b_6Tx&dq=mayonnaise+trout.fishing&num=100&sig=BiyXRqJXRGrMWbrBNgn8de2kpCo#PRA2-PA112,M1 GoogleBooks]

'''ovoöleaginous''' 
Another Pynchonic word combination, here denoting the two main ingredients of mayonnaise: 1) eggs, and 2) oil. It's not "fecoventilatory collision" as seen in "Vineland," but it's nice.

'''Grenache''' 
Grape commonly used in Rhone Valley wines e.g. Chateauneuf du Pape.

in this case, it refers to a deep, dark shade of red

'''Chantilly''' 

Region north of Paris.

Here the reference is to crème chantilly otherwise known as whipped cream. Chantilly mayonnaise is made by incorporating the beaten egg whites for extra lightness.

'''attainder''' 
Legislative act declaring that a person is guilty of a crime and setting punishment without the benefit of a formal trial. The Constitution forbids the federal government (Article I, Section 9, clause 3) and the state governments (Article I, Section 10, clause 1) from passing bills of attainder.
[www.historycentral.com/Civics/B.html]

''''''Aux armes, citoyens'''''' 
''To arms, citizens'', from the French national anthem, ''La Marseillaise'' (1792). Kit confused La Mayonnaise with La Marseillaise. 
I don't think he's confused - he suspects Pleiade and is making a point ironically. A James-Bondish sort of quip. In fact this whole incident is Bondish and Pleiade is a Bond-type seductress. And let's not forget, Kit is surrounded by Flemings...

Interesting foresight from Thomas Pynchon. The Belgian Federal Elections of June 10th 2007 led to very long and difficult coalition negotiations. Yves Leterme, the leader of the Flemish Christian Deomocratic Party CD&V was the big winner of the elections in Flandres with a very much pro-Flemish programme (some would say, an alomost separatist programme). Mr Leterme encountered enormous difficulty setting up a government and was not popular at all in the southern (French-speaking) part of Belgium. When asked on July 21st 2007 (the Belgian National Holiday) if he knew the Belgian National Hymn in French, he started singing the French National Hymn, The Marseillaise instead of the Belgian National Hymn, The Brabançonne, shocking a large part of the Belgian population. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABTR2Xe_sGw]

'''Louis XV''' 
King of France 1715-1774 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XV].

'''Cléo de Mérode''' 
Glamorous French ballerina (1875-1966), later Follies Bergere dancer and famous beauty. Her reputed intimacy with King Leopold was only a rumor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleo_de_Merode]. The character Madame Leonora Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's ''A Little Night Music'' has some features in common with her.

'''Marquise de Pompadour''' 
Mistress of Louis XV,once friend of Voltaire and a power behind official scenes.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_de_Pompadour].

'''Neuropathists would recognize in both kings a desire to construct a self-consistent world to live inside, which allows them to continue the great damage they are inflicting on the world the rest of us must live in.'''

Cf. Crime and Punishment

==Page 545==

'''duc de Richelieu''' 
Duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), marshal of France, was a grandnephew of Cardinal Richelieu, and born in Paris. Apart from his reputation as a man of exceptionally loose morals, he attained, in spite of a defective education, distinction as a diplomatist and general. ([http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Louis_Francois_Armand_du_Plessis,_duc_de_Richelieu duc de Richelieu] and cf [[ATD_489-524#Page 490|page 490:duc de Richelieu]])

'''dubious 'victory' in 1756''' 
As part of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), a Marshal of France, won a victory in the Battle of Minorca (May 20, 1756) over John Byng (1704-1757), a British Admiral. In spring of 1756 John Byng was sent with a small and undermanned fleet to relieve the British ''Port Mahon'' on the Mediterranean island of Minorca. During the battle ensued, several British ships were badly damaged by the French squadron while others, including Byng's flagship, were still out of effective firing range. Instead of engaging the enemy directly, Byng decided to keep the formation, allowing the French fleet to get away undamaged. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca Battle of Minorca]).

'''the ill-fated Admiral Byng''' 
John Byng, convicted by court-martial of failure "to do his utmost" in the battle, shot in 1757. Remembered because of (1) his being the last officer of flag rank to be put to death for conduct in battle and (2) Voltaire's gag in ''Candide:'' "In this country it is good to kill an admiral from time to time in order to encourage the others."

'''cantharides''' 
"Spanish fly," contact irritant sometimes ill-advisedly used as aphrodisiac.

'''Sadean''' 
Pertaining to the Marquis de Sade. The acts the chef performs on the egg and oil have the same names as acts of Sadean sex.

'''''n'est-ce pas?''''' 
Right? (Isn't that so?)

'''vetiver''' 
A grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) of tropical India, cultivated for its aromatic roots that yield an oil used in perfumery.
[www.answers.com/topic/vetiver]. So, a perfume with, llterallly, roots in India.

Vetiver makes frequent appearances throughout ''À la recherche du temps perdu.''

'''pip''' 
A beaut; in current parlance, a hottie.

'''Q.P. system''' 
Quaternion Probability, page 536.

'''Usine Régionale''' 
French: as translated in the text.

Actually, this is not proper French at all! Regional Mayonnaise Works should translate as "Usine Régionale de Mayonnaise" or, even better "Fabrique Régionale de Mayonnaise". "Usine ''à la'' mayonnaise" means mayo flavored factory, which makes no sense at all... or does it?

==Page 546==

'''disjunctive effects of thunderstorms''' 
Folk wisdom says a thunderstorm will cause mayonnaise to separate (oil from yolks).

'''cottonseed oil'''

Mayonnaise like Smegmo and Crisco is a hydrogenated fat; cottonseed oil is a common factor to all three. Indeed, the name Crisco derives from the intial sounds of "'''crys'''tallized '''c'''ottonseed '''o'''il". Note in the next few pages a mention of Candlebrow -- underscoring a tie-in between Mayonnaise and Smegmo.
[http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:ATD_525-556 Discussion]

'''lounge suit''' 
A lounge suit is another name for business suit consisting of a matching jacket and trousers or skirt.

'''congress shoes''' 
ankle high shoes with elastic gussets in the sides (wordweb online)

'''invisible hand'''

Suggestive of Adam Smith's metaphor for market forces in economics.

'''dripping-heads''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise To make mayonnaise,] beat together egg yolks, salt, mustard and vinegar, then drip in oil while beating to form the emulsion. If you scale the process up for industrial production, you will automate the introduction of the oil, using nozzles that release it a drop at a time—but in a large vat you can have many such nozzles.

'''''cuves d'agitation''''' 
Vat or tank in which the mayonnaise is agitated or beaten.

'''Clinique d'Urgence pour Sauvetage des Sauces''' 
French: Emergency Clinic for Salvage of Sauces.

If I were to nitpick (which I always do when it comes to my mother tongue), I would point out that it should read Clinique d'Urgence pour '''le''' Sauvetage des Sauces (i.e.: Emergency Clinic for '''the''' Salvage of Sauces).

Pynchon is having fun here. The simple way to "save" a mayonnaise is to add a spoonful of water.

'''Mayonnaise!''' 
This scene reminds one of the famous scene in the Tricatel factory in the French movie "l'Aile ou la cuisse" with Louis de Funes and Coluche. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074103/]. Charles Duchemin (Louis de Funes) is a famous restaurant critic in a struggle with the industrial food producer Jacques Tricatel (Julien Guiomar). During the movie Charles Duchemin ends with his son Gerard (Coluche) in the Tricatel factory to discover how this food is being made. The factory has no visible workers, but Tricatel discovers them and tries to get them killed. The end up in giant pastries, tanks of thick sauses etc.

==Page 547==

'''' ...engulfed in thick, slick, sour-smelling mayonnaise. ''''
The whole Kit's experience in the mayonnaise factory is very much reminiscent to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl Roald Dahl]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory].

'''''Cazzo, cretino''''' 
Literally, "Dick, cretin." ''Cazzo'' is a common Italian interjectionary obscenity, especially in the south. "Cazzo, cretino," is akin to someone saying, "Well shit, dummy," or "F-ing moron!"

'''''È il cowboy!''''' 
Italian: It's the cowboy!

'''''vero?''''' 
true? real?

'''''Le bambole anarchiste, porca miseria''''' 
Italian: Anarchist babes, oh boy.

'''Oudenberg''' 
A southeast suburb of Ostende.

'''Quai de l'Entrepôt''' 
Warehouse Quay

'''''ragazzi''''' 
Italian: boys, guys.

==Page 548==

'''General Boulanger''' 
That the General was 'reactionary' and that the C of C bureaucracy had a 'defiant residue' of Boulangism, continues the characterization of the organization for which the Chums 'work'. 
See p. 543 above, regarding a 2007 book in which Boulanger is called the 'father of fascism'.

'''''timbres fictifs''''' 
French: fictive postage stamps. Cf "Lot 49". 
Yes, stamps mean something in Pynchon's works; here, it seems important that these stamps are characterized as frauds.

'''"IIIb"''' 
As explained in the text. 
"Section IIIB (Intelligence) of the German High Command. After WWI, was funded by Alfred Hugenberg (financial backer of Nazi party)". From ''Sabotage'' by Sayers & Kahn, 1942.[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22IIIB%27+%2B+INTELLIGENCE&btnG=Search]. The authors state in the Forward, in 1942, "that 'Nazi Germany' is the creation of spies and saboteurs". See ''V.'' & ''Gravity's Rainbow'', of course.

'''Germany might stand a better chance...''' 
That is, if the French were to push into Alsace (per Boulanger) as the Germans executed the Schlieffen Plan [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_plan] for the encirclement of Paris, it would put the French at an even greater disadvantage...as actually happened in 1914. Had the Belgians and British not delayed the Germans in Flanders, and had the French railroads not performed speedily to bring the French troops back to the Marne, World War I could have had a very different outcome...an alternate history.

'''revanchist''' 
Policies based on revenge, or a person following such policies. In General Boulanger's case, revenge against Germany for the Franco-Prussian War (that is, retaking Alsace, lost in 1871).

'''the somewhat discomposed General''' 
Having died in 1891, the General by the time of the action is certainly somewhat '''de'''composed; brief biographies do not suggest he was ''non compos mentis,'' that is, mentally discomposed.

==Page 549==
'''grow more and more invisible''' 
What could be meant? Clearly, they inhabit bodies that people interact with?, as well as being characters in works of fiction. 
Given what happens with the Chums as the story progresses [Spoiler bit, thematically], I suggest that their invisibility here
means the entering of simple human life, to live out their lives 'anonymously' in history. I want to suggest this is largely a positive vision, indicated in other ways and places as well in TRPs work. Here is an overt bit of circumstantial evidence from Pynchon's introduction to Jim Dodge's novel ''Stone Junction'': 
"Equally difficult for those who might wish to proceed through life
anonymously and without trace has been the continuing assault against
the once-reliable refuge of the cash or non-plastic economy." [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_stone.html]

'''cackled Darby''' 
(When did he lose his innocence?)

'''a modification of any salsician metaphor toward the diminutive''' 
Salsician: pertaining to sausage. Lindsay says Suckling's penis is better compared to a wiener than a knockwurst.

'''"Why you little–and I do mean 'little'–"''' 
Another Simpsons reference?

Noseworth, the Master-At-Arms of the Chums division of this organization with a defiant residue of 'fascism', who had no smell to Pugnax early on,
is called out, either for real or in a sex-bashing putdown, for homosexuality. cf. homosexuality as a metaphor in ''Gravity's Rainbow''.

'''dunes between Nieuport and Dunkirk''' 
Nieuport is a Belgian seaport about 10 miles southwest of Ostend. Dunkirk is a French port (less than 10 miles inside the French border) about 20 miles southwest of Nieuport. The latter was a site of one of the bloodest battle in World War I. The general area between Niewport and Dunkirk was the well traversed battle fields of two world wars. (Dunkirk was (in)famous for the British Army's escape from the Nazi German's assault in World War II.)

'''power-receivers''' 
Not information, energy.

==Page 550==

'''Lot's wife''' 
Angels of God led Lot and his family out of Sodom as it was being destroyed and told them not to look back at the mayhem. Lot's wife, Edith, imprudently looked back and was transfigured into a pillar of salt.

'''preference...for interiors''' 
In [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361 Mason & Dixon, p. 354]
, the interiors of some coaches were larger than their exterior dimensions. Interiors have importance in Pynchon's worldview. Cf. "invisibility", and a 'human life' above. 

'''Italian grotto''' 
an imitating recess or structure made to resemble a natural Italian grotto.

'''a highly developed taste, moreover, for human blood''' 
Since Pugnax developed this taste in the Carpathians, home of Castle Dracula, this seems a clear reference to Bram Stoker's novel.

'''Carpathians''' 
Major mountain range running northwest-southeast through Poland, Slovakia, western Ukraine and Romania.

'''Uhlans''' 
Uhlan regiments belonged to the light cavalry. They wore splendid uniforms (model for some U.S. marching band uniforms). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhlan Wikipedia article.]

'''Temesvár''' 
Now Timişoara, extreme western Romania.

==Page 551==
'''prefiguration...of the holy City''' 
City of God, ala Augustine? ''The Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophers''[http://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-City-Eighteenth-Century-Philosophers/dp/0300101503]
, as explored in the book Ian McEwan says he lent Pynchon? [citation needed] 

'''...separated by only a slice of Time...''' 
Miles is beginning to experience Time almost as a spatial dimension, his personal vector as traversing (!) 4-dimensional space, or perhaps multidimensional space, the mathematics for which is being debated in Ostend.

'''securing the mess decks''' 
The Chums follow U.S. Navy idiom in orders (frequently prefixed with "Now") and shipboard activities ("secure" meaning "whatever you did before, undo it now," in this case put away the dishes and fold up the tables).

'''Ryder Thorn''' 
Tolkienesque name? Or perhaps it's a nod to the Ryder-Waite Tarot deck and to Kevin Thorn (Kevin Matthew Fertig, 1977-), the American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Kevin Thorn who is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its ECW brand. He has appeared in vigniettes with Ariel (Shelly Martinez, 1980-), the tarot card reader, who spits blood at the camera while she "predicted the future of ECW." Yup, a stretch...

*The name also evokes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

'''He was at Candlebrow.''' 
Presumably a 'trespasser.'

'''the four-note chord in the context of timelessness''' 
A melody is formed by notes following one another in time; a chord on the ukulele violates that practice by having all the notes sound at once. A really clever little passage.
Note: Jazz musicians describe musical improvisations as horizontal (with the melody) or vertical (with the chord).

References to ukuleles and Hawaii and its culture abound in Pynchon's novels [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Vineland''] and [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Gravity's Rainbow'']. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaii & ukulele references in ''Against the Day'']]...

==Page 552==

'''the widespread contempt in which ukulele players are held''' 
Cf. Tiny Tim, of "Tiptoe through the Tulips" fame?

'''knuckle-duster''' 
Brass knuckles.

'''Diksmuide''' 
20 kilometers south of Ostend (about halfway to Ypres).

==Page 553==

'''The terrain was flat...lowlands''' 
Not, this time, a reference to Pynchon's ''Lowlands'', but to the two-dimensionality of Flanders, as in Edwin A. Abbott's ''Flatland'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland]; most humans, like the inhabitants of Flanders and Abbott's Flatlanders, experience life in two dimensions.

'''Somewhere up in the sky was Miles' home...''' 
Whereas Miles and the Chums of Chance, in contrast, live in three dimensions. The mathematicians gathered in Ostend are trying to calculate how to experience and use vectors to live in four dimensions; in a way, to experience Time as a kind of spatial dimension. Miles, on P. 551, is demonstrating the beginnings of an intuitive discovery of how to experience Time as an almost spatial dimension. Which would be a sort of "time travel", or at least an expanded view of life and history.

'''retted''' 
soaked in water or exposed to moisture (as flax or hemp) to facilitate the removal of the fiber from the woody tissue by partial rotting.

==Page 554==

'''Ypres and Menin''' 
Municipalities in West Flanders that were sites of some of the bloodiest battles of WWI. At the beginning of the war, the British and Belgian stand helped save Paris from encirclement by the Germans, and saved the Channel ports, but as Thorn points out, the area became the western anchor of the Western Front trench system. The several Battles of Ypres saw the first uses of poison gas (Mustard Gas, dichlorodiethylsulfide, was first called Yperite), the use of enormous mines, and the legendary mud of Passchendaele [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passchendaele].

'''Ten years from now''' 
(1914?) through 1918? and beyond?. Another paramorphic mirror--what do we now face. Whatever it is, it is nuclear.

'''Bosch''' 
Hieronymous Bosch (1450-1516), Dutch painter of nightmares. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch Wikipedia entry].

'''Brueghel''' 
Pieter Brueghel the Elder(1525-1569), Flemish painter.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Brueghel_the_Elder Wikipedia entry].

'''League''' 
League of Nations? The League of Nations was formed after WWI to prevent future wars. Didn't succeed.

No. In this case a historical unit of length, approximately three miles -

No, again; a league here is an association of people joined by common interests and "League on league" means tremendous masses of people.

'''where the needles went and which way to rotate them''' 
I.e., how to push Thorn's buttons; the image is from acupuncture.

==Page 555==

'''simpletons at the fair''' 
Making Pynchon's metaphor explicit.

'''Chopin E-minor Nocturne''' 
Frédéric Chopin (1810-49), a Polish pianist and composer ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin Chopin]). He was born in Warsaw, Poland to a Polish morther and a French father. He went to Paris at the age of 20 and died there at the age of 39. He was widely regarded as one of the most famous and influential composers for the piano. From 1837-47 he had a 10-year stormy relationship with the French writer George Sand. His E-minor Nocturne is a 4-minute long Romantic style piano solo composed in 1827. (A ''nocturne'' is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturne Nocturne].)

'''owl-light''' 
???glimmering or imperfect light or twilight hours.

''''plasmic hysteresis'''' 

A coined term, apparently similar in meaning to Miles’ phrase “failure of physical translation.” Plasma would take an older meaning of “form” or “shape." Hysteresis, according to Webster's, refers to “a retardation in effect when the forces on an object are changed.” Hysteresis is used to describe magnetic phenomenon as well as plastic or elastic materials, that involve changes to a rest state that last beyond the forces that cause them. Examples include recordings on magnetic tape or a thumbprint slowly disappearing from putty. In the context of this passage, plasmic hysteresis appears to describe the lingering visage of someone who is no longer present – a hysteresis of form only and thus a failed physical translation. See [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=plasma&searchmode=none etymology of plasma] and this nifty explanation of [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/hysteresis/WhatIsHysteresis.html hysteresis].

Hysteresis has also been used to refer to “loops” in time, certainly apropos in this case. I stumbled across an excellent example in a 1980 episode of Dr. Who, in which the eponymous Dr. is trapped in “chronic hysteresis,” an endless loop or return to a previous
point in time – very similar to the situation of Ryder Thorn. [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_5q.htm Check it out for yourself!]

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

Talk:ATD 525-556

2009-08-17T07:39:22Z

Cortinas: Dietary Ramblings Fueled By Cottonseed Oil

'''cottonseed oil'''

Mayonnaise like Smegmo and Crisco is a hydrogenated fat; cottonseed oil is a common factor to all three. Indeed, the name Crisco derives from the intial sounds of "'''crys'''tallized '''c'''ottonseed '''o'''il". Note in the next few pages a mention of Candlebrow -- underscoring a tie-in between Mayonnaise and Smegmo.

It may be of interest to note that hydrogenation may have a symbolic use for Pynchon. The process entails bubbling hydrogen through oil in the presence of a metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, aluminum at 248 to 410 degrees. Remnants of these metals stay in the finished product, and when consumed can lead to an increase in heavy metals in the human body.

Eating hydrogenated oils is like eating plastic. The body does not recognize that these molecules have been mutated and tries to use them as essential fatty acids. But they cannot perform the same function, and as a result hydrogenated oils can cause short circuits in the electrical flow that controls the heartbeat, nerve functions, cell division and mental balance. They also create free radicals (anarchists!) that are linked to cancers. Free radicals plus metal remnants are a major contributor to cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, osteoporosis, depression, chronic fatigue, Alzheimers, and neurological diseases. It is estimated that over 200 million people have died prematurely because of the hydrogenated oils found in our diets. [http://www.drz.org/asp/newsletter/default.asp?xt2id=23] Not to mention innocent bystanders killed by mentally imbalanced people whose imbalance may stem from the ingestion of hydrogenated oils -- there may be some underlying reality to the "Twinkie defense."

ATD 525-556

2009-08-16T20:04:05Z

Cortinas: /* Page 538 */

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 525==

'''Ostend''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page 521|page 521: Ostend]], a seaport in northwest Belgium. Among English-speaking tourists, Ostend (or Ostende) is best known as a ferry port.

'''Fishermen's Quai''' 
Fishermen's Quay, also called ''De Trap''. The shrimp boats come home here from the sea in the morning. Along the quay many stands sell lots of seafoods.

'''Boulevard van Isenghem''' 
A major thoroughfare in Ostend, locally called ''Van Iseghemlaan'', extending diagonally from seafront southwest through the city.

'''street-plausible''' 
Presentable.

'''Quai de l'empereur''' 
Since Ostende is in the Flemish part of Belgium this should be the Keizerskaai, a street along the old part of the harbour, 1919 renamed Vindictivelaan.

'''estaminet''' 
According to the OED - A café in which smoking is allowed. Now, any small establishment selling alcoholic liquor.

'''twelve-centime''' 
one centime is the French equivalent of one cent. A twelve-centime beer would cost 12/100 of a franc.

Although the definition above still stands, remember these are Belgian francs, a different currency than French francs.

'''Quaternions''' 
Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 130|page 130:Quaternions]]. Quaternions are a non-commutative extension of complex numbers (Hamilton, 1843). 

Analogy with the complex numbers (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 132|page 132:complex number]]) being represented as a sum of real and imaginary parts, a + b''i'', where ''i''² = −1, a quaternion is defined as a combination a + b''i'' + c''j'' + d''k'', where ''i''² = ''j''² = ''k''² = ''i j k'' = −1, and a, b, c, d are ''four'' explicit real numbers. The non-commutative property refers to ''i j = −j i = k; j k = −k j = i; k i = −i k = j''. (i.e. ''i j ≠ j i; j k ≠ k j; k i ≠ i k''; etc.) The using of ''i, j, k'', the imaginary numbers (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 133|page 133:imaginary number]]), led to the phrases of "the ''ijk'' lot" of page 533 and "creature of ''i-j-k''" of page 534.

'''Kellner''' 
German: waiter, barman. Use of the German word would be insulting to the Belgian barman.

Well, I don't think it may sound insulting for the waiter, as Ostend is in the part of Belgium were Flemish (Dutch) is spoken and in that language ''kelner'' is the word for waiter, which sounds like the German ''Kellner''. Pynchon misspelling, maybe? (DCB)

'''''demi''''' 
A half-pint glass (25 centiliters, actually).

'''Lambic''' 
Pron. ''lahm-BEEK.'' Unique Belgian beer style, sour and often thin in body.

'''skimmer''' 
Straw hat ("Panama").

==Page 526==

'''biquaternion''' 
Or "octonion," an innovation of English mathematician W.K. Clifford, [[ATD_243-272#Page_249|referred to on p. 249.]]

'''Barry Nebulay''' 
Pun on a term from heraldry, ''barry nebuly.'' The term barry (rhymes with "starry," not "carry") refers to a shield divided into an even number of parts by horizontal lines. Nebuly, possibly also spelled ''nebulée,'' signals that the lines are deformed into stylized "cloud" shapes. (Actually the dividing line looks more like interlocking parts of a jigsaw puzzle.) [http://www.rarebooks.nd.edu/digital/heraldry/partitions.html Here you can see an example.]

A play on the astronomical term ''nebulae'' is just conceivable, but then why "Barry"?

'''University of Dublin''' 
The Alma Mater of Hamilton, the father of Quaternion. He studied, graduated and taught at Trinity College, the University of Dublin, Ireland's oldest university.

If University College, Dublin, then Joyce had graduated in 1902. 

'''Quaternioneers''' 
Quaternion believers.

'''Gibbsian Vectors''' 
Vector Analysis (or Vector Calculus) developed by Willard Gibbs (Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Professor Gibbs]]) in 1881 and 1884. It is a branch of calculus that deals with vectors and process involving vectors. It is much more easily applied to phsics and other applied sciences than Hamilton's Quaternions (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]]). 
A vector is defined by not only a magnitude but also a direction, such as a velocity vector, ''v'' is defined by ''v'' = a''i'' + b''j'' + c''k'',
where a, b, and c are the magnitudes of the velocity components in directions of ''i, j'' and ''k'' which are unit vectors, (not imaginary numbers as in Quaternion), with magnitude of 1. In three dimensional cases and ''xyz'' coordinate system is used then ''i, j, k'' are related to ''x, y, z'' directions ("''xyz'' people" of page 533); but they, in general, may be used irrespective of the notation of the coordinates.
Mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication), differentiation (''curl'' — Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326:Curl]] and p. 536, ''Laplacian'' — Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326:Laplacian]] and p. 536, etc) and integration can be applied to vectors. It is interesting to know that one of the two multiplication operations is called cross product; for unit vectors (''i, j, k'') perpendicular to each other, then, ''i × i = j × j = k × k = 0'', ''i × j = k'', ''j × i = -k'', etc. ([http://web.mit.edu/wwmath/vectorc/summary.html Vector Calculus]). 
A simple vector anyalysis example here: if ''k'', the unit vector, stands for the direction upward and g is the gravitational acceleration, then the acceleration vector, ''a'', for a projectile, is defined for downward action, (the ''i'' and ''j'' directions have zero components): 
:''a'' = -g ''k'' 
Integrating ''a'' would give the velocity vector, ''v'' 
:''v'' = -g t ''k'' 
for zero initial velocity case, and t standing for time. 
And integrating ''v'' would yield the position vector, ''h'', for the projectile 
:''h'' = -½ g t² ''k'' 
toward the sea level.

'''Quaternionists''' 
Quaternion believers, same as Quaternioneers.

'''Tasmania''' 
Tasmania is an island of the southern coast of Australia. Known for its relative isolation, it was a prison for English convicts in the 1800s

'''Having been inseparable from the rise of the electromagnetic''' 
In his 1865 work ''The Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field'', James Clerk Maxwell unified electricity and magnetism. He put forth twenty equations, with twenty unknowns, in vector form (though different in notation and form than the equations that now bear his name) that completely described all known electromagnetic phenomena. In his 1873 treatise on the subject, he expressed the equations in the mathematics of quaternions. It appears that the quaternion form of the equations remained popular even though, at the behest of his publisher, Maxwell reverted to the 1865 form in the second edition (1881)--though they remain scattered throughout. In 1892 Oliver Heaviside (On the Forces, Stresses, and Fluxes of Energy in the Electromagnetic Field. ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.'' A, Vol. 183. pp423-480), while spewing scientific vitriol at the Quaternionists, reformulated Maxwell's original 1865 equations (Heaviside chose to remove the vector potential and scalar fields from the equations; the inclusion of these terms had served as Maxwell's justification for the use of quaternions), and provided the notation still in use today. See this [http://www.zpenergy.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=60 PDF] for the evolution of Maxwell's equations.

'''Hamiltonian devotees''' 
The Quaternion faction, after William Hamilton, who devised the scheme.

'''Grand Hôtel de la Nouvelle Digue''' 
There is a Hotel Digue in the Seychelles; this is a New Hotel Digue by Pynchon?

Grand Hotel of New Dyke, may be a made up hotel name.

'''anterooms of death''' 
This metaphor is sometimes applied to concentration camps. Here the lyric "feel like I'm fixin' to die" seems more apposite.

'''Belgian Art Nouveau''' 
Art Nouveau, 1890(or 80) to 1914, explores a new style in the visual arts and architecture that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the 19th century. At its height (~1907), Art Nouveau was a concerted attempt to create an international style based on decoration. It was developed by a brilliant and energetic generation of artists and desisgners, who sought to fashion an art form appropriate to the post-Industrial Revolution modern age. 
Brussels was one of the Art Nouveau centers and represented different style from the others. The jewelers there, accepted as artists rahter than craftsmen, (together with those in Paris) defined Art Nouveau in jewelery and achieved the most renown. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau Art Nouveau]).

==Page 527==

'''dossing''' 
British slang for "sleeping", "staying overnight"

'''Russian nihilists''' 
:The following four are local, Belgian, not Russian, nihilists !
:: It only says Russian in the first edition.

'''Eugénie''' 
Female. Possibly named for Empress Eugénie (1826-1920), consort of French Emperor Napoleon III. Ultimately for St. Eugenia, 3rd-century Roman martyr whose feast is celebrated on December 25.

'''Fatou''' 
Female. A pseudonym? In view of the date of the action, certainly not named after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatou the mathematician Fatou] (1878-1929).

Although there is no reference to ethnicity in the text, Fatou is an African name, very common in Senegal. It would be highly uncommon to find a white Belgian bearing that name in the early 20th century. And it would make sense if a revolutionary group named Young Congo had at least one or two African members!

'''Denis''' 
Male. Named for St. Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of Paris and of France, 3rd-century bishop of Paris, martyr, beheaded on the hill now called Montmartre. "Montjoie St. Denis!" was a warcry used by French troops in the Middle Ages. His intercession is effective against demonic possession and headache.

'''Policarpe''' 
Male. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarp Saint Polycarp] was a Christian bishop of Smyrna (now İzmir in Turkey) in the second century. He was stabbed and died a martyr after an attempt to burn him at the stake failed. His intercession is sought against earache and dysentery.

again, possibly African. It was very common for white missionaries in Africa to give their newly converted flock the names of famous Saints.

'''Young Congo''' 
Probably in reference to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turks Young Turks], a Turkish revolutionary movement

'''Garde Civique''' 
A part of the Belgian army. According to the [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Belgium 1911 Britannica], "the mass of the garde civique does not pretend to possess military value. It is a defence against sedition and socialism."

'''French Second Bureau boys''' 
Deuxieme Bureau; French Intelligence.

'''''phalange''''' 
French: phalanx. A military (here mock-military) group ready for combat. 

It also conjures up memories of the early 19th century utopian socialist
Charles Fourier, who theorized that people should live communally in "phalanxes" of a specific number based upon their "passions." His solid ideas included equality of the sexes, but he also taught wacky things such as the moon being made of lemonade. Of particular relevance is his rejection of industrial civilization. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopian_socialism]

'''"...until something had happened, something too terrible to remember..."''' 
Again this theme of an unknowable past transgression, here invoked almost as if the unknown signifies the other 'lateral' (a word which has cropped up at least a dozen times already) 'vector'.

'''the Digue''' 
French for "dyke"

'''Congo... Belgians''' 
The Belgian colonisation of the Congo was, as Conrad's ''Heart of Darkness'' makes clear, notable for its greed and brutality.

'''Leopold, King of the Belgians''' 
1835-1909, reigned 1865-1909. A man of almost Nixonian fiendishness. In the Congo he acted as sole proprietor and absolute ruler. The positive outcomes of his exploitation include ''Heart of Darkness'' and the phrase "crime against humanity."

'''co-conscious''' 
mental processes outside the main stream of consciousness but sometimes available to it — from Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary.

'''Force Publique''' 
Belgian armed forces operating in the Belgian Congo ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique Wikipedia]). "King Leopold's private army" may be a more accurate description.

'''rubber worker''' 
See above: One of the early missions of the FP was to increase rubber export quotas through forced labor and related atrocities.

==Page 528==

'''''khâgne''''' 
an informal term used by French students for Classes Préparatoires Littéraires, the two-year cycle of classes taken after the Baccalaureat (taken at age 17-18), to prepare for the entrance examination to the Ecole Normale Supeieure. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%C3%A2gne khâgne]).

'''Reclus''' 
J. J. Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), French geographer but mainly educated in Germany. Several times he was forced to leave France because of his political views; he traveled widely in Europe, the British Isles, the United States, and South America and for many years lived in Switzerland. He was professor of comparative geography at the University of Brussels from 1895 to 1905. He had quite an extensive connection with various socialist and anarchist circles (met Bakunin while in Florence).Once he was imprisoned in Versailles in 1871 for his part in the ''Paris Commune''. In 1882 he initiated the ''Anti-marriage movement'' while in Geneva. [[http://academic.reed.edu/formosa/texts/reclusbio.html Reclus]).

'''Stirnerite''' 
Follower of Max Stirner, 19th century German philosopher and author of ''The Ego and Its Own,'' a work influential in anarchist thought. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Stirner Wikipedia entry]. [[Max Stirner|Discussion...]]

'''''Anarcho-individualiste''''' 
i.e. he has doctrinal differences with Stirnerism, strictly speaking; see P. 324, and "Eigenheit".

'''Leopold''' 
See [[#Page 527|p. 527]].

'''going down lately''' 
Being assassinated.

'''Sipido''' 
Jean-Baptiste Sipido (1884-1959), a Belgian socialist. Accusing the Prince of Wales of causing thousands of inocents were killed in the Boer War in South Africa, on April 5, 1900, Sipido leaped onto the foot board of the royal compartment right before the train left the North Railway Station (Gare du Nord), Brussel, and fired two (or one? as reported in ''The Manchester Guardian'', or four? as stated in the text here) shots through the window but missed everyone inside. He was arrested, tried and acquitted. The leader of the House of Commons called the acquittal a "grave and most unfortunate miscarriage of justice." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Sipido Sipido]).

'''Prince... of Wales''' 
(Maud Gonne's husband claimed to have been involved in another such plot.)

'''Hippodrome''' 
Hippodrome Wellington, a horse racing track in Ostend built in 1883. The facility hosts both harness and flat racing events. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_Wellington Hippodrome]).

'''Royal Bathing Hut... twenty francs''' 
A bathing machine ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathing_machine bathing machine])? The King of Belgium certainly would not want to be seen in a swimsuit on a public beach... It seems unlikely, though, that such a royal bathing machine would be for hire.

'''twenty francs''' 
???

==Page 529==

'''picric family''' 
The explosive picric acid (2,4,6-trinitrophenol) and its derivatives. For picric acid, Brugère's powder and Designolle's powder, [http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/PER_PIG/PICRIC_ACID_or_TRINITROPHENOL_C.html see this Britannica article.]

'''Brugère's powder''' 
See "picric family" above.

'''Designolle's''' 
See "picric family" above.

'''Monsieur Santos-Dumont''' 
Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932), a pioneer of aviation from Brasil. Check out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Santos-Dumont Wikipedia] to get a look at the way he was wearing his "trademark Panama hat".

'''Green Hour''' and '''''l'heure vertigineuse''''' 
Absinthe-drinking time. The liqueur is green. In French, ''l'heure verte,'' so ''vertigineuse'' (vertiginous, causing dizziness) is a pun on the word for "green."

'''Rocco and Pino''' 
Rabid Quaternionists and sudden friends of Kit Traverse.
:No, they were not mathematicians at all, let alone Quaternionists, but two "Italian naval renegades" !!
::"Rocco and Pino" are, in temperament, something like the "Mason and Dixon" of manned-torpedoes... cf. the "torpedo" (i.e., "Electrick-Eel") of ''Mason & Dixon''.

'''Whitehead works in Fiume''' 
Anticipating GR's V2 works.

''Robert Whitehead'' (1823-1905), an English engineer. He developed the first self-propelled torpedo in 1866. He attended Manchester's Mechanics Institute, worked in a shipyard in Toulon (1844), France, and as a consultant engineer in Milan (1847), Italy. Later he moved to Trieste and in 1856 became a manager of a company called ''Founderia Mettali'' (later, ''Stabilimento Tecnico di Fiume'') in Fiume producing ship steam boilers and engines which were the most advanced of that era. He also developed the first self-propelled torpedo which was very popular. Whitehead's torpedo was propelled by a compressed air engine, carried 18lbs dynamites and a self-regulating device which kept the torpedo cruising at a constant preset depth. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Whitehead Whitehead]].

''Fiume'' is now Rijeka, Croatia. Trieste is on the northwestern edge of the Istra Peninsula, Rijeka is east of it. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijeka Fiume]].

Interesting sidebar: Whitehead's fortune from Fiume and the torpedo went solely to his granddaughter Agatha Whitehead, who married Baron von Trapp. The Von Trapp money came from Robert Whitehead, and most of the von Trapp singers were his great-grandchildren.

'''''Alberta''''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_yacht Wikipedia] entry on royal yachts goes back to the 17th century but doesn't include ''Alberta.'' The craft does get a mention in [http://www.bouncing-balls.com/timeline/people/nr_leopoldmorel.htm this page on Leopold and the Congo.]

'''Siluro Dirigibile a Lenta Corsa''' 
or S.L.C. "slow course torpedo", "slow-running torpedo". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_torpedo Wikipedia] Italy‘s Navy was among the first to experiment with manned torpedos. Though according to [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/sm/chariots.html this site] this did not happen until 1935, Italian frogmen as early as October 31, 1918 made it into the harbour of Pula with the help of a modified german torpedo and sank the former Austrian but by then since a few hours Croatian/Slovenian/Bosnian battleship SMS ''Viribus Unitis''. [http://www.geocities.com/tegetthoff66/viribus.html website]

The Wikipedia entry linked above doesn't contain the Italian word ''dirigibile'' (steerable), which sets up the torpedo as a counterpart of the dirigible ''Inconvenience.''

:I suspect there's a connection between the torpedo and "Not the usual lateener, in fact appearing to have neither sails, masts, nor oars" in Miles' reversed vision, [[ATD_243-272#Page_250|page 250.]] Needs work, though.

==Page 530==

'''exfiltrate''' 
Make a surreptitious escape (as "infiltrate" means to make a surreptitious entrance).

'''''Macchè''''' 
Italian: certainly not, not a chance. And in Pynchon's Italian is used as an all-purpose exclamation.

'''''Ehi, stu gazz', categoria''''' 
Stu gazz' is a dialect representation of ''sto cazzo'', literally meaning ''this dick here''. Normally you could translate the sense of the sentence as: ''yeah, why not, a fucking category! ''. -- blicero2 - 2007.02.22

'''''mezzogiornismo''''' 
Denigrating the Italian South. Mezzogiorno means ''midday'' in Italian but refers generally to Southern Italy.

==Page 531==

'''Bruges''' 
An exceptionally beautiful Belgian town of canals which is thus one of several towns known as the 'Venice of the north'. In the 14th cettury Burges already became an international finanacial and trading center, but
started to decline in the 15th century. In the 20th century, however, the city was discovered by the international tourism and the medieval heritage turned out to be a new source of wealth. A new harbor of Zeebrugge, 10 miles outside of Bruges at the North Sea coast, brought new developments and new industries to the region. For the city and its history see ([http://www.trabel.com/brugge.htm Bruges]).

'''Raoul's Atelier de la Vitesse''' 
French: Ralph's Speed Shop.

'''Ghent''' 
Belgian city, less than 30 miles southeast of Bruges, on the rail line about halfway between Ostend and Brussels. It is the fourth largest city of Belgium. It is bigger than Bruges but not as famous as a tourist attraction. But the city is a showcase of medieval Flemish wealth and commercial success. See ([http://www.trabel.com/gent.htm Ghent]).

'''Daimler six-cylinder''' 
Six cylinder engine (most likely a "straight six", as V6 engines weren't made before 1950) manufactured by the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company), German engine and later automobile manufacturer (of the famous Mercedes), in operation from 1890 until 1926. Later merged with the Benz Co. and thus was born the Mercedes Benz. Merged with Chrysler in 1998 and is now know as Daimler AG. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimler_Motoren_Gesellschaft]

'''a hundred horsepower''' 
In the early 1900's, Daimler's top straight six cylinder engines (see above), the only ones being manufactured in continental Europe, could manage an impressive 75 horsepower. So the engine here is most likely a supercharged version of a car engine.

'''''guaglion''''' 
italian (dialectal) = boy, young person

'''Umeki Tsurigane''' 
Umeki is typically made with some combination of the various kanji for "plum" (ume) and "tree" (ki), though one has the ki being the character for "ghost/devil" and one obscure reading that's entirely redundant, where ume is "plant" (usually read ue). There is one where ume is the kanji for "buried or embedded". Tsurigane, means a "temple bell", which can stand alone or be followed by the grass kanji to mean "bellflower" (lots of botanical stuff happening here, if that means anything; hardly the only example in ''AtD''). Given the search for Shambhala going on, "Buried Temple Bell" seems a likely translation, at least at this point; the botanical meanings could perhaps emerge later.

Or, another terrible name-pun? "You make [m]e sore again." See another on P. [[ATD_748-767#Page_757| 757]]

'''Professor Knott''' 
Cargill Knott (1856-1922), professor of physics; seismologist. See his biography [http://www.penicuikcdt.org.uk/Cargill_Knott.html here].

==Page 532==

'''Kimura''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Kimura]] and [[ATD_318-335#Page 318|page 318:Shunkichi Kimura]].

'''drover's sombrero''' 
Cowboy hat.

'''furoshiki''' 
Japanese all-purpose cloth. Can be worn, used as wrapping, or used as a bag.

'''taupe''' 
A brownish gray.

'''boilermakers and their helpers''' 
[[ATD_358-373#Page_360|See annotation to p. 360.]]

'''Anharmonic Pencil''' 
''Pencil'' is a term commonly used in Synthetic Geometry. Straight lines incident with a plane - coplanar lines - and passing through a common point are said to be concurrent lines and the set of all such concurrent coplanar lines is called the ''pencil''. (Cf [[ATD_429-459#Page 456|page 456:Pencil]]). For a figure and a not quite precise definition see [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Pencil.html pencil]. If a, b, c and d, are four distinct coplanar lines and their double ratio λ = (abcd) = -1, then a, b, c, d are called a harmonic quadruple of lines; they are said to constitute a ''harmonic pencil''. A ''pencil'' which is not harmonic then is known as ''anharmonic pencil''. See Pencil (lines 8-9), Double Ratio λ (lines 32-35) and Harmonic Pencil (line 39) of [http://ca.geocities.com/ingsaler6/mathworld.html Mathworld].

'''''Comptes rendus''''' 
''Comptes rendus des séances hebdomadaires,'' Proceedings of the weekly sessions (of the Academy of Sciences), published from 1835, later (ca. 1935) retitled ''Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences,'' Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences. (Notice that the academy didn't see the need to specify "French." Take that, Royal Society of London!) For about a century, one of two journals so universally circulated and recognized that bibliographies nearly always cited them in nickname form: ''C.R.'' The other was ''Ber.,'' short for ''Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft,'' Reports of the German Chemical Society (from 1868).

'''De Forest''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:De Forest]].

'''Gibbs''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Professor Gibbs]].

'''Maxwell Equations''' 
Cf [[ATD_57-80#Page 58|page 58:Maxwell Field Equations]].

==Page 533==

'''aniline teal''' 
The wallpaper dye; aniline dyes were the first synthetic dyes, discovered by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Perkin William Perkin] in 1858. Their intense and fade-resistant colors were very fashionable at the end of the nineteenth century. The dyes are also significant in ''GR'' as the products of I.G. Farben.

'''Heavisiders''' 
Oliver Heaviside (May 18, 1850 – February 3, 1925) was a self-taught English electrical engineer, mathematician and physicist who adapted complex numbers to the study of electrical circuits, developed techniques for applying Laplace transforms to the solution of differential equations, reformulated Maxwell's field equations in terms of electric and magnetic forces and energy flux, and independently co-formulated vector analysis. Although at odds with the scientific establishment for most of his life, Heaviside changed the face of mathematics and science for years to come.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaviside].

'''Grassmanniacs''' 
Nineteenth century German mathematician and linguist, essentially the inventor/discoverer of vector space. Grassmann showed that once geometry is put into the algebraic form he advocated, then the number three has no privileged role as the number of spatial dimensions; the number of possible dimensions is in fact unbounded.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Grassmann].

'''in the mood for a clambake''' 
Anachronistic Broadway show tune? If so, the clambake in ''Carousel'' turns into a brawl; the assembled factions of mathematicians could be in the mood for either a party or a brawl, apparently.

'''Monopole de la Maison''' 
Monopole of the House, a fanciful name of a fanciful drink. 
There is, since 1898, a well known restaurant called ''Monopole Lunch & Sea Grill'' in Plattsburgh of upper New York state. ([http://www.monopole.org Monopole Restaurant]). 
Most probably, it's the Magnetic monopole being referred here. In physics, a monopole is a magnet with a net magnetic charge, i.e. there is only one pole instead of two (so no net magnetic charge) as usual. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_monopole Monopole]). It's existence had been theoretically predicted by various particle theories (superstring theory, etc) but never been proved experimentally. Proving the existence of a monopole would certainly earn a Nobel Prize.

'''Idiom Neutral''' 
An invented language, like Esperanto. Idiom Neutral dictionaries first appeared in 1902. It looks like a simplified Latinate language and it grew out of Volapuk, another "auxiliary language." It was abandoned by the ''Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal'' in 1908.

For a list of all the invented languages that linguists are keeping track of, including Klingon, try [http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/GetListOfConstructedLgs.html Eastern Michigan's Linguist List]. And don't forget to click on the link to "Browse sites devoted to constructed languages."

'''phatic''' 
Basically, small talk or chatter. Words used to convey fellow-feeling rather than to impart information.

'''''Kampf ums Dasein''''' 
German: struggle for existence.

'''Q-brother''' 
Fellow Quaternioneer or Fellow Quaternionist.

'''We are the Jews of mathematics, wandering out here in our diaspora--some destined for the past, others the future, even a few able to set out at unknown angles from the simple line of Time, upon journeys that no one can predict''' 
In keeping with the analogy of Judaism, those "few" people within the Quaternionists "able to set out at unknown angles" are most likely being compared to Kabbalists who claim to partake in a mystic "journey to the Throne of God through the mythological realm of the seven heavens" (Armstrong, A History of God--p. 247). Throne Mysticism in Kabbalah is explored extensively in Gravity's Rainbow.

Perhaps this is obvious to some, but these "Jews of Mathematics" worship the Hamiltonian Tetractys [http://www.math.ucr.edu/home/baez/dublin/]; those other Jews worshipped the Tetragrammatron. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton] The proliferation of 4s continues.

==Page 534==

'''Poiret gown''' 
A gown designed by Paul Poiret (1879-1944), a French fashion designer based in Paris. "In the annals of fashion history, Paul Poiret is best remembered for freeing women from corsets and further liberating them through pantaloons . . . it was Poiret's remarkable innovations in the cut and construction of clothing . . . Working with fabric directly onto the body, Poiret helped to pioneer a radical approach to dressmakeing that relied more on the skills of drapery than on those of tailoring." (from [http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={0DC3D00F-4611-4F91-8DC2-CC3C1A5C48D5} MetMuseum],
New York Metropolitan Museum's Special Exhibitions, ''Poiret: King of Fashion'', May 9, 2007 to August 5, 2007). For a picture of Poiret gown see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Poiretgown.jpg Poiret Gown]. ''The New York Times'' reported on February 1, 2007 that A Poiret Gown Brings $5,500 at [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07EFDA1538F93AA15756C0A967948260 Christie's Auction] - the gown was made in 1913 when Poiret was at the height of his career. For his bio see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Poiret Poiret].

'''''green and long''''' 
Pickle, or... what?
: A green and long ''gherkin'' (a small, immature fruit of a variety of cucumber used in pickling).

==Page 535==

'''no-name wine''' 
1970s idiom for common European practice?

'''set theory''' 
Set theory deals with the properties of well-defined collections, or ''sets'', of entities - the ''elements'' or ''members'' of the set - conceived as a whole. The elements may be of a mathematical nature or non-mathematical. The set theory grew out of the German mathematician Georg Cantor's (1845-1918) study of infinite sets of real numbers.

The ''language of sets'' has become an important tool for all branches of mathematics, but is of very little relevance to the practice of mathematics in everyday life. As a source of metaphors, however, it's been quite productive; "subset," "superset," "universe," "intersection" and "Venn diagram" have found varying degrees of acceptance. Recasting Aristotle's syllogisms in set-theoretic language also makes them easier for many people to understand.

'''Hamilton . . . early genius''' 
Hamilton, according to ''Chambers Biographical Dictionary'', "at fifteen knew thirteen languages, had read Newton's ''Principia'', and commenced original investigations". At twenty-two, "while still an undergraduate, he was appointed professor of Astronomy at Dublin and Irish Astronomer-Royal"; at thirty "he was knighted".

'''Hamilton . . . in the grip of a first love''' 
??? 
Pynchon probably didn't mean Quaternion was Hamilton's first love, but its effect on him was similar to that of a first love. In 1843 at the age of 38 Hamilton invented the Quaternion, the first non-communtative algebra to be studied. He felt this would revolutionise mathematical physics, and he spent the rest of his life working on it. In 1853 he published a large volume, ''Lectures on Quaternions'', on his grand invention. The last seven years of his life, Hamilton was writing an 800-page book ''Elements of Quaternions'' modeling on Euclid's ''Elements''. The last chapter of the book was completed by his son after his death.

'''the Walt Whitman of English physics''' 
Whitman pops up again, last seen on [[ATD_489-524#Page_491|page 491]].

==Page 536==

'''Oscar Wilde''' 
Note that Wilde's Dorian Gray also undergoes a kind of bilocation.

'''Kursaal''' 
German: "cure hall" aka a spa or, more generally, a place of healthy amusement, eg casino.

'''vectors''' 
For serious minds, see Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 526|page 526: Gibbsian Vectors]], but let's follow Pynchon's lighter mood, here is a non-mathematical definition by Kamen (1995):
:''Many things have more than direction;''
:''The magnitude is also a question.''
:''With acceleration or force,''
:''And many more things, of course,''
:''It's vectors that make the connection.''

'''Curls''' 
Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326: Curl]]: curl is a vector operator that shows a vector field's rate of rotation.

'''Laplacians''' 
Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace (March 23, 1749 – March 5, 1827); French mathematician and astronomer who summarized and extended the work of his predecessors in his five volume Mécanique Céleste (Celestial Mechanics) (1799-1825), translating the geometrical study of mechanics used by Isaac Newton to one based on calculus, known as physical mechanics.

He is also the discoverer of Laplace's equation. Although the Laplace transform is named in honor of Laplace, who used the transform in his work on probability theory, the transform was discovered originally by Leonhard Euler. The Laplace transform appears in all branches of mathematical physics — a field he took a leading role in forming. The Laplacian differential operator, much relied-upon in applied mathematics, is likewise named after him. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace].

:Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326: Laplacian]]: Laplacian is a differential operator named after Laplace. The text here was talking about mathematical operations and operators — rates of change, rotations, partial differentials, Curls, ''Laplacians'', . . .

'''beginning to appal''' 
By 1905 there had been years of outrage at conditions in the Belgian Congo, King Leopold's private fief. Conrad's ''Heart of Darkness'' had been published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899 and as a book in 1902. There were missionaries' accounts of the brutality, and newspaper reports. Leopold and his apologists published rebuttals. The Norton Critical Edition of ''Heart of Darkness'' contains an extensive collection of both.

'''baize''' 
Baize is a coarse woolen felt.

==Page 537==

'''broken symmetries''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_symmetry Broken symmetry] is a concept used widely in mathematics and physics. For a simplest explanation (good enough for the text here), this term means that an object breaks either rotational symmetry or translational sysmetry - when one can only rotate an object in certain angles or when one is able to tell if the object has been shifted sideways. For a little bit more detailed explanation see [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/OrderParameters/BrokenSymmetry.html Identify the Broken Symmetry]; or even more [http://scienceweek.com/2005/sw050708-6.htm On Broken Symmetry].

'''''sphinxe Khnopffienne''''' 
refers to the Belgian symbolist painter Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921), famous for his painting "The Caress", in which a female sphinx erotically lures a young man. The painting can be seen in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernand_Khnopff wikipedia entry]

'''Pléiade Lafrisée''' 
in French, "friser" means to curl or twist. "La frisée" could mean "curled," by extension "twisted." The Pleiades is a cluster of hundreds of stars, though only a few are visible, sometimes referred to as The Seven Sisters. If Pleiades are Sisters, Pléiade is ''one'' Sister, so her name means Twisted Sister!

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas (you kow, the guy who was condemned to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity) and the sea-nymph Pleione.

They are:
Maia, eldest of the seven Pleiades, was mother of Hermes by Zeus.
Electra was mother of Dardanus and Iasion by Zeus.
Taygete was mother of Lacedaemon, also by Zeus.
Alcyone was mother of Hyrieus by Poseidon.
Celaeno was mother of Lycus and Eurypylus by Poseidon.
Sterope (also Asterope) was mother of Oenomaus by Ares.
Merope, youngest of the seven Pleiades, wooed by Orion. In other mythic contexts she married Sisyphus and, becoming mortal, faded away. She bore to Sisyphus several sons.

Pléïade is also used in French to describe a group of talented people. When capitalized, it refers to a group of poets. It is also the name of the most prstigious collection of books published in French. If you make it to the Pléïade, you become an immortal author.

Lafrisée translates literally to "The Curly One"

'''''Conseilleuse''''' 
Female consultant?

Not an actual French word, but it's tolerable. If we were to describe somebody who counsels or gives advice (in the female form), it would be "conseillère". The suffix "euse" is sometimes used in French to denote a lesser form. In French Canada, for example, the word "violoniste" is used to describe a "violonist", and "violonneux" is used to describe a "fiddler". Therefore, "Conseilleuse" would suggest an unofficial counseler of sorts.

==Page 538==

'''retroversion matrix''' 
???

'''''Ma foi''''' 
Literally "My faith", i.e. "By my faith!", a mild exclamation of incredulity.

'''ten thousand francs''' 

Based on currency conversions relative to gold, this is equivalent to
about $30,000 US today.

'''piker''' 
Someone cheap or cautious, possibly named after people from PIke County, Missouri, who came to California in the 1800s, looking for work. They were poor, hence cheap.

'''what is a Quaternino?''' 
Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]] for a mathematical definition. From ''The Random House Dictionary of the English Languages'', The Unabridged Edition (1966): Quaternion is "a quantity or operator expressed as the sum of a real number and three complex numbers, equivalent to the ''quotient of two vectors''. The field of quaternions is not commutative under multiplication.".

'''Bertie ('Mad Dog') Russell''' 
'Mad Dog' seems to be used with heavy irony here. Bertrand Russell was known most for his rationalism, so to speak, his work in modern logic.
He did little in his public roles (at this time in AtD) that would have
him referred to as "crazy', as we say, beyond the social norm, "mad".
It might be argued that his use of 'logic' against philosophers such as Hegel and McTaggart within ''Against the Day'' showed up their 'madness'.
(Many did think McTaggart was a bit...different...for seriously not believing in Time.) McTaggart broke with Russell after an early influential friendship---Russell was the younger man and the influenced one. He said he was an Hegelian because of McTaggart--Russell wrote in his
Autobiography that McTaggart said he no longer wanted to meet/talk with him bcause he could no longer stand Russell's opinions.

[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1950/russell-bio.html Bertrand Russell] (1872-1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician and social critic. Best known for his work in mathematical logic and analytic philosophy. In late spring of 1901 he discovered the so-called [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell-paradox/ Russell Paradox], "the most famous of the logical or set-theoretical paradoxes. The paradox arises within naive set theory by considering the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Such a set appears to be a member of itself if and only if it is not a member of itself, hence the paradox." (On-line Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He won the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature in "recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought".

'''Barry Nebulay''' 
[[ATD_525-556#Page_526|See annotations to page 526.]]

'''Hegel... puns''' 
Probably refers to the fact that quite a lot of Hegel's philosophy deals with the is-ness of the world as we know and experience it.

On page 787 of Bertrand Russell's ''History of Western Philosophy'' is a summary, perhaps, of this remark about Hegel's puns: "as a result of analysis of the concept "existence", modern logic has proved this [Cartesianism, refuted by Kant, reinstated by Hegel] argument invalid....."

We know from other places that TRP himself seems to 'not like' Cartesianism. See 'cartesian' citations within this wiki.

==Page 539==

'''a vector quotient''' 
The result of one vector divided by another. According to the English dictionary definition of previous page this is just a Quaternion.

'''unit vector''' 
Unit vector is a vector with magnitude of one. The unit vectors in 3-dimensional space, ''i, j, k'', associated with ''x, y, z'' directions are used in defining a general 3D vector (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 526|page 526:Gibbsian Vectors]]).

'''''square root of minus one''''' 
Imaginary number (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 132|page 133:Imaginary Number]]). The imaginary numbers ''i, j, k'' are used in defining a Quaternion (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]]).

''''Triangle Asana'''' 
A basic yoga pose.

[http://yoga.org.nz/postures/yoga_positions_images_page.htm Here are images of several basic poses.]

''''Dr Rao abruptly vanished'''' 
Might be a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner Martin Gardner]'s
[http://www.amazon.com/No-Sided-Professor-Fantasy-Mystery-Philosophy/dp/0879753900 "No-Sided Professor"]

''''Quadrantal Versor Asana'''' 
A triangle pose taken that extra dimension.

'''''"Uwe moer!"''''' 
Looks a lot like the Dutch "Uw moeder!" - a cry of astonishment ("Your mother!"), the equivalent to the black English "yo mama".

'''noncommutative''' 
A term typical to mathematics. A commutative equation is one that can operate in exact reverse and still yield the same results. 'Noncommutative' then suggests unidirectionality. The ability to go from point A to point B, but not from B to A.

'''reticule''' 
A woman's drawstring handbag; usually made of net or beading or brocade; also: A system of lines forming a pattern of squares at the focal plane of a telescope, used in micrometers.
[http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/glossary.htm]
:Isn't that sort of a red herring? "[P]roducing from her reticule a . . . watch" doesn't really allow of that second meaning. 
:It could be a pun, since a reticule/ handbag always shows its pattern of lines, and a watch (timepiece) is drawn from it. Remember that, e.g. railroad lines of tracks, are a sign of industrialism encroaching on the natural and the spiritual.

'''Vacheron & Constantin watch''' 
Made by a Swiss company founded in 1755. From 1819 to 1970 the name was as in the text, then the & dropped out. See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacheron_Constantin Wikipedia entry.]

'''hunting-case''' 
For a pocket watch, a case with a hinged metal cover. More often called "hunter case" (and such a watch a "hunter").

==Page 540==

'''"haar rekening, ja?"''' 
''Her bill, yes?" (Dutch/Flemish) I.e., give the check to the lady.

Given the presence of Chris 'Kit' Traverse here, this very much suggests a reference to Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe, Elizabethan poet, playwright and contemporary of Shakespeare. Marlowe was stabbed to death in 1593, in murky circumstances, ostensibly over a bill or 'reckoning', though he was widely believed to have been involved in some form of espionage.

Strictly speaking "haar rekening" means that the lady pays for herself only. If Root wanted to make sure that Pléiade pays for the whole company he would have to say "de hele rekening voor de dame".

That is not correct; "haar rekening, ja?" unambiguously means that they are making sure that the entire bill will be for her.

'''Piet Woevre''' 
The Woëvre is a natural region of Lorraine in north-east France. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of Meuse. During World War I, there was much fighting there due to vast mineral resources that had been discovered in the Briey basin or Eastern Woevre at the end of the 19th century. "Piet" is Dutch for "rock" or "stone" and is a fairly common Dutch name, the English equivalent being Peter.

Piet doesn't have a meaning as a name in Dutch, it is just a fairly common name and denotes that he is from humble origin (whereas he superior de Decker may be from nobility).

Woevre is not a common name in Flandres. Interestingly the sound reminds one immidiately of Woeste, which is a better know name. Charles Woeste (1837-1922) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Woeste] was a conservative catholic politician in Belgium trying to stop the struggle of the liberation of the Flemish textile workers in Aalst by Priester Daens[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Daens] .

If the surname is pronounced as in Dutch, Woevre is another Pynchon villain with a "V"-name (Vond, Weissman, Vibe).

This is not correct, neither in Dutch nor in French (which would be the language spoken by the upper class in Belgium at that time) is the W pronounced as a V. So it is not a "V"-name.

'''Force Publique''' 
The Force Publique (FP) was the official armed force for what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of direct Belgian rule (1908-60), until the beginning of the Second Republic in 1965. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique Wikipedia entry]

'''made him reach''' 
Possible allusion to a famous line, "When I hear the word culture I reach for my gun." From Hanns Johst's biographical play ''Schlageter''. The original line is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning," "Whenever I hear of culture... I release the safety-catch of my Browning!" (Act 1, Scene 1). It is spoken by another character in conversation with the young Schlageter. In the scene Schlageter and his wartime comrade Friedrich Thiemann are studying for a college examination, but then start disputing whether it's worthwhile doing so when the nation is not free.

The line is often misattributed to better-known Nazis and others [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanns_Johst].

*In Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 film [http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/0997/09057.html ''Le Mépris'' (''Contempt'')], Jack Palance's character "Jeremy Prokosch," an American movie-producer, intones to Fritz Lang: "Whenever I hear the word culture, I reach for my checkbook."

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That's_When_I_Reach_For_My_Revolver That's When I Reach for My Revolver] is a song written in the beginning of the 1980ies by Clint Conley of Mission of Burma. It has been covered many times, most prominently by Moby.

'''not unambiguous''' 
Ie, ambiguous.

'''''rastaquoueres''''' 
Social upstarts

'''de Decker''' 
In Dutch/Flemish, the name means "roofer." (''De'' in these names almost never means "of, from" as in French; it's nearly always the definite article.)

The small "d" in "de Decker" denotes that he is from the upper-class, likely nobility. Piet Woevre, on the contrary, is a much more common name.

==Page 541==

'''''bobbejaan''''' 
Afrikaans: baboon. (Afrikaans is the language spoken by descendants of Dutch colonists in present-day South Africa. Some items identified as Dutch or Flemish in this wiki may really be Afrikaans.)

The South African song "Bobbejaan klim die berg" ("Bobbejaan climbed the hill") is the source of the stage name of Belgium's most famous country and western musician, Bobbejaan Schoepen (b. 1925). In 1943 he was suppressed by the Nazis after performing a South African song, "Mamma, 'k wil 'n man hê" ("Mama, I want a man"), which contains the line "No, Mama, I don't want a German, because I don't like pork." He founded the Bobbejaanland theme park in Belgium, where he still lives.

'''MKIV/ODC... Mark Four''' 
This would be the Mark IV Ohmic Drift Compensator ([[ATD 557-587#Page 565|Page 565]]), a key component of the Q-weapon, which "regulates how much light is allowed to enter the silvering of the mirror! Special kind of refraction! Calibrated against imaginary index! Dangerous! Of the essence!'"

'''not part of your remit''' 
Not included in your job description, instructions, authorization. "Remit" (noun) is usually a British usage.

'''''gatkruiper''''' 
Dutch/Flemish: brownnose, ass-kisser.

'''one on her wrist''' 
All the bruises reflect some refinement or artistry except this one, which may have been inflicted crudely.

'''over the day''' 
Title motif?

==Page 542==

'''trans-horizontic''' 
Across the horizon " a screaming comes across the sky"

'''Edmund Whittaker''' 
Edmund Whittaker (1873-1956), an English mathematician. He is best known for his work in numerical analysis. And he contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of applied mathermatics and physics. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._T._Whittaker Whittaker]).

The Sir Edmund Whittaker Memorial Prize is awarded every four years by the Edinburgh Mathematical Society to an outstanding young mathematician having a specified connection with Scotland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Edmund_Whittaker_Memorial_Prize].

'''louche''' 
The cloudy effect caused by the addition of water to absinthe. Dictionary definition: "of questionable taste or morality; decadent."

'''"Now, with no sensible passage of time, the rooms were resonant with absence."''' 
Cf. [[ATD_397-428#Page_414|page 414]], where Chick Counterfly first encounters the Trespassers at Candlebrow U. ("as if positive expressions of silence and absence were being deployed against him").

'''cheval-glass''' 
Standing mirror in a freestanding vertical frame.

'''as if someone''' 
Sound-cancelling vs opacity-cancelling?

'''"dressing-gown...faceless, armless, attending him"''' 
Not saying this is a deliberate reference by TRP, but this section where Kit appears to see Pliéiade Lafrisée's dressing-gown standing by itself in the moonlight against the window reminds me strongly of a particular image from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany ''A Prayer for Owen Meany''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving John Irving]. Without going on forever here, if you know that book, you probably know the image I'm talking about, and it's uncannily similar to this section of ''AtD''...a faceless, armless mannequin holding a dress belonging to the narrator's mother, taken by Owen to be an angel of death. It's a central image in that novel that recurs in various ways.

Isn't there an apparition like this in one of the ghost stories of M.R. James? James (1862-1936) is the British author famous for, among other things, the story ("Casting of the Runes") which was turned into the 1957 horror film "Night of the Demon." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.R._James]

==Page 543==

'''wraith of Pleiade Lafrisee'''

Pleiade manifests one of her not-visible stars. Perhaps this sister has somehow twisted herself on an imaginary axis ala Dr. V. Ganesh Rao.

'''monitory''' 
Warning, giving advice, by extension ominous or menacing.

'''Against....the day....'''
Note: this phrase happens at the exact halfway point of the novel: p.542.3

'''He Who Must Come''' 
The evil-doer who must come might be Adolf Hitler. It would make sense. The implication being that Europe is precipitating into a no-return situation. Capitalism cannot but end in WW2. 
Ah, a lot more and less than capitalism going on here, especially if anyone specific like Hitler is meant.
:When French writers use this phrase (''celui qui doit venir'') they '''do''' mean the Messiah . . . although a few devout quibblers point out that the Messiah has already come. It's rather tiresome Googling the phrase; the first 83 hits definitely refer to Christ and most of them quote the first verses of Matthew 11. But there's also a Camus reference (in English, I think) down at No. 90, if anyone has a JSTOR account:
:links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0361-1299(1985)39%3A4%3C251%3ACFS%22M%3E2.0.CO%3B2-X

Recalls Yeats' 'The Second Coming' once again: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" [http://chumpsofchoice.blogspot.com/2007/05/casino-royale-in-flanders-field.html#c3637134446204467798 ]

What this had *me* thinking of was the aria "Es gibt ein Reich" in the Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hofmannstal opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_auf_Naxos]. When Ariadne sings this, in Act II, she has been abandoned by her lover and she awaits the arrival of the god Hermes, who will surely carry her off into The Land of the Dead. A portion of the von Hofmannstal text can be translated as "Soon a herald will come, / Hermes is his name [...] It is you who will save me, / My captive soul freed of this burden of being." Here's some good writing that places the aria in context. [http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1680.html ] The opera had its premiere in 1912, but Strauss and von Hofmannstal were *very* much a part of this period. And, of course, Strauss-iana does pop up around here.

'''General Boulanger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Boulanger Georges Boulanger], French military man, and War Minister in the late 19th century. He was one of those men "on a white horse" that some conservatives looked to, as he urged an attack on Germany and the end of the French Republic with a return to monarchy. He was also notorious for his harsh reprisals against workers' demonstrations. "'Boulangisme'" threatened a coup in 1889, but the general's procrastination brought the crisis to an end. 
In ''The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism''
by Matthew Carr, 2007, Boulanger is called the "father" of fascism.

'''what death and what transfiguration''' 
Allusion to Richard Strauss' tone poem "Death and Transfiguration" (''Tod und Verklärung''), premiered in 1890.

'''''"Zeker"''''' 
Dutch: certainly.

'''''dead cert''''' 
Dead certainty, sure thing.

'''Von Schlieffen''' 
Alfred von Schlieffen was the author of a German war plan to win a two-front war against both France and Russia by quickly defeating France before Russian troops could be mobilized. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_Plan Schlieffen Plan] included an attack on France through Belgium, disregarding its neutrality.

'''Wilhelm has offered Leopold part of France, the ancient Duchy of Burgundy''' 
[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/fr-bg.html History of the duchy.] [http://www.freiburg-madison.de/freiburg_history/1386-1517_The%20Early%20Habsburgs.htm Map,] with portrait of Duke Charles the Rash.

'''lowlands''' 
Title of Pynchon's first published story. Here, ass?

Actually the second published story, being "The Small Rain" the first in '59. And I think it means literally lowlands, as they are below sea level.

The Netherlands and Flandres are known as the Low Lands (Nether/Neder = under, below).

==Page 544==

'''Place d'Armes''' 
Main square of Ostend; literally "drill field".

'''peau de soie''' 
"Skin of silk" A heavy, smooth satin with very fine ribbing; somewhat dull in sheen compared with traditional silk finishes.

'''Krafft-Ebing''' 
Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, Austro-German psychiatrist and author of ''Psychopathia Sexualis'' (1886), a pioneering study of deviant sexual behavior and fetishism. Coined both ''sadism'' and ''masochism'' as terms for these respective behaviors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Freiherr_von_Krafft-Ebing Wikipedia entry].

'''toque''' 
Toque here refers to a lady's hat, originally of fur but here in velvet, which is rather like a flattened chef's hat in shape.

Proust: in ''À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs'' the narrator first sees Albertine wearing a toque. There seem to be quite a few Proust themes and references running throughout the novel. Indeed '''Pléiade''' is the French publisher of Proust's works.

'''guipure''' 
Lace trim.

'''midinette''' 
A shopgirl or dressmakers apprentice. A milliner.
These days, mostly used to describe a naive and sentimental young girl

'''Lambic''' 
A distinctive Belgian style of beer. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic Wikipedia]

'''sous''' 

Coins. Originally Roman gold coins, latterly any kind of coin.

Also an old French currency

Specifically small change. She is affecting modesty by claiming that a hat like hers can be had for pennies in any unpretentious shop. In France "sou is used as slang for money, as in ''sans le sou''. 'I'm broke', 'without money'. It is also a slang term for the Canadian cent (standard French, cent)." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sou Wikipedia])

'''mayonnaise''' 
Brautigan's "Trout Fishing in America" famously ends with the word mayonnaise. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0395500761&id=rbEjDovfyNMC&pg=RA2-PA111&lpg=RA2-PA111&ots=ELKl5b_6Tx&dq=mayonnaise+trout.fishing&num=100&sig=BiyXRqJXRGrMWbrBNgn8de2kpCo#PRA2-PA112,M1 GoogleBooks]

'''ovoöleaginous''' 
Another Pynchonic word combination, here denoting the two main ingredients of mayonnaise: 1) eggs, and 2) oil. It's not "fecoventilatory collision" as seen in "Vineland," but it's nice.

'''Grenache''' 
Grape commonly used in Rhone Valley wines e.g. Chateauneuf du Pape.

in this case, it refers to a deep, dark shade of red

'''Chantilly''' 

Region north of Paris.

Here the reference is to crème chantilly otherwise known as whipped cream. Chantilly mayonnaise is made by incorporating the beaten egg whites for extra lightness.

'''attainder''' 
Legislative act declaring that a person is guilty of a crime and setting punishment without the benefit of a formal trial. The Constitution forbids the federal government (Article I, Section 9, clause 3) and the state governments (Article I, Section 10, clause 1) from passing bills of attainder.
[www.historycentral.com/Civics/B.html]

''''''Aux armes, citoyens'''''' 
''To arms, citizens'', from the French national anthem, ''La Marseillaise'' (1792). Kit confused La Mayonnaise with La Marseillaise. 
I don't think he's confused - he suspects Pleiade and is making a point ironically. A James-Bondish sort of quip. In fact this whole incident is Bondish and Pleiade is a Bond-type seductress. And let's not forget, Kit is surrounded by Flemings...

Interesting foresight from Thomas Pynchon. The Belgian Federal Elections of June 10th 2007 led to very long and difficult coalition negotiations. Yves Leterme, the leader of the Flemish Christian Deomocratic Party CD&V was the big winner of the elections in Flandres with a very much pro-Flemish programme (some would say, an alomost separatist programme). Mr Leterme encountered enormous difficulty setting up a government and was not popular at all in the southern (French-speaking) part of Belgium. When asked on July 21st 2007 (the Belgian National Holiday) if he knew the Belgian National Hymn in French, he started singing the French National Hymn, The Marseillaise instead of the Belgian National Hymn, The Brabançonne, shocking a large part of the Belgian population. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABTR2Xe_sGw]

'''Louis XV''' 
King of France 1715-1774 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XV].

'''Cléo de Mérode''' 
Glamorous French ballerina (1875-1966), later Follies Bergere dancer and famous beauty. Her reputed intimacy with King Leopold was only a rumor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleo_de_Merode]. The character Madame Leonora Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's ''A Little Night Music'' has some features in common with her.

'''Marquise de Pompadour''' 
Mistress of Louis XV,once friend of Voltaire and a power behind official scenes.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_de_Pompadour].

'''Neuropathists would recognize in both kings a desire to construct a self-consistent world to live inside, which allows them to continue the great damage they are inflicting on the world the rest of us must live in.'''

Cf. Crime and Punishment

==Page 545==

'''duc de Richelieu''' 
Duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), marshal of France, was a grandnephew of Cardinal Richelieu, and born in Paris. Apart from his reputation as a man of exceptionally loose morals, he attained, in spite of a defective education, distinction as a diplomatist and general. ([http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Louis_Francois_Armand_du_Plessis,_duc_de_Richelieu duc de Richelieu] and cf [[ATD_489-524#Page 490|page 490:duc de Richelieu]])

'''dubious 'victory' in 1756''' 
As part of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), a Marshal of France, won a victory in the Battle of Minorca (May 20, 1756) over John Byng (1704-1757), a British Admiral. In spring of 1756 John Byng was sent with a small and undermanned fleet to relieve the British ''Port Mahon'' on the Mediterranean island of Minorca. During the battle ensued, several British ships were badly damaged by the French squadron while others, including Byng's flagship, were still out of effective firing range. Instead of engaging the enemy directly, Byng decided to keep the formation, allowing the French fleet to get away undamaged. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca Battle of Minorca]).

'''the ill-fated Admiral Byng''' 
John Byng, convicted by court-martial of failure "to do his utmost" in the battle, shot in 1757. Remembered because of (1) his being the last officer of flag rank to be put to death for conduct in battle and (2) Voltaire's gag in ''Candide:'' "In this country it is good to kill an admiral from time to time in order to encourage the others."

'''cantharides''' 
"Spanish fly," contact irritant sometimes ill-advisedly used as aphrodisiac.

'''Sadean''' 
Pertaining to the Marquis de Sade. The acts the chef performs on the egg and oil have the same names as acts of Sadean sex.

'''''n'est-ce pas?''''' 
Right? (Isn't that so?)

'''vetiver''' 
A grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) of tropical India, cultivated for its aromatic roots that yield an oil used in perfumery.
[www.answers.com/topic/vetiver]. So, a perfume with, llterallly, roots in India.

Vetiver makes frequent appearances throughout ''À la recherche du temps perdu.''

'''pip''' 
A beaut; in current parlance, a hottie.

'''Q.P. system''' 
Quaternion Probability, page 536.

'''Usine Régionale''' 
French: as translated in the text.

Actually, this is not proper French at all! Regional Mayonnaise Works should translate as "Usine Régionale de Mayonnaise" or, even better "Fabrique Régionale de Mayonnaise". "Usine ''à la'' mayonnaise" means mayo flavored factory, which makes no sense at all... or does it?

==Page 546==

'''disjunctive effects of thunderstorms''' 
Folk wisdom says a thunderstorm will cause mayonnaise to separate (oil from yolks).

'''cottonseed oil'''

Mayonnaise like Smegmo and Crisco is a hydrogenated fat; cottonseed oil is a common factor to all three. Indeed, the name Crisco derives from the intial sounds of "'''crys'''tallized '''c'''ottonseed '''o'''il". Note in the next few pages a mention of Candlebrow -- underscoring a tie-in between Mayonnaise and Smegmo.

It may be of interest to note that hydrogenation may have a symbolic use for Pynchon. The process entails bubbling hydrogen through oil in the presence of a metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, aluminum at 248 to 410 degrees. Remnants of these metals stay in the finished product, and when consumed can lead to an increase in heavy metals in the human body.

Eating hydrogenated oils is like eating plastic. The body does not recognize that these molecules have been mutated and tries to use them as essential fatty acids. But they cannot perform the same function, and as a result hydrogenated oils can cause short circuits in the electrical flow that controls the heartbeat, nerve functions, cell division and mental balance. They also create free radicals (anarchists!) that are linked to cancers. Free radicals plus metal remnants are a major contributor to cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, osteoporosis, depression, chronic fatigue, Alzheimers, and neurological diseases. It is estimated that over 200 million people have died prematurely because of the hydrogenated oils found in our diets. [http://www.drz.org/asp/newsletter/default.asp?xt2id=23] Not to mention innocent bystanders killed by mentally imbalanced people whose imbalance may stem from the ingestion of hydrogenated oils -- there may be some underlying reality to the "Twinkie defense."

'''lounge suit''' 
A lounge suit is another name for business suit consisting of a matching jacket and trousers or skirt.

'''congress shoes''' 
ankle high shoes with elastic gussets in the sides (wordweb online)

'''invisible hand'''

Suggestive of Adam Smith's metaphor for market forces in economics.

'''dripping-heads''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise To make mayonnaise,] beat together egg yolks, salt, mustard and vinegar, then drip in oil while beating to form the emulsion. If you scale the process up for industrial production, you will automate the introduction of the oil, using nozzles that release it a drop at a time—but in a large vat you can have many such nozzles.

'''''cuves d'agitation''''' 
Vat or tank in which the mayonnaise is agitated or beaten.

'''Clinique d'Urgence pour Sauvetage des Sauces''' 
French: Emergency Clinic for Salvage of Sauces.

If I were to nitpick (which I always do when it comes to my mother tongue), I would point out that it should read Clinique d'Urgence pour '''le''' Sauvetage des Sauces (i.e.: Emergency Clinic for '''the''' Salvage of Sauces).

Pynchon is having fun here. The simple way to "save" a mayonnaise is to add a spoonful of water.

'''Mayonnaise!''' 
This scene reminds one of the famous scene in the Tricatel factory in the French movie "l'Aile ou la cuisse" with Louis de Funes and Coluche. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074103/]. Charles Duchemin (Louis de Funes) is a famous restaurant critic in a struggle with the industrial food producer Jacques Tricatel (Julien Guiomar). During the movie Charles Duchemin ends with his son Gerard (Coluche) in the Tricatel factory to discover how this food is being made. The factory has no visible workers, but Tricatel discovers them and tries to get them killed. The end up in giant pastries, tanks of thick sauses etc.

==Page 547==

'''' ...engulfed in thick, slick, sour-smelling mayonnaise. ''''
The whole Kit's experience in the mayonnaise factory is very much reminiscent to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl Roald Dahl]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory].

'''''Cazzo, cretino''''' 
Literally, "Dick, cretin." ''Cazzo'' is a common Italian interjectionary obscenity, especially in the south. "Cazzo, cretino," is akin to someone saying, "Well shit, dummy," or "F-ing moron!"

'''''È il cowboy!''''' 
Italian: It's the cowboy!

'''''vero?''''' 
true? real?

'''''Le bambole anarchiste, porca miseria''''' 
Italian: Anarchist babes, oh boy.

'''Oudenberg''' 
A southeast suburb of Ostende.

'''Quai de l'Entrepôt''' 
Warehouse Quay

'''''ragazzi''''' 
Italian: boys, guys.

==Page 548==

'''General Boulanger''' 
That the General was 'reactionary' and that the C of C bureaucracy had a 'defiant residue' of Boulangism, continues the characterization of the organization for which the Chums 'work'. 
See p. 543 above, regarding a 2007 book in which Boulanger is called the 'father of fascism'.

'''''timbres fictifs''''' 
French: fictive postage stamps. Cf "Lot 49". 
Yes, stamps mean something in Pynchon's works; here, it seems important that these stamps are characterized as frauds.

'''"IIIb"''' 
As explained in the text. 
"Section IIIB (Intelligence) of the German High Command. After WWI, was funded by Alfred Hugenberg (financial backer of Nazi party)". From ''Sabotage'' by Sayers & Kahn, 1942.[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22IIIB%27+%2B+INTELLIGENCE&btnG=Search]. The authors state in the Forward, in 1942, "that 'Nazi Germany' is the creation of spies and saboteurs". See ''V.'' & ''Gravity's Rainbow'', of course.

'''Germany might stand a better chance...''' 
That is, if the French were to push into Alsace (per Boulanger) as the Germans executed the Schlieffen Plan [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_plan] for the encirclement of Paris, it would put the French at an even greater disadvantage...as actually happened in 1914. Had the Belgians and British not delayed the Germans in Flanders, and had the French railroads not performed speedily to bring the French troops back to the Marne, World War I could have had a very different outcome...an alternate history.

'''revanchist''' 
Policies based on revenge, or a person following such policies. In General Boulanger's case, revenge against Germany for the Franco-Prussian War (that is, retaking Alsace, lost in 1871).

'''the somewhat discomposed General''' 
Having died in 1891, the General by the time of the action is certainly somewhat '''de'''composed; brief biographies do not suggest he was ''non compos mentis,'' that is, mentally discomposed.

==Page 549==
'''grow more and more invisible''' 
What could be meant? Clearly, they inhabit bodies that people interact with?, as well as being characters in works of fiction. 
Given what happens with the Chums as the story progresses [Spoiler bit, thematically], I suggest that their invisibility here
means the entering of simple human life, to live out their lives 'anonymously' in history. I want to suggest this is largely a positive vision, indicated in other ways and places as well in TRPs work. Here is an overt bit of circumstantial evidence from Pynchon's introduction to Jim Dodge's novel ''Stone Junction'': 
"Equally difficult for those who might wish to proceed through life
anonymously and without trace has been the continuing assault against
the once-reliable refuge of the cash or non-plastic economy." [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_stone.html]

'''cackled Darby''' 
(When did he lose his innocence?)

'''a modification of any salsician metaphor toward the diminutive''' 
Salsician: pertaining to sausage. Lindsay says Suckling's penis is better compared to a wiener than a knockwurst.

'''"Why you little–and I do mean 'little'–"''' 
Another Simpsons reference?

Noseworth, the Master-At-Arms of the Chums division of this organization with a defiant residue of 'fascism', who had no smell to Pugnax early on,
is called out, either for real or in a sex-bashing putdown, for homosexuality. cf. homosexuality as a metaphor in ''Gravity's Rainbow''.

'''dunes between Nieuport and Dunkirk''' 
Nieuport is a Belgian seaport about 10 miles southwest of Ostend. Dunkirk is a French port (less than 10 miles inside the French border) about 20 miles southwest of Nieuport. The latter was a site of one of the bloodest battle in World War I. The general area between Niewport and Dunkirk was the well traversed battle fields of two world wars. (Dunkirk was (in)famous for the British Army's escape from the Nazi German's assault in World War II.)

'''power-receivers''' 
Not information, energy.

==Page 550==

'''Lot's wife''' 
Angels of God led Lot and his family out of Sodom as it was being destroyed and told them not to look back at the mayhem. Lot's wife, Edith, imprudently looked back and was transfigured into a pillar of salt.

'''preference...for interiors''' 
In [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361 Mason & Dixon, p. 354]
, the interiors of some coaches were larger than their exterior dimensions. Interiors have importance in Pynchon's worldview. Cf. "invisibility", and a 'human life' above. 

'''Italian grotto''' 
an imitating recess or structure made to resemble a natural Italian grotto.

'''a highly developed taste, moreover, for human blood''' 
Since Pugnax developed this taste in the Carpathians, home of Castle Dracula, this seems a clear reference to Bram Stoker's novel.

'''Carpathians''' 
Major mountain range running northwest-southeast through Poland, Slovakia, western Ukraine and Romania.

'''Uhlans''' 
Uhlan regiments belonged to the light cavalry. They wore splendid uniforms (model for some U.S. marching band uniforms). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhlan Wikipedia article.]

'''Temesvár''' 
Now Timişoara, extreme western Romania.

==Page 551==
'''prefiguration...of the holy City''' 
City of God, ala Augustine? ''The Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophers''[http://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-City-Eighteenth-Century-Philosophers/dp/0300101503]
, as explored in the book Ian McEwan says he lent Pynchon? [citation needed] 

'''...separated by only a slice of Time...''' 
Miles is beginning to experience Time almost as a spatial dimension, his personal vector as traversing (!) 4-dimensional space, or perhaps multidimensional space, the mathematics for which is being debated in Ostend.

'''securing the mess decks''' 
The Chums follow U.S. Navy idiom in orders (frequently prefixed with "Now") and shipboard activities ("secure" meaning "whatever you did before, undo it now," in this case put away the dishes and fold up the tables).

'''Ryder Thorn''' 
Tolkienesque name? Or perhaps it's a nod to the Ryder-Waite Tarot deck and to Kevin Thorn (Kevin Matthew Fertig, 1977-), the American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Kevin Thorn who is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its ECW brand. He has appeared in vigniettes with Ariel (Shelly Martinez, 1980-), the tarot card reader, who spits blood at the camera while she "predicted the future of ECW." Yup, a stretch...

*The name also evokes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

'''He was at Candlebrow.''' 
Presumably a 'trespasser.'

'''the four-note chord in the context of timelessness''' 
A melody is formed by notes following one another in time; a chord on the ukulele violates that practice by having all the notes sound at once. A really clever little passage.
Note: Jazz musicians describe musical improvisations as horizontal (with the melody) or vertical (with the chord).

References to ukuleles and Hawaii and its culture abound in Pynchon's novels [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Vineland''] and [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Gravity's Rainbow'']. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaii & ukulele references in ''Against the Day'']]...

==Page 552==

'''the widespread contempt in which ukulele players are held''' 
Cf. Tiny Tim, of "Tiptoe through the Tulips" fame?

'''knuckle-duster''' 
Brass knuckles.

'''Diksmuide''' 
20 kilometers south of Ostend (about halfway to Ypres).

==Page 553==

'''The terrain was flat...lowlands''' 
Not, this time, a reference to Pynchon's ''Lowlands'', but to the two-dimensionality of Flanders, as in Edwin A. Abbott's ''Flatland'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland]; most humans, like the inhabitants of Flanders and Abbott's Flatlanders, experience life in two dimensions.

'''Somewhere up in the sky was Miles' home...''' 
Whereas Miles and the Chums of Chance, in contrast, live in three dimensions. The mathematicians gathered in Ostend are trying to calculate how to experience and use vectors to live in four dimensions; in a way, to experience Time as a kind of spatial dimension. Miles, on P. 551, is demonstrating the beginnings of an intuitive discovery of how to experience Time as an almost spatial dimension. Which would be a sort of "time travel", or at least an expanded view of life and history.

'''retted''' 
soaked in water or exposed to moisture (as flax or hemp) to facilitate the removal of the fiber from the woody tissue by partial rotting.

==Page 554==

'''Ypres and Menin''' 
Municipalities in West Flanders that were sites of some of the bloodiest battles of WWI. At the beginning of the war, the British and Belgian stand helped save Paris from encirclement by the Germans, and saved the Channel ports, but as Thorn points out, the area became the western anchor of the Western Front trench system. The several Battles of Ypres saw the first uses of poison gas (Mustard Gas, dichlorodiethylsulfide, was first called Yperite), the use of enormous mines, and the legendary mud of Passchendaele [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passchendaele].

'''Ten years from now''' 
(1914?) through 1918? and beyond?. Another paramorphic mirror--what do we now face. Whatever it is, it is nuclear.

'''Bosch''' 
Hieronymous Bosch (1450-1516), Dutch painter of nightmares. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch Wikipedia entry].

'''Brueghel''' 
Pieter Brueghel the Elder(1525-1569), Flemish painter.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Brueghel_the_Elder Wikipedia entry].

'''League''' 
League of Nations? The League of Nations was formed after WWI to prevent future wars. Didn't succeed.

No. In this case a historical unit of length, approximately three miles -

No, again; a league here is an association of people joined by common interests and "League on league" means tremendous masses of people.

'''where the needles went and which way to rotate them''' 
I.e., how to push Thorn's buttons; the image is from acupuncture.

==Page 555==

'''simpletons at the fair''' 
Making Pynchon's metaphor explicit.

'''Chopin E-minor Nocturne''' 
Frédéric Chopin (1810-49), a Polish pianist and composer ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin Chopin]). He was born in Warsaw, Poland to a Polish morther and a French father. He went to Paris at the age of 20 and died there at the age of 39. He was widely regarded as one of the most famous and influential composers for the piano. From 1837-47 he had a 10-year stormy relationship with the French writer George Sand. His E-minor Nocturne is a 4-minute long Romantic style piano solo composed in 1827. (A ''nocturne'' is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturne Nocturne].)

'''owl-light''' 
???glimmering or imperfect light or twilight hours.

''''plasmic hysteresis'''' 

A coined term, apparently similar in meaning to Miles’ phrase “failure of physical translation.” Plasma would take an older meaning of “form” or “shape." Hysteresis, according to Webster's, refers to “a retardation in effect when the forces on an object are changed.” Hysteresis is used to describe magnetic phenomenon as well as plastic or elastic materials, that involve changes to a rest state that last beyond the forces that cause them. Examples include recordings on magnetic tape or a thumbprint slowly disappearing from putty. In the context of this passage, plasmic hysteresis appears to describe the lingering visage of someone who is no longer present – a hysteresis of form only and thus a failed physical translation. See [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=plasma&searchmode=none etymology of plasma] and this nifty explanation of [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/hysteresis/WhatIsHysteresis.html hysteresis].

Hysteresis has also been used to refer to “loops” in time, certainly apropos in this case. I stumbled across an excellent example in a 1980 episode of Dr. Who, in which the eponymous Dr. is trapped in “chronic hysteresis,” an endless loop or return to a previous
point in time – very similar to the situation of Ryder Thorn. [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_5q.htm Check it out for yourself!]

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 525-556

2009-08-16T20:02:16Z

Cortinas: /* Page 536 */ Removed "scream"

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 525==

'''Ostend''' 
Cf [[ATD_489-524#Page 521|page 521: Ostend]], a seaport in northwest Belgium. Among English-speaking tourists, Ostend (or Ostende) is best known as a ferry port.

'''Fishermen's Quai''' 
Fishermen's Quay, also called ''De Trap''. The shrimp boats come home here from the sea in the morning. Along the quay many stands sell lots of seafoods.

'''Boulevard van Isenghem''' 
A major thoroughfare in Ostend, locally called ''Van Iseghemlaan'', extending diagonally from seafront southwest through the city.

'''street-plausible''' 
Presentable.

'''Quai de l'empereur''' 
Since Ostende is in the Flemish part of Belgium this should be the Keizerskaai, a street along the old part of the harbour, 1919 renamed Vindictivelaan.

'''estaminet''' 
According to the OED - A café in which smoking is allowed. Now, any small establishment selling alcoholic liquor.

'''twelve-centime''' 
one centime is the French equivalent of one cent. A twelve-centime beer would cost 12/100 of a franc.

Although the definition above still stands, remember these are Belgian francs, a different currency than French francs.

'''Quaternions''' 
Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 130|page 130:Quaternions]]. Quaternions are a non-commutative extension of complex numbers (Hamilton, 1843). 

Analogy with the complex numbers (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 132|page 132:complex number]]) being represented as a sum of real and imaginary parts, a + b''i'', where ''i''² = −1, a quaternion is defined as a combination a + b''i'' + c''j'' + d''k'', where ''i''² = ''j''² = ''k''² = ''i j k'' = −1, and a, b, c, d are ''four'' explicit real numbers. The non-commutative property refers to ''i j = −j i = k; j k = −k j = i; k i = −i k = j''. (i.e. ''i j ≠ j i; j k ≠ k j; k i ≠ i k''; etc.) The using of ''i, j, k'', the imaginary numbers (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 133|page 133:imaginary number]]), led to the phrases of "the ''ijk'' lot" of page 533 and "creature of ''i-j-k''" of page 534.

'''Kellner''' 
German: waiter, barman. Use of the German word would be insulting to the Belgian barman.

Well, I don't think it may sound insulting for the waiter, as Ostend is in the part of Belgium were Flemish (Dutch) is spoken and in that language ''kelner'' is the word for waiter, which sounds like the German ''Kellner''. Pynchon misspelling, maybe? (DCB)

'''''demi''''' 
A half-pint glass (25 centiliters, actually).

'''Lambic''' 
Pron. ''lahm-BEEK.'' Unique Belgian beer style, sour and often thin in body.

'''skimmer''' 
Straw hat ("Panama").

==Page 526==

'''biquaternion''' 
Or "octonion," an innovation of English mathematician W.K. Clifford, [[ATD_243-272#Page_249|referred to on p. 249.]]

'''Barry Nebulay''' 
Pun on a term from heraldry, ''barry nebuly.'' The term barry (rhymes with "starry," not "carry") refers to a shield divided into an even number of parts by horizontal lines. Nebuly, possibly also spelled ''nebulée,'' signals that the lines are deformed into stylized "cloud" shapes. (Actually the dividing line looks more like interlocking parts of a jigsaw puzzle.) [http://www.rarebooks.nd.edu/digital/heraldry/partitions.html Here you can see an example.]

A play on the astronomical term ''nebulae'' is just conceivable, but then why "Barry"?

'''University of Dublin''' 
The Alma Mater of Hamilton, the father of Quaternion. He studied, graduated and taught at Trinity College, the University of Dublin, Ireland's oldest university.

If University College, Dublin, then Joyce had graduated in 1902. 

'''Quaternioneers''' 
Quaternion believers.

'''Gibbsian Vectors''' 
Vector Analysis (or Vector Calculus) developed by Willard Gibbs (Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Professor Gibbs]]) in 1881 and 1884. It is a branch of calculus that deals with vectors and process involving vectors. It is much more easily applied to phsics and other applied sciences than Hamilton's Quaternions (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]]). 
A vector is defined by not only a magnitude but also a direction, such as a velocity vector, ''v'' is defined by ''v'' = a''i'' + b''j'' + c''k'',
where a, b, and c are the magnitudes of the velocity components in directions of ''i, j'' and ''k'' which are unit vectors, (not imaginary numbers as in Quaternion), with magnitude of 1. In three dimensional cases and ''xyz'' coordinate system is used then ''i, j, k'' are related to ''x, y, z'' directions ("''xyz'' people" of page 533); but they, in general, may be used irrespective of the notation of the coordinates.
Mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication), differentiation (''curl'' — Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326:Curl]] and p. 536, ''Laplacian'' — Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326:Laplacian]] and p. 536, etc) and integration can be applied to vectors. It is interesting to know that one of the two multiplication operations is called cross product; for unit vectors (''i, j, k'') perpendicular to each other, then, ''i × i = j × j = k × k = 0'', ''i × j = k'', ''j × i = -k'', etc. ([http://web.mit.edu/wwmath/vectorc/summary.html Vector Calculus]). 
A simple vector anyalysis example here: if ''k'', the unit vector, stands for the direction upward and g is the gravitational acceleration, then the acceleration vector, ''a'', for a projectile, is defined for downward action, (the ''i'' and ''j'' directions have zero components): 
:''a'' = -g ''k'' 
Integrating ''a'' would give the velocity vector, ''v'' 
:''v'' = -g t ''k'' 
for zero initial velocity case, and t standing for time. 
And integrating ''v'' would yield the position vector, ''h'', for the projectile 
:''h'' = -½ g t² ''k'' 
toward the sea level.

'''Quaternionists''' 
Quaternion believers, same as Quaternioneers.

'''Tasmania''' 
Tasmania is an island of the southern coast of Australia. Known for its relative isolation, it was a prison for English convicts in the 1800s

'''Having been inseparable from the rise of the electromagnetic''' 
In his 1865 work ''The Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field'', James Clerk Maxwell unified electricity and magnetism. He put forth twenty equations, with twenty unknowns, in vector form (though different in notation and form than the equations that now bear his name) that completely described all known electromagnetic phenomena. In his 1873 treatise on the subject, he expressed the equations in the mathematics of quaternions. It appears that the quaternion form of the equations remained popular even though, at the behest of his publisher, Maxwell reverted to the 1865 form in the second edition (1881)--though they remain scattered throughout. In 1892 Oliver Heaviside (On the Forces, Stresses, and Fluxes of Energy in the Electromagnetic Field. ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London.'' A, Vol. 183. pp423-480), while spewing scientific vitriol at the Quaternionists, reformulated Maxwell's original 1865 equations (Heaviside chose to remove the vector potential and scalar fields from the equations; the inclusion of these terms had served as Maxwell's justification for the use of quaternions), and provided the notation still in use today. See this [http://www.zpenergy.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=60 PDF] for the evolution of Maxwell's equations.

'''Hamiltonian devotees''' 
The Quaternion faction, after William Hamilton, who devised the scheme.

'''Grand Hôtel de la Nouvelle Digue''' 
There is a Hotel Digue in the Seychelles; this is a New Hotel Digue by Pynchon?

Grand Hotel of New Dyke, may be a made up hotel name.

'''anterooms of death''' 
This metaphor is sometimes applied to concentration camps. Here the lyric "feel like I'm fixin' to die" seems more apposite.

'''Belgian Art Nouveau''' 
Art Nouveau, 1890(or 80) to 1914, explores a new style in the visual arts and architecture that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the 19th century. At its height (~1907), Art Nouveau was a concerted attempt to create an international style based on decoration. It was developed by a brilliant and energetic generation of artists and desisgners, who sought to fashion an art form appropriate to the post-Industrial Revolution modern age. 
Brussels was one of the Art Nouveau centers and represented different style from the others. The jewelers there, accepted as artists rahter than craftsmen, (together with those in Paris) defined Art Nouveau in jewelery and achieved the most renown. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau Art Nouveau]).

==Page 527==

'''dossing''' 
British slang for "sleeping", "staying overnight"

'''Russian nihilists''' 
:The following four are local, Belgian, not Russian, nihilists !
:: It only says Russian in the first edition.

'''Eugénie''' 
Female. Possibly named for Empress Eugénie (1826-1920), consort of French Emperor Napoleon III. Ultimately for St. Eugenia, 3rd-century Roman martyr whose feast is celebrated on December 25.

'''Fatou''' 
Female. A pseudonym? In view of the date of the action, certainly not named after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatou the mathematician Fatou] (1878-1929).

Although there is no reference to ethnicity in the text, Fatou is an African name, very common in Senegal. It would be highly uncommon to find a white Belgian bearing that name in the early 20th century. And it would make sense if a revolutionary group named Young Congo had at least one or two African members!

'''Denis''' 
Male. Named for St. Denis or Dionysius, patron saint of Paris and of France, 3rd-century bishop of Paris, martyr, beheaded on the hill now called Montmartre. "Montjoie St. Denis!" was a warcry used by French troops in the Middle Ages. His intercession is effective against demonic possession and headache.

'''Policarpe''' 
Male. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycarp Saint Polycarp] was a Christian bishop of Smyrna (now İzmir in Turkey) in the second century. He was stabbed and died a martyr after an attempt to burn him at the stake failed. His intercession is sought against earache and dysentery.

again, possibly African. It was very common for white missionaries in Africa to give their newly converted flock the names of famous Saints.

'''Young Congo''' 
Probably in reference to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Turks Young Turks], a Turkish revolutionary movement

'''Garde Civique''' 
A part of the Belgian army. According to the [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Belgium 1911 Britannica], "the mass of the garde civique does not pretend to possess military value. It is a defence against sedition and socialism."

'''French Second Bureau boys''' 
Deuxieme Bureau; French Intelligence.

'''''phalange''''' 
French: phalanx. A military (here mock-military) group ready for combat. 

It also conjures up memories of the early 19th century utopian socialist
Charles Fourier, who theorized that people should live communally in "phalanxes" of a specific number based upon their "passions." His solid ideas included equality of the sexes, but he also taught wacky things such as the moon being made of lemonade. Of particular relevance is his rejection of industrial civilization. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopian_socialism]

'''"...until something had happened, something too terrible to remember..."''' 
Again this theme of an unknowable past transgression, here invoked almost as if the unknown signifies the other 'lateral' (a word which has cropped up at least a dozen times already) 'vector'.

'''the Digue''' 
French for "dyke"

'''Congo... Belgians''' 
The Belgian colonisation of the Congo was, as Conrad's ''Heart of Darkness'' makes clear, notable for its greed and brutality.

'''Leopold, King of the Belgians''' 
1835-1909, reigned 1865-1909. A man of almost Nixonian fiendishness. In the Congo he acted as sole proprietor and absolute ruler. The positive outcomes of his exploitation include ''Heart of Darkness'' and the phrase "crime against humanity."

'''co-conscious''' 
mental processes outside the main stream of consciousness but sometimes available to it — from Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary.

'''Force Publique''' 
Belgian armed forces operating in the Belgian Congo ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique Wikipedia]). "King Leopold's private army" may be a more accurate description.

'''rubber worker''' 
See above: One of the early missions of the FP was to increase rubber export quotas through forced labor and related atrocities.

==Page 528==

'''''khâgne''''' 
an informal term used by French students for Classes Préparatoires Littéraires, the two-year cycle of classes taken after the Baccalaureat (taken at age 17-18), to prepare for the entrance examination to the Ecole Normale Supeieure. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kh%C3%A2gne khâgne]).

'''Reclus''' 
J. J. Élisée Reclus (1830-1905), French geographer but mainly educated in Germany. Several times he was forced to leave France because of his political views; he traveled widely in Europe, the British Isles, the United States, and South America and for many years lived in Switzerland. He was professor of comparative geography at the University of Brussels from 1895 to 1905. He had quite an extensive connection with various socialist and anarchist circles (met Bakunin while in Florence).Once he was imprisoned in Versailles in 1871 for his part in the ''Paris Commune''. In 1882 he initiated the ''Anti-marriage movement'' while in Geneva. [[http://academic.reed.edu/formosa/texts/reclusbio.html Reclus]).

'''Stirnerite''' 
Follower of Max Stirner, 19th century German philosopher and author of ''The Ego and Its Own,'' a work influential in anarchist thought. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Stirner Wikipedia entry]. [[Max Stirner|Discussion...]]

'''''Anarcho-individualiste''''' 
i.e. he has doctrinal differences with Stirnerism, strictly speaking; see P. 324, and "Eigenheit".

'''Leopold''' 
See [[#Page 527|p. 527]].

'''going down lately''' 
Being assassinated.

'''Sipido''' 
Jean-Baptiste Sipido (1884-1959), a Belgian socialist. Accusing the Prince of Wales of causing thousands of inocents were killed in the Boer War in South Africa, on April 5, 1900, Sipido leaped onto the foot board of the royal compartment right before the train left the North Railway Station (Gare du Nord), Brussel, and fired two (or one? as reported in ''The Manchester Guardian'', or four? as stated in the text here) shots through the window but missed everyone inside. He was arrested, tried and acquitted. The leader of the House of Commons called the acquittal a "grave and most unfortunate miscarriage of justice." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Sipido Sipido]).

'''Prince... of Wales''' 
(Maud Gonne's husband claimed to have been involved in another such plot.)

'''Hippodrome''' 
Hippodrome Wellington, a horse racing track in Ostend built in 1883. The facility hosts both harness and flat racing events. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome_Wellington Hippodrome]).

'''Royal Bathing Hut... twenty francs''' 
A bathing machine ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathing_machine bathing machine])? The King of Belgium certainly would not want to be seen in a swimsuit on a public beach... It seems unlikely, though, that such a royal bathing machine would be for hire.

'''twenty francs''' 
???

==Page 529==

'''picric family''' 
The explosive picric acid (2,4,6-trinitrophenol) and its derivatives. For picric acid, Brugère's powder and Designolle's powder, [http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/PER_PIG/PICRIC_ACID_or_TRINITROPHENOL_C.html see this Britannica article.]

'''Brugère's powder''' 
See "picric family" above.

'''Designolle's''' 
See "picric family" above.

'''Monsieur Santos-Dumont''' 
Alberto Santos-Dumont (1873-1932), a pioneer of aviation from Brasil. Check out [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Santos-Dumont Wikipedia] to get a look at the way he was wearing his "trademark Panama hat".

'''Green Hour''' and '''''l'heure vertigineuse''''' 
Absinthe-drinking time. The liqueur is green. In French, ''l'heure verte,'' so ''vertigineuse'' (vertiginous, causing dizziness) is a pun on the word for "green."

'''Rocco and Pino''' 
Rabid Quaternionists and sudden friends of Kit Traverse.
:No, they were not mathematicians at all, let alone Quaternionists, but two "Italian naval renegades" !!
::"Rocco and Pino" are, in temperament, something like the "Mason and Dixon" of manned-torpedoes... cf. the "torpedo" (i.e., "Electrick-Eel") of ''Mason & Dixon''.

'''Whitehead works in Fiume''' 
Anticipating GR's V2 works.

''Robert Whitehead'' (1823-1905), an English engineer. He developed the first self-propelled torpedo in 1866. He attended Manchester's Mechanics Institute, worked in a shipyard in Toulon (1844), France, and as a consultant engineer in Milan (1847), Italy. Later he moved to Trieste and in 1856 became a manager of a company called ''Founderia Mettali'' (later, ''Stabilimento Tecnico di Fiume'') in Fiume producing ship steam boilers and engines which were the most advanced of that era. He also developed the first self-propelled torpedo which was very popular. Whitehead's torpedo was propelled by a compressed air engine, carried 18lbs dynamites and a self-regulating device which kept the torpedo cruising at a constant preset depth. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Whitehead Whitehead]].

''Fiume'' is now Rijeka, Croatia. Trieste is on the northwestern edge of the Istra Peninsula, Rijeka is east of it. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijeka Fiume]].

Interesting sidebar: Whitehead's fortune from Fiume and the torpedo went solely to his granddaughter Agatha Whitehead, who married Baron von Trapp. The Von Trapp money came from Robert Whitehead, and most of the von Trapp singers were his great-grandchildren.

'''''Alberta''''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_yacht Wikipedia] entry on royal yachts goes back to the 17th century but doesn't include ''Alberta.'' The craft does get a mention in [http://www.bouncing-balls.com/timeline/people/nr_leopoldmorel.htm this page on Leopold and the Congo.]

'''Siluro Dirigibile a Lenta Corsa''' 
or S.L.C. "slow course torpedo", "slow-running torpedo". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_torpedo Wikipedia] Italy‘s Navy was among the first to experiment with manned torpedos. Though according to [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/sm/chariots.html this site] this did not happen until 1935, Italian frogmen as early as October 31, 1918 made it into the harbour of Pula with the help of a modified german torpedo and sank the former Austrian but by then since a few hours Croatian/Slovenian/Bosnian battleship SMS ''Viribus Unitis''. [http://www.geocities.com/tegetthoff66/viribus.html website]

The Wikipedia entry linked above doesn't contain the Italian word ''dirigibile'' (steerable), which sets up the torpedo as a counterpart of the dirigible ''Inconvenience.''

:I suspect there's a connection between the torpedo and "Not the usual lateener, in fact appearing to have neither sails, masts, nor oars" in Miles' reversed vision, [[ATD_243-272#Page_250|page 250.]] Needs work, though.

==Page 530==

'''exfiltrate''' 
Make a surreptitious escape (as "infiltrate" means to make a surreptitious entrance).

'''''Macchè''''' 
Italian: certainly not, not a chance. And in Pynchon's Italian is used as an all-purpose exclamation.

'''''Ehi, stu gazz', categoria''''' 
Stu gazz' is a dialect representation of ''sto cazzo'', literally meaning ''this dick here''. Normally you could translate the sense of the sentence as: ''yeah, why not, a fucking category! ''. -- blicero2 - 2007.02.22

'''''mezzogiornismo''''' 
Denigrating the Italian South. Mezzogiorno means ''midday'' in Italian but refers generally to Southern Italy.

==Page 531==

'''Bruges''' 
An exceptionally beautiful Belgian town of canals which is thus one of several towns known as the 'Venice of the north'. In the 14th cettury Burges already became an international finanacial and trading center, but
started to decline in the 15th century. In the 20th century, however, the city was discovered by the international tourism and the medieval heritage turned out to be a new source of wealth. A new harbor of Zeebrugge, 10 miles outside of Bruges at the North Sea coast, brought new developments and new industries to the region. For the city and its history see ([http://www.trabel.com/brugge.htm Bruges]).

'''Raoul's Atelier de la Vitesse''' 
French: Ralph's Speed Shop.

'''Ghent''' 
Belgian city, less than 30 miles southeast of Bruges, on the rail line about halfway between Ostend and Brussels. It is the fourth largest city of Belgium. It is bigger than Bruges but not as famous as a tourist attraction. But the city is a showcase of medieval Flemish wealth and commercial success. See ([http://www.trabel.com/gent.htm Ghent]).

'''Daimler six-cylinder''' 
Six cylinder engine (most likely a "straight six", as V6 engines weren't made before 1950) manufactured by the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company), German engine and later automobile manufacturer (of the famous Mercedes), in operation from 1890 until 1926. Later merged with the Benz Co. and thus was born the Mercedes Benz. Merged with Chrysler in 1998 and is now know as Daimler AG. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daimler_Motoren_Gesellschaft]

'''a hundred horsepower''' 
In the early 1900's, Daimler's top straight six cylinder engines (see above), the only ones being manufactured in continental Europe, could manage an impressive 75 horsepower. So the engine here is most likely a supercharged version of a car engine.

'''''guaglion''''' 
italian (dialectal) = boy, young person

'''Umeki Tsurigane''' 
Umeki is typically made with some combination of the various kanji for "plum" (ume) and "tree" (ki), though one has the ki being the character for "ghost/devil" and one obscure reading that's entirely redundant, where ume is "plant" (usually read ue). There is one where ume is the kanji for "buried or embedded". Tsurigane, means a "temple bell", which can stand alone or be followed by the grass kanji to mean "bellflower" (lots of botanical stuff happening here, if that means anything; hardly the only example in ''AtD''). Given the search for Shambhala going on, "Buried Temple Bell" seems a likely translation, at least at this point; the botanical meanings could perhaps emerge later.

Or, another terrible name-pun? "You make [m]e sore again." See another on P. [[ATD_748-767#Page_757| 757]]

'''Professor Knott''' 
Cargill Knott (1856-1922), professor of physics; seismologist. See his biography [http://www.penicuikcdt.org.uk/Cargill_Knott.html here].

==Page 532==

'''Kimura''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Kimura]] and [[ATD_318-335#Page 318|page 318:Shunkichi Kimura]].

'''drover's sombrero''' 
Cowboy hat.

'''furoshiki''' 
Japanese all-purpose cloth. Can be worn, used as wrapping, or used as a bag.

'''taupe''' 
A brownish gray.

'''boilermakers and their helpers''' 
[[ATD_358-373#Page_360|See annotation to p. 360.]]

'''Anharmonic Pencil''' 
''Pencil'' is a term commonly used in Synthetic Geometry. Straight lines incident with a plane - coplanar lines - and passing through a common point are said to be concurrent lines and the set of all such concurrent coplanar lines is called the ''pencil''. (Cf [[ATD_429-459#Page 456|page 456:Pencil]]). For a figure and a not quite precise definition see [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Pencil.html pencil]. If a, b, c and d, are four distinct coplanar lines and their double ratio λ = (abcd) = -1, then a, b, c, d are called a harmonic quadruple of lines; they are said to constitute a ''harmonic pencil''. A ''pencil'' which is not harmonic then is known as ''anharmonic pencil''. See Pencil (lines 8-9), Double Ratio λ (lines 32-35) and Harmonic Pencil (line 39) of [http://ca.geocities.com/ingsaler6/mathworld.html Mathworld].

'''''Comptes rendus''''' 
''Comptes rendus des séances hebdomadaires,'' Proceedings of the weekly sessions (of the Academy of Sciences), published from 1835, later (ca. 1935) retitled ''Comptes rendus de l'Académie des sciences,'' Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences. (Notice that the academy didn't see the need to specify "French." Take that, Royal Society of London!) For about a century, one of two journals so universally circulated and recognized that bibliographies nearly always cited them in nickname form: ''C.R.'' The other was ''Ber.,'' short for ''Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft,'' Reports of the German Chemical Society (from 1868).

'''De Forest''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:De Forest]].

'''Gibbs''' 
Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page 29|page 29:Professor Gibbs]].

'''Maxwell Equations''' 
Cf [[ATD_57-80#Page 58|page 58:Maxwell Field Equations]].

==Page 533==

'''aniline teal''' 
The wallpaper dye; aniline dyes were the first synthetic dyes, discovered by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Perkin William Perkin] in 1858. Their intense and fade-resistant colors were very fashionable at the end of the nineteenth century. The dyes are also significant in ''GR'' as the products of I.G. Farben.

'''Heavisiders''' 
Oliver Heaviside (May 18, 1850 – February 3, 1925) was a self-taught English electrical engineer, mathematician and physicist who adapted complex numbers to the study of electrical circuits, developed techniques for applying Laplace transforms to the solution of differential equations, reformulated Maxwell's field equations in terms of electric and magnetic forces and energy flux, and independently co-formulated vector analysis. Although at odds with the scientific establishment for most of his life, Heaviside changed the face of mathematics and science for years to come.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaviside].

'''Grassmanniacs''' 
Nineteenth century German mathematician and linguist, essentially the inventor/discoverer of vector space. Grassmann showed that once geometry is put into the algebraic form he advocated, then the number three has no privileged role as the number of spatial dimensions; the number of possible dimensions is in fact unbounded.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Grassmann].

'''in the mood for a clambake''' 
Anachronistic Broadway show tune? If so, the clambake in ''Carousel'' turns into a brawl; the assembled factions of mathematicians could be in the mood for either a party or a brawl, apparently.

'''Monopole de la Maison''' 
Monopole of the House, a fanciful name of a fanciful drink. 
There is, since 1898, a well known restaurant called ''Monopole Lunch & Sea Grill'' in Plattsburgh of upper New York state. ([http://www.monopole.org Monopole Restaurant]). 
Most probably, it's the Magnetic monopole being referred here. In physics, a monopole is a magnet with a net magnetic charge, i.e. there is only one pole instead of two (so no net magnetic charge) as usual. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_monopole Monopole]). It's existence had been theoretically predicted by various particle theories (superstring theory, etc) but never been proved experimentally. Proving the existence of a monopole would certainly earn a Nobel Prize.

'''Idiom Neutral''' 
An invented language, like Esperanto. Idiom Neutral dictionaries first appeared in 1902. It looks like a simplified Latinate language and it grew out of Volapuk, another "auxiliary language." It was abandoned by the ''Akademi Internasional de Lingu Universal'' in 1908.

For a list of all the invented languages that linguists are keeping track of, including Klingon, try [http://linguistlist.org/forms/langs/GetListOfConstructedLgs.html Eastern Michigan's Linguist List]. And don't forget to click on the link to "Browse sites devoted to constructed languages."

'''phatic''' 
Basically, small talk or chatter. Words used to convey fellow-feeling rather than to impart information.

'''''Kampf ums Dasein''''' 
German: struggle for existence.

'''Q-brother''' 
Fellow Quaternioneer or Fellow Quaternionist.

'''We are the Jews of mathematics, wandering out here in our diaspora--some destined for the past, others the future, even a few able to set out at unknown angles from the simple line of Time, upon journeys that no one can predict''' 
In keeping with the analogy of Judaism, those "few" people within the Quaternionists "able to set out at unknown angles" are most likely being compared to Kabbalists who claim to partake in a mystic "journey to the Throne of God through the mythological realm of the seven heavens" (Armstrong, A History of God--p. 247). Throne Mysticism in Kabbalah is explored extensively in Gravity's Rainbow.

Perhaps this is obvious to some, but these "Jews of Mathematics" worship the Hamiltonian Tetractys [http://www.math.ucr.edu/home/baez/dublin/]; those other Jews worshipped the Tetragrammatron. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton] The proliferation of 4s continues.

==Page 534==

'''Poiret gown''' 
A gown designed by Paul Poiret (1879-1944), a French fashion designer based in Paris. "In the annals of fashion history, Paul Poiret is best remembered for freeing women from corsets and further liberating them through pantaloons . . . it was Poiret's remarkable innovations in the cut and construction of clothing . . . Working with fabric directly onto the body, Poiret helped to pioneer a radical approach to dressmakeing that relied more on the skills of drapery than on those of tailoring." (from [http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={0DC3D00F-4611-4F91-8DC2-CC3C1A5C48D5} MetMuseum],
New York Metropolitan Museum's Special Exhibitions, ''Poiret: King of Fashion'', May 9, 2007 to August 5, 2007). For a picture of Poiret gown see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Poiretgown.jpg Poiret Gown]. ''The New York Times'' reported on February 1, 2007 that A Poiret Gown Brings $5,500 at [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B07EFDA1538F93AA15756C0A967948260 Christie's Auction] - the gown was made in 1913 when Poiret was at the height of his career. For his bio see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Poiret Poiret].

'''''green and long''''' 
Pickle, or... what?
: A green and long ''gherkin'' (a small, immature fruit of a variety of cucumber used in pickling).

==Page 535==

'''no-name wine''' 
1970s idiom for common European practice?

'''set theory''' 
Set theory deals with the properties of well-defined collections, or ''sets'', of entities - the ''elements'' or ''members'' of the set - conceived as a whole. The elements may be of a mathematical nature or non-mathematical. The set theory grew out of the German mathematician Georg Cantor's (1845-1918) study of infinite sets of real numbers.

The ''language of sets'' has become an important tool for all branches of mathematics, but is of very little relevance to the practice of mathematics in everyday life. As a source of metaphors, however, it's been quite productive; "subset," "superset," "universe," "intersection" and "Venn diagram" have found varying degrees of acceptance. Recasting Aristotle's syllogisms in set-theoretic language also makes them easier for many people to understand.

'''Hamilton . . . early genius''' 
Hamilton, according to ''Chambers Biographical Dictionary'', "at fifteen knew thirteen languages, had read Newton's ''Principia'', and commenced original investigations". At twenty-two, "while still an undergraduate, he was appointed professor of Astronomy at Dublin and Irish Astronomer-Royal"; at thirty "he was knighted".

'''Hamilton . . . in the grip of a first love''' 
??? 
Pynchon probably didn't mean Quaternion was Hamilton's first love, but its effect on him was similar to that of a first love. In 1843 at the age of 38 Hamilton invented the Quaternion, the first non-communtative algebra to be studied. He felt this would revolutionise mathematical physics, and he spent the rest of his life working on it. In 1853 he published a large volume, ''Lectures on Quaternions'', on his grand invention. The last seven years of his life, Hamilton was writing an 800-page book ''Elements of Quaternions'' modeling on Euclid's ''Elements''. The last chapter of the book was completed by his son after his death.

'''the Walt Whitman of English physics''' 
Whitman pops up again, last seen on [[ATD_489-524#Page_491|page 491]].

==Page 536==

'''Oscar Wilde''' 
Note that Wilde's Dorian Gray also undergoes a kind of bilocation.

'''Kursaal''' 
German: "cure hall" aka a spa or, more generally, a place of healthy amusement, eg casino.

'''vectors''' 
For serious minds, see Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 526|page 526: Gibbsian Vectors]], but let's follow Pynchon's lighter mood, here is a non-mathematical definition by Kamen (1995):
:''Many things have more than direction;''
:''The magnitude is also a question.''
:''With acceleration or force,''
:''And many more things, of course,''
:''It's vectors that make the connection.''

'''Curls''' 
Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326: Curl]]: curl is a vector operator that shows a vector field's rate of rotation.

'''Laplacians''' 
Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace (March 23, 1749 – March 5, 1827); French mathematician and astronomer who summarized and extended the work of his predecessors in his five volume Mécanique Céleste (Celestial Mechanics) (1799-1825), translating the geometrical study of mechanics used by Isaac Newton to one based on calculus, known as physical mechanics.

He is also the discoverer of Laplace's equation. Although the Laplace transform is named in honor of Laplace, who used the transform in his work on probability theory, the transform was discovered originally by Leonhard Euler. The Laplace transform appears in all branches of mathematical physics — a field he took a leading role in forming. The Laplacian differential operator, much relied-upon in applied mathematics, is likewise named after him. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace].

:Cf [[ATD_318-335#Page 326|page 326: Laplacian]]: Laplacian is a differential operator named after Laplace. The text here was talking about mathematical operations and operators — rates of change, rotations, partial differentials, Curls, ''Laplacians'', . . .

'''beginning to appal''' 
By 1905 there had been years of outrage at conditions in the Belgian Congo, King Leopold's private fief. Conrad's ''Heart of Darkness'' had been published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899 and as a book in 1902. There were missionaries' accounts of the brutality, and newspaper reports. Leopold and his apologists published rebuttals. The Norton Critical Edition of ''Heart of Darkness'' contains an extensive collection of both.

'''baize''' 
Baize is a coarse woolen felt.

==Page 537==

'''broken symmetries''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_symmetry Broken symmetry] is a concept used widely in mathematics and physics. For a simplest explanation (good enough for the text here), this term means that an object breaks either rotational symmetry or translational sysmetry - when one can only rotate an object in certain angles or when one is able to tell if the object has been shifted sideways. For a little bit more detailed explanation see [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/OrderParameters/BrokenSymmetry.html Identify the Broken Symmetry]; or even more [http://scienceweek.com/2005/sw050708-6.htm On Broken Symmetry].

'''''sphinxe Khnopffienne''''' 
refers to the Belgian symbolist painter Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921), famous for his painting "The Caress", in which a female sphinx erotically lures a young man. The painting can be seen in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernand_Khnopff wikipedia entry]

'''Pléiade Lafrisée''' 
in French, "friser" means to curl or twist. "La frisée" could mean "curled," by extension "twisted." The Pleiades is a cluster of hundreds of stars, though only a few are visible, sometimes referred to as The Seven Sisters. If Pleiades are Sisters, Pléiade is ''one'' Sister, so her name means Twisted Sister!

In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of the titan Atlas (you kow, the guy who was condemned to hold the sky on his shoulders for eternity) and the sea-nymph Pleione.

They are:
Maia, eldest of the seven Pleiades, was mother of Hermes by Zeus.
Electra was mother of Dardanus and Iasion by Zeus.
Taygete was mother of Lacedaemon, also by Zeus.
Alcyone was mother of Hyrieus by Poseidon.
Celaeno was mother of Lycus and Eurypylus by Poseidon.
Sterope (also Asterope) was mother of Oenomaus by Ares.
Merope, youngest of the seven Pleiades, wooed by Orion. In other mythic contexts she married Sisyphus and, becoming mortal, faded away. She bore to Sisyphus several sons.

Pléïade is also used in French to describe a group of talented people. When capitalized, it refers to a group of poets. It is also the name of the most prstigious collection of books published in French. If you make it to the Pléïade, you become an immortal author.

Lafrisée translates literally to "The Curly One"

'''''Conseilleuse''''' 
Female consultant?

Not an actual French word, but it's tolerable. If we were to describe somebody who counsels or gives advice (in the female form), it would be "conseillère". The suffix "euse" is sometimes used in French to denote a lesser form. In French Canada, for example, the word "violoniste" is used to describe a "violonist", and "violonneux" is used to describe a "fiddler". Therefore, "Conseilleuse" would suggest an unofficial counseler of sorts.

==Page 538==

'''retroversion matrix''' 
???

'''''Ma foi''''' 
Literally "My faith", i.e. "By my faith!", a mild exclamation of incredulity.

'''ten thousand francs''' 

Based on currency conversions relative to gold, this is equivalent to
about $30,000 US today.

'''piker''' 
Someone cheap or cautious, possibly named after people from PIke County, Missouri, who came to California in the 1800s, looking for work. They were poor, hence cheap.

'''what is a Quaternino?''' 
Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]] for a mathematical definition. From ''The Random House Dictionary of the English Languages'', The Unabridged Edition (1966): Quaternion is "a quantity or operator expressed as the sum of a real number and three complex numbers, equivalent to the ''quotient of two vectors''. The field of quaternions is not commutative under multiplication.".

'''Bertie ('Mad Dog') Russell''' 
'Mad Dog' seems to be used with heavy irony here. Bertrand Russell was known most for his rationalism, so to speak, his work in modern logic.
He did little in his public roles (at this time in AtD) that would have
him referred to as "crazy', as we say, beyond the social norm, "mad".
It might be argued that his use of 'logic' against philosophers such as Hegel and McTaggart within ''Against the Day'' showed up their 'madness'.
(Many did think McTaggart was a bit...different...for seriously not believing in Time.) McTaggart broke with Russell after an early influential friendship---Russell was the younger man and the influenced one. He said he was an Hegelian because of McTaggart--Russell wrote in his
Autobiography that McTaggart said he no longer wanted to meet/talk with him bcause he could no longer stand Russell's opinions.

[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1950/russell-bio.html Bertrand Russell] (1872-1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician and social critic. Best known for his work in mathermatical logic and analytic philosophy. In late spring of 1901 he discovered the so-called [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell-paradox/ Russell Paradox], "the most famous of the logical or set-theoretical paradoxes. The paradox arises within naive set theory by considering the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. Such a set appears to be a member of itself if and only if it is not a member of itself, hence the paradox." (On-line Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He won the 1950 Nobel Prize in Literature in "recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought".

'''Barry Nebulay''' 
[[ATD_525-556#Page_526|See annotations to page 526.]]

'''Hegel... puns''' 
Probably refers to the fact that quite a lot of Hegel's philosophy deals with the is-ness of the world as we know and experience it.

On page 787 of Bertrand Russell's ''History of Western Philosophy'' is a summary, perhaps, of this remark about Hegel's puns: "as a result of analysis of the concept "existence", modern logic has proved this [Cartesianism, refuted by Kant, reinstated by Hegel] argument invalid....."

We know from other places that TRP himself seems to 'not like' Cartesianism. See 'cartesian' citations within this wiki.

==Page 539==

'''a vector quotient''' 
The result of one vector divided by another. According to the English dictionary definition of previous page this is just a Quaternion.

'''unit vector''' 
Unit vector is a vector with magnitude of one. The unit vectors in 3-dimensional space, ''i, j, k'', associated with ''x, y, z'' directions are used in defining a general 3D vector (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 526|page 526:Gibbsian Vectors]]).

'''''square root of minus one''''' 
Imaginary number (Cf [[ATD_119-148#Page 132|page 133:Imaginary Number]]). The imaginary numbers ''i, j, k'' are used in defining a Quaternion (Cf [[ATD_525-556#Page 525|page 525:Quaternions]]).

''''Triangle Asana'''' 
A basic yoga pose.

[http://yoga.org.nz/postures/yoga_positions_images_page.htm Here are images of several basic poses.]

''''Dr Rao abruptly vanished'''' 
Might be a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Gardner Martin Gardner]'s
[http://www.amazon.com/No-Sided-Professor-Fantasy-Mystery-Philosophy/dp/0879753900 "No-Sided Professor"]

''''Quadrantal Versor Asana'''' 
A triangle pose taken that extra dimension.

'''''"Uwe moer!"''''' 
Looks a lot like the Dutch "Uw moeder!" - a cry of astonishment ("Your mother!"), the equivalent to the black English "yo mama".

'''noncommutative''' 
A term typical to mathematics. A commutative equation is one that can operate in exact reverse and still yield the same results. 'Noncommutative' then suggests unidirectionality. The ability to go from point A to point B, but not from B to A.

'''reticule''' 
A woman's drawstring handbag; usually made of net or beading or brocade; also: A system of lines forming a pattern of squares at the focal plane of a telescope, used in micrometers.
[http://www.astunit.com/tutorials/glossary.htm]
:Isn't that sort of a red herring? "[P]roducing from her reticule a . . . watch" doesn't really allow of that second meaning. 
:It could be a pun, since a reticule/ handbag always shows its pattern of lines, and a watch (timepiece) is drawn from it. Remember that, e.g. railroad lines of tracks, are a sign of industrialism encroaching on the natural and the spiritual.

'''Vacheron & Constantin watch''' 
Made by a Swiss company founded in 1755. From 1819 to 1970 the name was as in the text, then the & dropped out. See the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacheron_Constantin Wikipedia entry.]

'''hunting-case''' 
For a pocket watch, a case with a hinged metal cover. More often called "hunter case" (and such a watch a "hunter").

==Page 540==

'''"haar rekening, ja?"''' 
''Her bill, yes?" (Dutch/Flemish) I.e., give the check to the lady.

Given the presence of Chris 'Kit' Traverse here, this very much suggests a reference to Christopher 'Kit' Marlowe, Elizabethan poet, playwright and contemporary of Shakespeare. Marlowe was stabbed to death in 1593, in murky circumstances, ostensibly over a bill or 'reckoning', though he was widely believed to have been involved in some form of espionage.

Strictly speaking "haar rekening" means that the lady pays for herself only. If Root wanted to make sure that Pléiade pays for the whole company he would have to say "de hele rekening voor de dame".

That is not correct; "haar rekening, ja?" unambiguously means that they are making sure that the entire bill will be for her.

'''Piet Woevre''' 
The Woëvre is a natural region of Lorraine in north-east France. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of Meuse. During World War I, there was much fighting there due to vast mineral resources that had been discovered in the Briey basin or Eastern Woevre at the end of the 19th century. "Piet" is Dutch for "rock" or "stone" and is a fairly common Dutch name, the English equivalent being Peter.

Piet doesn't have a meaning as a name in Dutch, it is just a fairly common name and denotes that he is from humble origin (whereas he superior de Decker may be from nobility).

Woevre is not a common name in Flandres. Interestingly the sound reminds one immidiately of Woeste, which is a better know name. Charles Woeste (1837-1922) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Woeste] was a conservative catholic politician in Belgium trying to stop the struggle of the liberation of the Flemish textile workers in Aalst by Priester Daens[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Daens] .

If the surname is pronounced as in Dutch, Woevre is another Pynchon villain with a "V"-name (Vond, Weissman, Vibe).

This is not correct, neither in Dutch nor in French (which would be the language spoken by the upper class in Belgium at that time) is the W pronounced as a V. So it is not a "V"-name.

'''Force Publique''' 
The Force Publique (FP) was the official armed force for what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, (when the territory was known as the Congo Free State), through the period of direct Belgian rule (1908-60), until the beginning of the Second Republic in 1965. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_Publique Wikipedia entry]

'''made him reach''' 
Possible allusion to a famous line, "When I hear the word culture I reach for my gun." From Hanns Johst's biographical play ''Schlageter''. The original line is slightly different: "Wenn ich Kultur höre ... entsichere ich meinen Browning," "Whenever I hear of culture... I release the safety-catch of my Browning!" (Act 1, Scene 1). It is spoken by another character in conversation with the young Schlageter. In the scene Schlageter and his wartime comrade Friedrich Thiemann are studying for a college examination, but then start disputing whether it's worthwhile doing so when the nation is not free.

The line is often misattributed to better-known Nazis and others [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanns_Johst].

*In Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 film [http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/0997/09057.html ''Le Mépris'' (''Contempt'')], Jack Palance's character "Jeremy Prokosch," an American movie-producer, intones to Fritz Lang: "Whenever I hear the word culture, I reach for my checkbook."

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That's_When_I_Reach_For_My_Revolver That's When I Reach for My Revolver] is a song written in the beginning of the 1980ies by Clint Conley of Mission of Burma. It has been covered many times, most prominently by Moby.

'''not unambiguous''' 
Ie, ambiguous.

'''''rastaquoueres''''' 
Social upstarts

'''de Decker''' 
In Dutch/Flemish, the name means "roofer." (''De'' in these names almost never means "of, from" as in French; it's nearly always the definite article.)

The small "d" in "de Decker" denotes that he is from the upper-class, likely nobility. Piet Woevre, on the contrary, is a much more common name.

==Page 541==

'''''bobbejaan''''' 
Afrikaans: baboon. (Afrikaans is the language spoken by descendants of Dutch colonists in present-day South Africa. Some items identified as Dutch or Flemish in this wiki may really be Afrikaans.)

The South African song "Bobbejaan klim die berg" ("Bobbejaan climbed the hill") is the source of the stage name of Belgium's most famous country and western musician, Bobbejaan Schoepen (b. 1925). In 1943 he was suppressed by the Nazis after performing a South African song, "Mamma, 'k wil 'n man hê" ("Mama, I want a man"), which contains the line "No, Mama, I don't want a German, because I don't like pork." He founded the Bobbejaanland theme park in Belgium, where he still lives.

'''MKIV/ODC... Mark Four''' 
This would be the Mark IV Ohmic Drift Compensator ([[ATD 557-587#Page 565|Page 565]]), a key component of the Q-weapon, which "regulates how much light is allowed to enter the silvering of the mirror! Special kind of refraction! Calibrated against imaginary index! Dangerous! Of the essence!'"

'''not part of your remit''' 
Not included in your job description, instructions, authorization. "Remit" (noun) is usually a British usage.

'''''gatkruiper''''' 
Dutch/Flemish: brownnose, ass-kisser.

'''one on her wrist''' 
All the bruises reflect some refinement or artistry except this one, which may have been inflicted crudely.

'''over the day''' 
Title motif?

==Page 542==

'''trans-horizontic''' 
Across the horizon " a screaming comes across the sky"

'''Edmund Whittaker''' 
Edmund Whittaker (1873-1956), an English mathematician. He is best known for his work in numerical analysis. And he contributed widely to applied mathematics, mathematical physics and the theory of special functions. He also worked on celestial mechanics and the history of applied mathermatics and physics. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._T._Whittaker Whittaker]).

The Sir Edmund Whittaker Memorial Prize is awarded every four years by the Edinburgh Mathematical Society to an outstanding young mathematician having a specified connection with Scotland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Edmund_Whittaker_Memorial_Prize].

'''louche''' 
The cloudy effect caused by the addition of water to absinthe. Dictionary definition: "of questionable taste or morality; decadent."

'''"Now, with no sensible passage of time, the rooms were resonant with absence."''' 
Cf. [[ATD_397-428#Page_414|page 414]], where Chick Counterfly first encounters the Trespassers at Candlebrow U. ("as if positive expressions of silence and absence were being deployed against him").

'''cheval-glass''' 
Standing mirror in a freestanding vertical frame.

'''as if someone''' 
Sound-cancelling vs opacity-cancelling?

'''"dressing-gown...faceless, armless, attending him"''' 
Not saying this is a deliberate reference by TRP, but this section where Kit appears to see Pliéiade Lafrisée's dressing-gown standing by itself in the moonlight against the window reminds me strongly of a particular image from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Prayer_for_Owen_Meany ''A Prayer for Owen Meany''] by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Irving John Irving]. Without going on forever here, if you know that book, you probably know the image I'm talking about, and it's uncannily similar to this section of ''AtD''...a faceless, armless mannequin holding a dress belonging to the narrator's mother, taken by Owen to be an angel of death. It's a central image in that novel that recurs in various ways.

Isn't there an apparition like this in one of the ghost stories of M.R. James? James (1862-1936) is the British author famous for, among other things, the story ("Casting of the Runes") which was turned into the 1957 horror film "Night of the Demon." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.R._James]

==Page 543==

'''wraith of Pleiade Lafrisee'''

Pleiade manifests one of her not-visible stars. Perhaps this sister has somehow twisted herself on an imaginary axis ala Dr. V. Ganesh Rao.

'''monitory''' 
Warning, giving advice, by extension ominous or menacing.

'''Against....the day....'''
Note: this phrase happens at the exact halfway point of the novel: p.542.3

'''He Who Must Come''' 
The evil-doer who must come might be Adolf Hitler. It would make sense. The implication being that Europe is precipitating into a no-return situation. Capitalism cannot but end in WW2. 
Ah, a lot more and less than capitalism going on here, especially if anyone specific like Hitler is meant.
:When French writers use this phrase (''celui qui doit venir'') they '''do''' mean the Messiah . . . although a few devout quibblers point out that the Messiah has already come. It's rather tiresome Googling the phrase; the first 83 hits definitely refer to Christ and most of them quote the first verses of Matthew 11. But there's also a Camus reference (in English, I think) down at No. 90, if anyone has a JSTOR account:
:links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0361-1299(1985)39%3A4%3C251%3ACFS%22M%3E2.0.CO%3B2-X

Recalls Yeats' 'The Second Coming' once again: "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" [http://chumpsofchoice.blogspot.com/2007/05/casino-royale-in-flanders-field.html#c3637134446204467798 ]

What this had *me* thinking of was the aria "Es gibt ein Reich" in the Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hofmannstal opera "Ariadne auf Naxos" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariadne_auf_Naxos]. When Ariadne sings this, in Act II, she has been abandoned by her lover and she awaits the arrival of the god Hermes, who will surely carry her off into The Land of the Dead. A portion of the von Hofmannstal text can be translated as "Soon a herald will come, / Hermes is his name [...] It is you who will save me, / My captive soul freed of this burden of being." Here's some good writing that places the aria in context. [http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1680.html ] The opera had its premiere in 1912, but Strauss and von Hofmannstal were *very* much a part of this period. And, of course, Strauss-iana does pop up around here.

'''General Boulanger''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Boulanger Georges Boulanger], French military man, and War Minister in the late 19th century. He was one of those men "on a white horse" that some conservatives looked to, as he urged an attack on Germany and the end of the French Republic with a return to monarchy. He was also notorious for his harsh reprisals against workers' demonstrations. "'Boulangisme'" threatened a coup in 1889, but the general's procrastination brought the crisis to an end. 
In ''The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism''
by Matthew Carr, 2007, Boulanger is called the "father" of fascism.

'''what death and what transfiguration''' 
Allusion to Richard Strauss' tone poem "Death and Transfiguration" (''Tod und Verklärung''), premiered in 1890.

'''''"Zeker"''''' 
Dutch: certainly.

'''''dead cert''''' 
Dead certainty, sure thing.

'''Von Schlieffen''' 
Alfred von Schlieffen was the author of a German war plan to win a two-front war against both France and Russia by quickly defeating France before Russian troops could be mobilized. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_Plan Schlieffen Plan] included an attack on France through Belgium, disregarding its neutrality.

'''Wilhelm has offered Leopold part of France, the ancient Duchy of Burgundy''' 
[http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/fr-bg.html History of the duchy.] [http://www.freiburg-madison.de/freiburg_history/1386-1517_The%20Early%20Habsburgs.htm Map,] with portrait of Duke Charles the Rash.

'''lowlands''' 
Title of Pynchon's first published story. Here, ass?

Actually the second published story, being "The Small Rain" the first in '59. And I think it means literally lowlands, as they are below sea level.

The Netherlands and Flandres are known as the Low Lands (Nether/Neder = under, below).

==Page 544==

'''Place d'Armes''' 
Main square of Ostend; literally "drill field".

'''peau de soie''' 
"Skin of silk" A heavy, smooth satin with very fine ribbing; somewhat dull in sheen compared with traditional silk finishes.

'''Krafft-Ebing''' 
Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, Austro-German psychiatrist and author of ''Psychopathia Sexualis'' (1886), a pioneering study of deviant sexual behavior and fetishism. Coined both ''sadism'' and ''masochism'' as terms for these respective behaviors. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Freiherr_von_Krafft-Ebing Wikipedia entry].

'''toque''' 
Toque here refers to a lady's hat, originally of fur but here in velvet, which is rather like a flattened chef's hat in shape.

Proust: in ''À l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs'' the narrator first sees Albertine wearing a toque. There seem to be quite a few Proust themes and references running throughout the novel. Indeed '''Pléiade''' is the French publisher of Proust's works.

'''guipure''' 
Lace trim.

'''midinette''' 
A shopgirl or dressmakers apprentice. A milliner.
These days, mostly used to describe a naive and sentimental young girl

'''Lambic''' 
A distinctive Belgian style of beer. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambic Wikipedia]

'''sous''' 

Coins. Originally Roman gold coins, latterly any kind of coin.

Also an old French currency

Specifically small change. She is affecting modesty by claiming that a hat like hers can be had for pennies in any unpretentious shop. In France "sou is used as slang for money, as in ''sans le sou''. 'I'm broke', 'without money'. It is also a slang term for the Canadian cent (standard French, cent)." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sou Wikipedia])

'''mayonnaise''' 
Brautigan's "Trout Fishing in America" famously ends with the word mayonnaise. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0395500761&id=rbEjDovfyNMC&pg=RA2-PA111&lpg=RA2-PA111&ots=ELKl5b_6Tx&dq=mayonnaise+trout.fishing&num=100&sig=BiyXRqJXRGrMWbrBNgn8de2kpCo#PRA2-PA112,M1 GoogleBooks]

'''ovoöleaginous''' 
Another Pynchonic word combination, here denoting the two main ingredients of mayonnaise: 1) eggs, and 2) oil. It's not "fecoventilatory collision" as seen in "Vineland," but it's nice.

'''Grenache''' 
Grape commonly used in Rhone Valley wines e.g. Chateauneuf du Pape.

in this case, it refers to a deep, dark shade of red

'''Chantilly''' 

Region north of Paris.

Here the reference is to crème chantilly otherwise known as whipped cream. Chantilly mayonnaise is made by incorporating the beaten egg whites for extra lightness.

'''attainder''' 
Legislative act declaring that a person is guilty of a crime and setting punishment without the benefit of a formal trial. The Constitution forbids the federal government (Article I, Section 9, clause 3) and the state governments (Article I, Section 10, clause 1) from passing bills of attainder.
[www.historycentral.com/Civics/B.html]

''''''Aux armes, citoyens'''''' 
''To arms, citizens'', from the French national anthem, ''La Marseillaise'' (1792). Kit confused La Mayonnaise with La Marseillaise. 
I don't think he's confused - he suspects Pleiade and is making a point ironically. A James-Bondish sort of quip. In fact this whole incident is Bondish and Pleiade is a Bond-type seductress. And let's not forget, Kit is surrounded by Flemings...

Interesting foresight from Thomas Pynchon. The Belgian Federal Elections of June 10th 2007 led to very long and difficult coalition negotiations. Yves Leterme, the leader of the Flemish Christian Deomocratic Party CD&V was the big winner of the elections in Flandres with a very much pro-Flemish programme (some would say, an alomost separatist programme). Mr Leterme encountered enormous difficulty setting up a government and was not popular at all in the southern (French-speaking) part of Belgium. When asked on July 21st 2007 (the Belgian National Holiday) if he knew the Belgian National Hymn in French, he started singing the French National Hymn, The Marseillaise instead of the Belgian National Hymn, The Brabançonne, shocking a large part of the Belgian population. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABTR2Xe_sGw]

'''Louis XV''' 
King of France 1715-1774 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XV].

'''Cléo de Mérode''' 
Glamorous French ballerina (1875-1966), later Follies Bergere dancer and famous beauty. Her reputed intimacy with King Leopold was only a rumor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleo_de_Merode]. The character Madame Leonora Armfeldt in Stephen Sondheim's ''A Little Night Music'' has some features in common with her.

'''Marquise de Pompadour''' 
Mistress of Louis XV,once friend of Voltaire and a power behind official scenes.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_de_Pompadour].

'''Neuropathists would recognize in both kings a desire to construct a self-consistent world to live inside, which allows them to continue the great damage they are inflicting on the world the rest of us must live in.'''

Cf. Crime and Punishment

==Page 545==

'''duc de Richelieu''' 
Duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), marshal of France, was a grandnephew of Cardinal Richelieu, and born in Paris. Apart from his reputation as a man of exceptionally loose morals, he attained, in spite of a defective education, distinction as a diplomatist and general. ([http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Louis_Francois_Armand_du_Plessis,_duc_de_Richelieu duc de Richelieu] and cf [[ATD_489-524#Page 490|page 490:duc de Richelieu]])

'''dubious 'victory' in 1756''' 
As part of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), duc de Richelieu (1696-1788), a Marshal of France, won a victory in the Battle of Minorca (May 20, 1756) over John Byng (1704-1757), a British Admiral. In spring of 1756 John Byng was sent with a small and undermanned fleet to relieve the British ''Port Mahon'' on the Mediterranean island of Minorca. During the battle ensued, several British ships were badly damaged by the French squadron while others, including Byng's flagship, were still out of effective firing range. Instead of engaging the enemy directly, Byng decided to keep the formation, allowing the French fleet to get away undamaged. ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Minorca Battle of Minorca]).

'''the ill-fated Admiral Byng''' 
John Byng, convicted by court-martial of failure "to do his utmost" in the battle, shot in 1757. Remembered because of (1) his being the last officer of flag rank to be put to death for conduct in battle and (2) Voltaire's gag in ''Candide:'' "In this country it is good to kill an admiral from time to time in order to encourage the others."

'''cantharides''' 
"Spanish fly," contact irritant sometimes ill-advisedly used as aphrodisiac.

'''Sadean''' 
Pertaining to the Marquis de Sade. The acts the chef performs on the egg and oil have the same names as acts of Sadean sex.

'''''n'est-ce pas?''''' 
Right? (Isn't that so?)

'''vetiver''' 
A grass (Vetiveria zizanioides) of tropical India, cultivated for its aromatic roots that yield an oil used in perfumery.
[www.answers.com/topic/vetiver]. So, a perfume with, llterallly, roots in India.

Vetiver makes frequent appearances throughout ''À la recherche du temps perdu.''

'''pip''' 
A beaut; in current parlance, a hottie.

'''Q.P. system''' 
Quaternion Probability, page 536.

'''Usine Régionale''' 
French: as translated in the text.

Actually, this is not proper French at all! Regional Mayonnaise Works should translate as "Usine Régionale de Mayonnaise" or, even better "Fabrique Régionale de Mayonnaise". "Usine ''à la'' mayonnaise" means mayo flavored factory, which makes no sense at all... or does it?

==Page 546==

'''disjunctive effects of thunderstorms''' 
Folk wisdom says a thunderstorm will cause mayonnaise to separate (oil from yolks).

'''cottonseed oil'''

Mayonnaise like Smegmo and Crisco is a hydrogenated fat; cottonseed oil is a common factor to all three. Indeed, the name Crisco derives from the intial sounds of "'''crys'''tallized '''c'''ottonseed '''o'''il". Note in the next few pages a mention of Candlebrow -- underscoring a tie-in between Mayonnaise and Smegmo.

It may be of interest to note that hydrogenation may have a symbolic use for Pynchon. The process entails bubbling hydrogen through oil in the presence of a metal catalyst such as nickel, platinum, aluminum at 248 to 410 degrees. Remnants of these metals stay in the finished product, and when consumed can lead to an increase in heavy metals in the human body.

Eating hydrogenated oils is like eating plastic. The body does not recognize that these molecules have been mutated and tries to use them as essential fatty acids. But they cannot perform the same function, and as a result hydrogenated oils can cause short circuits in the electrical flow that controls the heartbeat, nerve functions, cell division and mental balance. They also create free radicals (anarchists!) that are linked to cancers. Free radicals plus metal remnants are a major contributor to cancer, heart disease, immune system dysfunction, osteoporosis, depression, chronic fatigue, Alzheimers, and neurological diseases. It is estimated that over 200 million people have died prematurely because of the hydrogenated oils found in our diets. [http://www.drz.org/asp/newsletter/default.asp?xt2id=23] Not to mention innocent bystanders killed by mentally imbalanced people whose imbalance may stem from the ingestion of hydrogenated oils -- there may be some underlying reality to the "Twinkie defense."

'''lounge suit''' 
A lounge suit is another name for business suit consisting of a matching jacket and trousers or skirt.

'''congress shoes''' 
ankle high shoes with elastic gussets in the sides (wordweb online)

'''invisible hand'''

Suggestive of Adam Smith's metaphor for market forces in economics.

'''dripping-heads''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise To make mayonnaise,] beat together egg yolks, salt, mustard and vinegar, then drip in oil while beating to form the emulsion. If you scale the process up for industrial production, you will automate the introduction of the oil, using nozzles that release it a drop at a time—but in a large vat you can have many such nozzles.

'''''cuves d'agitation''''' 
Vat or tank in which the mayonnaise is agitated or beaten.

'''Clinique d'Urgence pour Sauvetage des Sauces''' 
French: Emergency Clinic for Salvage of Sauces.

If I were to nitpick (which I always do when it comes to my mother tongue), I would point out that it should read Clinique d'Urgence pour '''le''' Sauvetage des Sauces (i.e.: Emergency Clinic for '''the''' Salvage of Sauces).

Pynchon is having fun here. The simple way to "save" a mayonnaise is to add a spoonful of water.

'''Mayonnaise!''' 
This scene reminds one of the famous scene in the Tricatel factory in the French movie "l'Aile ou la cuisse" with Louis de Funes and Coluche. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074103/]. Charles Duchemin (Louis de Funes) is a famous restaurant critic in a struggle with the industrial food producer Jacques Tricatel (Julien Guiomar). During the movie Charles Duchemin ends with his son Gerard (Coluche) in the Tricatel factory to discover how this food is being made. The factory has no visible workers, but Tricatel discovers them and tries to get them killed. The end up in giant pastries, tanks of thick sauses etc.

==Page 547==

'''' ...engulfed in thick, slick, sour-smelling mayonnaise. ''''
The whole Kit's experience in the mayonnaise factory is very much reminiscent to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roald_Dahl Roald Dahl]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory].

'''''Cazzo, cretino''''' 
Literally, "Dick, cretin." ''Cazzo'' is a common Italian interjectionary obscenity, especially in the south. "Cazzo, cretino," is akin to someone saying, "Well shit, dummy," or "F-ing moron!"

'''''È il cowboy!''''' 
Italian: It's the cowboy!

'''''vero?''''' 
true? real?

'''''Le bambole anarchiste, porca miseria''''' 
Italian: Anarchist babes, oh boy.

'''Oudenberg''' 
A southeast suburb of Ostende.

'''Quai de l'Entrepôt''' 
Warehouse Quay

'''''ragazzi''''' 
Italian: boys, guys.

==Page 548==

'''General Boulanger''' 
That the General was 'reactionary' and that the C of C bureaucracy had a 'defiant residue' of Boulangism, continues the characterization of the organization for which the Chums 'work'. 
See p. 543 above, regarding a 2007 book in which Boulanger is called the 'father of fascism'.

'''''timbres fictifs''''' 
French: fictive postage stamps. Cf "Lot 49". 
Yes, stamps mean something in Pynchon's works; here, it seems important that these stamps are characterized as frauds.

'''"IIIb"''' 
As explained in the text. 
"Section IIIB (Intelligence) of the German High Command. After WWI, was funded by Alfred Hugenberg (financial backer of Nazi party)". From ''Sabotage'' by Sayers & Kahn, 1942.[http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22IIIB%27+%2B+INTELLIGENCE&btnG=Search]. The authors state in the Forward, in 1942, "that 'Nazi Germany' is the creation of spies and saboteurs". See ''V.'' & ''Gravity's Rainbow'', of course.

'''Germany might stand a better chance...''' 
That is, if the French were to push into Alsace (per Boulanger) as the Germans executed the Schlieffen Plan [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlieffen_plan] for the encirclement of Paris, it would put the French at an even greater disadvantage...as actually happened in 1914. Had the Belgians and British not delayed the Germans in Flanders, and had the French railroads not performed speedily to bring the French troops back to the Marne, World War I could have had a very different outcome...an alternate history.

'''revanchist''' 
Policies based on revenge, or a person following such policies. In General Boulanger's case, revenge against Germany for the Franco-Prussian War (that is, retaking Alsace, lost in 1871).

'''the somewhat discomposed General''' 
Having died in 1891, the General by the time of the action is certainly somewhat '''de'''composed; brief biographies do not suggest he was ''non compos mentis,'' that is, mentally discomposed.

==Page 549==
'''grow more and more invisible''' 
What could be meant? Clearly, they inhabit bodies that people interact with?, as well as being characters in works of fiction. 
Given what happens with the Chums as the story progresses [Spoiler bit, thematically], I suggest that their invisibility here
means the entering of simple human life, to live out their lives 'anonymously' in history. I want to suggest this is largely a positive vision, indicated in other ways and places as well in TRPs work. Here is an overt bit of circumstantial evidence from Pynchon's introduction to Jim Dodge's novel ''Stone Junction'': 
"Equally difficult for those who might wish to proceed through life
anonymously and without trace has been the continuing assault against
the once-reliable refuge of the cash or non-plastic economy." [http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_stone.html]

'''cackled Darby''' 
(When did he lose his innocence?)

'''a modification of any salsician metaphor toward the diminutive''' 
Salsician: pertaining to sausage. Lindsay says Suckling's penis is better compared to a wiener than a knockwurst.

'''"Why you little–and I do mean 'little'–"''' 
Another Simpsons reference?

Noseworth, the Master-At-Arms of the Chums division of this organization with a defiant residue of 'fascism', who had no smell to Pugnax early on,
is called out, either for real or in a sex-bashing putdown, for homosexuality. cf. homosexuality as a metaphor in ''Gravity's Rainbow''.

'''dunes between Nieuport and Dunkirk''' 
Nieuport is a Belgian seaport about 10 miles southwest of Ostend. Dunkirk is a French port (less than 10 miles inside the French border) about 20 miles southwest of Nieuport. The latter was a site of one of the bloodest battle in World War I. The general area between Niewport and Dunkirk was the well traversed battle fields of two world wars. (Dunkirk was (in)famous for the British Army's escape from the Nazi German's assault in World War II.)

'''power-receivers''' 
Not information, energy.

==Page 550==

'''Lot's wife''' 
Angels of God led Lot and his family out of Sodom as it was being destroyed and told them not to look back at the mayhem. Lot's wife, Edith, imprudently looked back and was transfigured into a pillar of salt.

'''preference...for interiors''' 
In [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_35:_349-361 Mason & Dixon, p. 354]
, the interiors of some coaches were larger than their exterior dimensions. Interiors have importance in Pynchon's worldview. Cf. "invisibility", and a 'human life' above. 

'''Italian grotto''' 
an imitating recess or structure made to resemble a natural Italian grotto.

'''a highly developed taste, moreover, for human blood''' 
Since Pugnax developed this taste in the Carpathians, home of Castle Dracula, this seems a clear reference to Bram Stoker's novel.

'''Carpathians''' 
Major mountain range running northwest-southeast through Poland, Slovakia, western Ukraine and Romania.

'''Uhlans''' 
Uhlan regiments belonged to the light cavalry. They wore splendid uniforms (model for some U.S. marching band uniforms). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhlan Wikipedia article.]

'''Temesvár''' 
Now Timişoara, extreme western Romania.

==Page 551==
'''prefiguration...of the holy City''' 
City of God, ala Augustine? ''The Heavenly City of the 18th Century Philosophers''[http://www.amazon.com/Heavenly-City-Eighteenth-Century-Philosophers/dp/0300101503]
, as explored in the book Ian McEwan says he lent Pynchon? [citation needed] 

'''...separated by only a slice of Time...''' 
Miles is beginning to experience Time almost as a spatial dimension, his personal vector as traversing (!) 4-dimensional space, or perhaps multidimensional space, the mathematics for which is being debated in Ostend.

'''securing the mess decks''' 
The Chums follow U.S. Navy idiom in orders (frequently prefixed with "Now") and shipboard activities ("secure" meaning "whatever you did before, undo it now," in this case put away the dishes and fold up the tables).

'''Ryder Thorn''' 
Tolkienesque name? Or perhaps it's a nod to the Ryder-Waite Tarot deck and to Kevin Thorn (Kevin Matthew Fertig, 1977-), the American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Kevin Thorn who is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on its ECW brand. He has appeared in vigniettes with Ariel (Shelly Martinez, 1980-), the tarot card reader, who spits blood at the camera while she "predicted the future of ECW." Yup, a stretch...

*The name also evokes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

'''He was at Candlebrow.''' 
Presumably a 'trespasser.'

'''the four-note chord in the context of timelessness''' 
A melody is formed by notes following one another in time; a chord on the ukulele violates that practice by having all the notes sound at once. A really clever little passage.
Note: Jazz musicians describe musical improvisations as horizontal (with the melody) or vertical (with the chord).

References to ukuleles and Hawaii and its culture abound in Pynchon's novels [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Vineland''] and [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Gravity's Rainbow'']. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaii & ukulele references in ''Against the Day'']]...

==Page 552==

'''the widespread contempt in which ukulele players are held''' 
Cf. Tiny Tim, of "Tiptoe through the Tulips" fame?

'''knuckle-duster''' 
Brass knuckles.

'''Diksmuide''' 
20 kilometers south of Ostend (about halfway to Ypres).

==Page 553==

'''The terrain was flat...lowlands''' 
Not, this time, a reference to Pynchon's ''Lowlands'', but to the two-dimensionality of Flanders, as in Edwin A. Abbott's ''Flatland'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland]; most humans, like the inhabitants of Flanders and Abbott's Flatlanders, experience life in two dimensions.

'''Somewhere up in the sky was Miles' home...''' 
Whereas Miles and the Chums of Chance, in contrast, live in three dimensions. The mathematicians gathered in Ostend are trying to calculate how to experience and use vectors to live in four dimensions; in a way, to experience Time as a kind of spatial dimension. Miles, on P. 551, is demonstrating the beginnings of an intuitive discovery of how to experience Time as an almost spatial dimension. Which would be a sort of "time travel", or at least an expanded view of life and history.

'''retted''' 
soaked in water or exposed to moisture (as flax or hemp) to facilitate the removal of the fiber from the woody tissue by partial rotting.

==Page 554==

'''Ypres and Menin''' 
Municipalities in West Flanders that were sites of some of the bloodiest battles of WWI. At the beginning of the war, the British and Belgian stand helped save Paris from encirclement by the Germans, and saved the Channel ports, but as Thorn points out, the area became the western anchor of the Western Front trench system. The several Battles of Ypres saw the first uses of poison gas (Mustard Gas, dichlorodiethylsulfide, was first called Yperite), the use of enormous mines, and the legendary mud of Passchendaele [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passchendaele].

'''Ten years from now''' 
(1914?) through 1918? and beyond?. Another paramorphic mirror--what do we now face. Whatever it is, it is nuclear.

'''Bosch''' 
Hieronymous Bosch (1450-1516), Dutch painter of nightmares. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieronymus_Bosch Wikipedia entry].

'''Brueghel''' 
Pieter Brueghel the Elder(1525-1569), Flemish painter.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieter_Brueghel_the_Elder Wikipedia entry].

'''League''' 
League of Nations? The League of Nations was formed after WWI to prevent future wars. Didn't succeed.

No. In this case a historical unit of length, approximately three miles -

No, again; a league here is an association of people joined by common interests and "League on league" means tremendous masses of people.

'''where the needles went and which way to rotate them''' 
I.e., how to push Thorn's buttons; the image is from acupuncture.

==Page 555==

'''simpletons at the fair''' 
Making Pynchon's metaphor explicit.

'''Chopin E-minor Nocturne''' 
Frédéric Chopin (1810-49), a Polish pianist and composer ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin Chopin]). He was born in Warsaw, Poland to a Polish morther and a French father. He went to Paris at the age of 20 and died there at the age of 39. He was widely regarded as one of the most famous and influential composers for the piano. From 1837-47 he had a 10-year stormy relationship with the French writer George Sand. His E-minor Nocturne is a 4-minute long Romantic style piano solo composed in 1827. (A ''nocturne'' is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturne Nocturne].)

'''owl-light''' 
???glimmering or imperfect light or twilight hours.

''''plasmic hysteresis'''' 

A coined term, apparently similar in meaning to Miles’ phrase “failure of physical translation.” Plasma would take an older meaning of “form” or “shape." Hysteresis, according to Webster's, refers to “a retardation in effect when the forces on an object are changed.” Hysteresis is used to describe magnetic phenomenon as well as plastic or elastic materials, that involve changes to a rest state that last beyond the forces that cause them. Examples include recordings on magnetic tape or a thumbprint slowly disappearing from putty. In the context of this passage, plasmic hysteresis appears to describe the lingering visage of someone who is no longer present – a hysteresis of form only and thus a failed physical translation. See [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=plasma&searchmode=none etymology of plasma] and this nifty explanation of [http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/sethna/hysteresis/WhatIsHysteresis.html hysteresis].

Hysteresis has also been used to refer to “loops” in time, certainly apropos in this case. I stumbled across an excellent example in a 1980 episode of Dr. Who, in which the eponymous Dr. is trapped in “chronic hysteresis,” an endless loop or return to a previous
point in time – very similar to the situation of Ryder Thorn. [http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_5q.htm Check it out for yourself!]

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 397-428

2009-08-11T01:06:48Z

Cortinas: /* Page 397 */

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 397==

'''syntonic wireless''' [[Image:Columbian1892_obv.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]][[Image:Columbian1892_rev.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]]
syn·ton·ic (sĭn-tŏn'ĭk) adj.Psychology. Characterized by a high degree of emotional responsiveness to the environment.
Electricity. Of or relating to two oscillating circuits having the same resonant frequency.
[From Greek suntonos, high-strung, intense, attuned, from sunteinein, to draw tight : sun-, syn- + teinein, to stretch.]

Syntonic Wireless Telegraphy. [http://earlyradiohistory.us/1901ayrt.htm Ayrton Prediction]. Electrical Review, June 29, 1901, p. 820.

'''street-Arab''' 
a homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets.
[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn wordnet].

'''some koindt of a ''sailboat'' pitchuhv on it''' 
The reverse of the coin shows Columbus' flagship ''Santa Maria'' (the obverse has the navigator's portrait).

'''1893''' 
Columbian half dollars were struck in 1892 and 1893. [http://www.coinlink.com/CoinGuide/commemoratives/1892-1893-columbian-exposition-half-dollar/ CoinLink]

'''Columbian ''Half-Dollar''''' 
The 1892 Columbian Exposition half dollar was the first commemorative coin authorized by Congress. [http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/commemoratives/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=premodern]

'''"ten yeeuhz ago"''' 
Places this action in or around 1903.

==Page 398==

'''nuncio''' 
Casually, a messenger; more formally, a permanent official Papal representative at a foreign court.

'''Evening Quarters''' 
A muster of the ship's company at the end of the day. 
Is this at 1800 Hours?

'''H.G. Wells''' 
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), one of the 19th Century science fiction writers whom Pynchon is both emulating and parodying in ''ATD''. H.G. Wells was an English novelist, sociologist, journalist, and historian. He wrote series of fantastic scientific romances ''The Time Machine'' (1895), ''The Invisible Man'' (1897), etc. In combination with scientific speculation he developed a strain of sociological idealism in ''The War of the Worlds'' (1898), ''First Men on the Moon'' (1901) and many others. He also wrote the well-known ''Outline of History'' (1920). For more see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.G._Wells Wikipedia entry].

'''jeu d'esprit''' 
French: play of wits. Witticism.
Here, Lindsay places Wells' masterful Time Machine (see above) in opposition with the more flashy and vulgar versions ("adulterated") of time travel offered in dime novels. Interesting that this comment would be made by someone who is himself a character in a dime novel.

'''National Imprest''' 
An imprest system is a system using loans as control against fraud and theft. The most common imprest system known is the petty cash system. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprest_system Wikipedia]. Interesting that the Chums' petty cash system goes
under the rubric National, not International?

'''"Plug" Loafsley''' 
Plug-ugly loafer/oaf?

'''Lollipop Lounge''' 
Lollipop is vulgar slang for an underage girl. There is at least one 'pornographic' magazine called Lollipops featuring supposedly underage girls.

'''Tenderloin''' 
2) A city district notorious for vice and graft. [After 'the Tenderloin', an area of New York City (from the easy income it once offered corrupt policeman). Cf p.334.
From the American Heritage Dictionary.

'''squalid empire''' 
Cf Alan Parker's 1976 movie "Bugsy Malone". [http://imdb.com/title/tt0074256/ IMDb]

==Page 399==

'''indigo... yellow''' 
Clashing-colors motif. Bright full-of-life colors.

'''dicer''' 
A hat [http://books.google.com/books?id=CUQSAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=dicer+hat&source=web&ots=3K_D1BkmBP&sig=xhzWDfgmMitS2mGUzL4ee8MHzTo], perhaps of the style now known as "baseball cap"[http://www.skateamerica.com/store/KR3W-Youth-Hat-Dicer-Black-ID_P15118C62.cfm].

'''opopanax and vervain''' 
Two fragrant, medicinal substances derived from flowering plants. They bloom yellow and violet, respectively. Wikipedia pages for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opoponax opopanax] and for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vervain vervain].
:Though Wikipedia prefers the spelling ''opoponax'', the ''OED'' suggests Pynchon's.

'''contrabass saxophone''' 
A spectacular piece of hardware, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone#Members_of_the_saxophone_family somewhat taller than the person playing it.] Pitched in E-flat—if you are keeping track—two octaves below the alto sax.

'''slide cornet''' 
A brass instrument with the voice of a cornet but using a slide instead of valves. Very, very rare.

'''mandola''' 
An eight-stringed instrument shaped like a mandolin but tuned the same as a viola. It is originally an Irish instrument.

'''"tin pan" piano''' 
A reference to New York's Tin Pan Alley. Probably, the tag means to indicate that the piano was out of tune or sounded 'cacophonous'. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_pan_alley Wikipedia entry]

'''anchored by . . . piano''' 
It's hard to imagine the sound of the ensemble: big reedy bass, lots of rhythm from the mandola, the abandoned wailing of the cornet, fuzzy arpeggios on the piano. Like a children's Fourth of July parade, plus hallucinogens.

'''houris''' 
According to the ''OED'', a "nymph of the Muslim Paradise. Hence applied allusively to a voluptuously beautiful woman." <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd Ed. 1989.</ref>

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "houris" is the plural of 'houri', as defined above.

'''Darby''' 
Over 21yo, if he's aged.

'''chanteuse''' 
A female singer of popular songs, esp. in France. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

==Page 400==

'''paillettes''' 
2. a spangle used to ornament a dress or costume. [from Old French,diminutive of
paille,straw]. American Heritage Dictionary.

'''louche''' 
of questionable taste or morality. From Old French, losche= squint-eyed,
ultimately from Latin, luscus = blind in one eye. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''OED'' Oblique, not straightforward. Also, dubious, shifty, disreputable. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''"jazz"''' 
The ''OED'' suggests that the spelling here was always more popular than ''jass'', as used on [[Pages 358-373#Page 370|p. 370]]. It makes sense that a musician like "Dope" Breedlove might use a less conventional spelling, as he would be familiar with the term before common usage had regularized its spelling. By contrast, within the "dime novel" idiom of the Chums of Chance narration (dime novelists not necessarily being, especially in those days, the swingin'-est of cats), while ''jazz'' still registers as a slang term, its spelling has already been regularized.

'''Dey high-hats us uptown''' 
They scorn or snub us.

'''Dey low-balls us downtown''' 
They underestimate us.

'''Missus Grundy''' 
Mrs. Grundy, proverbial looker-askance at any improper activity. "[A]n extremely conventional or priggish person" after a character alluded to in the play ''Speed The Plough,'' by Thomas Morton (1764-1838), British playwright. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''''ying'''' 
"Yen"? And play/contrast with yang?

==Page 401==

'''Angela Grace''' 
I.e., Angel of Grace

'''Gophiz... Hudson Dustuhs''' 
Gophers, Hudson Dusters. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Dusters New York street gangs.]

'''bushwahs''' 
Bourgeois.

'''slickin up''' 
Gentrification.

'''Mr. Mawgin''' 
J. Pierpont Morgan. Dr. Zoot has funding from the same source that supported Tesla earlier.

'''stanchion''' 
Upright structural member, here part of the El trestle.

'''find it''' 
(Small-penis joke.)

'''time-corroded''' 
Actually, on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]] we learn that when these structures were erected, they were intentionally antiqued, "deliberately burned, attempts being made to blacken the stylized wreckage in aesthetic and interesting ways," a description that applies also to Pynchon's historical fiction with its antiquated language and its generally favorable view of all things black. Though, of course it's been a decade since the shrine was erected, and some actual time-corrosion may have occurred.

'''seeming to date from some ancient catastrophe, far older than the city.''' 
When, what is that catastrophe in ATD, pages 149-170?
:There's more than a hint in the geography. From Central Park to the Tenderloin, on a street where you can smell the waterfront; west and south till you hit (literally) the Ninth Avenue El; south on the El line. Eventually you get to the World Trade Center site.

'''I AM THE WAY INTO THE DOLEFUL CITY''' 
Italian: "Per me si va nella città dolente". Phrase first appears on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]], where it is inscribed over the shrine that the citizens erect to the Destroyer. It is a quote from Canto III of Dante's ''Il Inferno,'' where it is emblazoned over the gates to Hell.

'''triatomic''' 
I.e., ozone or O3, which is a molecule composed of three bonded oxygen molecules. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone Wikipedia.]

==Page 402==

'''solenoidal relay''' 
Solenoid: a cylindrical coil of wire hollow in the center. To make a relay, stick an iron rod partway into the middle. Turn the current on, and the magnetic field pulls the iron in. Attach the rod to the bolt on the gate and you can unlock it by pushing a button.

'''Dr. Zoot''' 
homage to Zoot Sims, jazzman? 
Most often combined with Suit, as in
Zoot suit - Wikipedia. Often zoot suiters wear a felt hat with a long feather (called a tapa or ... By their dress, Zoot suiters expressed defiance, at a time when fabric was ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit
There is a contemporary "zootsuit" radio station devoted to old radio shows. Historically, much later than the period of ATD here, there were riots in Los Angeles called the Zoot Suit riots (alluded to in, wasn't it, ''The Crying of Lot 49''?).

'''pale''' 
Even tough-guy Plug fears the time machine.
Pynchon's perspective on artificial light, "already harsh illumination".

'''dynamo''' 
Electrical generator. Converts any rotational motion to AC or DC power.

'''Grandmother's day''' 
Pre-Civil War.

'''Breguet''' 
A distinctive fine watch of French design, usually with open circles ('moons') near the ends of the hands. (See also p.140) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_(watch) Wikipedia entry]

'''shimming''' 
Insertion of thin material to make two parts line up. Think of the matchbook under the table leg.

'''revenue diverted''' 
(Why not no-revenue?)because revenue was spent---very cheaply: in only "the simplest upkeep."

==Page 403==

'''gutta-percha gasketry''' 
Gutta-percha (Palaquium) is genus of tropical trees native to southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to Malaya and east to the Solomon Islands. It is also an inelastic natural latex produced from the sap of these trees. One use of gutta-percha was the "guttie" golf ball with a solid gutta-percha core, which appears [[ATD_919-945#Page 934|later in ''Against the Day'']]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha Wikipedia]

'''coaming''' 
Bodywork. Panels concealing frame, wiring, etc.

'''undog this hatch''' 
Nautical: disengage whatever is holding the door shut.

'''faith''' 
(Blind, not humble.)

'''nervous organizations''' 
Cf drugs. Cf. sympathetic vibrations, a physical kind of empathy.

'''pillioned''' 
Riding two to a horse.
Refers specifically to the "passenger seat", separated from the main saddle. Also applies to motorcycle riding where the small passenger seat is called a "pillion". Metonymically, pillion can be used to describe the passenger.

'''horses''' 
Cavalry?

'''arrays of metallic points''' 
Bayonets? Appears to be a depiction of the (still future) Great War, WWI

==Page 404==

'''shockwaves of the Creation''' 
Anachronistic Big Bang theory? 
I must say that in the Big Bang theory, stars
were first created out of the bang; here the metaphor seems to accept that the stars already exist and "are blown through by the shockwaves of the Creation", capitalized, a common Pynchon touch, as in a Biblical allusion.

'''chamber shook''' 
(It didn't on p403.)

'''not beasts''' 
Airplanes?
Or Missiles/rockets? 'A screaming comes across the sky'....

'''smell''' 
Cf GR on Passchendaele.

==Page 405==

'''latest Oldsmobile''' 
(Dates.) 1903.

'''Candlebrow U.''' 
So what is a "candlebrow"? Consider those phallic ''ex voti'' candles offered up to [[St. Cosmo]]. The head of the candle-phallus, brow shaped, sits atop the cyclindrical candle-shaft and is, metaphorically, the candle's brow. And, natch, Gideon Candlebrow made the bucks necessary to fund Candlebrow U. with the miracle product [[#Page 407|"Smegmo,"]] the "Messiah of kitchen fats" (Imperial Margarine was advertised as "The King of Margarines") [http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Asmegma&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official smegma] is the "cheesy secretion" that collects atop the "candlebrow" beneath the foreskin. [[ATD 374-396#Page 374|Ewball Oust's name]] has similar connotations.

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious, but it seems to me like Pynchon's way of saying Dickhead University. --[[User:Pomopaulrevere|Pomopaulrevere]]

'''double-domes''' 
'dome' is slang for the human brain, of course. [Amer Heritage] and seems to mean, in humorous context, two-headed or double-brained thinkers...(more doubling motif--as joke?)

:Or possibly a sexual ''double entendre''...consistent with the [[The Sexual Angle|rampant sexuality]] in ''AtD''. Why, several double-dome images come to mind, almost faster than "egghead"...

:also possibly a reference to numerous "mad scientist" contraptions that connect two (unwilling?) patients, hooked together by metallic helmets (domes), in order to "switch" "souls" from one body to another. Seems far-fetched, but in a book dominated by the idea of dopplegangers created by the refraction from Iceland spar, not so much...

'''drumming''' 
Traveling salesmanship.

<div id="balinhan"></div>'''a saloon down by the river called the Ball in Hand''' 
The Ball in Hand isn't the river, it's the saloon. Still, the name does have an English ring to it. The Bird in Hand is a common pub name in Britain.

Another cricket allusion? If so, rather obvious. Surely a straightforward sexual joke.
:Oh yes. As discussed a couple paragraphs down!

Ball in Hand might refer to the "orb," an emblem of sovereignty held in the monarch's left hand in many state portraits; the orb is a small globe usually surmounted by a cross. Or a physics allusion, though anachronistic by some 30 years: the dome of a Van de Graaff generator. The museum visitor places her hand on it, the docent cranks the machine, and the victim's hair flies into an [[ATD_26-56#Page_26|aigrette.]] Or a more carnal connotation, not anachronistic at all. Or fortunetelling. These remote connections do make cricket sound pretty good:

A term used in pocket billiards (especially 9-ball) when a player has scratched (sunk the cue ball) and the player who follows is allowed to place the cue ball wherever he/she wants.

:Given all the other [[The Sexual Angle|sexual references]] in ''AtD'', this definitely has a sexual ring to it. Consider that the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines "ball" as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html]

<div id="meatman">'''Alonzo Meatman'''</div>
Meatman translated to German is Fleischmann, as in [http://www.fleischmanns.com/products/index.jsp Fleischmann's], makers of yeast, margarine, and assorted spreads.

:Yes, perhaps a cheesy spread, like that smegmo! In 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded an homage to his oral talents entitled "Meat Man" in which he brags of having "a maytag tongue with a sensitive taste." This fits in with [[The Sexual Angle]] in AtD. [[Meat Man|Read the lyrics...]]. And there ''are'' those [[ATD 57-80#Page 73|great balls of fire]] known as ball lightning.

'''they don't like to cross running water''' 
A preference shared by witches, vampires and in some accounts the Devil.

==Page 406==

'''counterfeit of the Timeless''' 
Thematic. Whole sentence seems the sharpest indictment of 'the Academy' as exemplified by Candlebrow U.

'''fatal discovery''' 
Note the contrast with "fateful discovery" on [[ATD 397-428#Page 398|p.398]].

'''''Imum Coeli''''' 
Latin for "bottom of the sky." In Astrology, it is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imum_Coeli Wikipedia entry]

'''rusticated''' 
Of masonry, parts of buildings, etc.: Rendered rustic in appearance. <ref>Def. 3a. '''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''Gideon Candlebrow''' 
made-up founder whose scandalous fortune underlay Candlebrow U?

'''Grossdale''' 
a gross dale?

'''great Lard Scandal of the '80s'''' 
Real event? (There were a couple of 'Lard Scandals" in last ten years but in countries other than Great Britain.) 

Since Gideon had to testify before congress about it, said Scandal must have happened in the States. He seems to have shipped lard that was deemed too "adulterated" to be sold in the US to good old Britain, thereby, as Pynchon puts it with a good dose of mean-spirited humor, "compromising further an already debased national cuisine". What did he use to adulterate the lard? The secret ingredient in Smegmo, maybe?

In [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_5#113 ''V.''] Pynchon mentions the "Great Sewer Scandal of 1955."

'''Christmas pudding controversy'''' 
Lard could certainly be used while making Christmas Pudding, aka Plum Pudding [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding Wikipedia entry], the quintessential British holiday treat. The traditional ingredient, though, is suet. Some families might have tried to substitute lard in the recipe, which would have radically altered the taste of the pudding, sparking bitter fights about the importance of culinary tradition. Could this "controversy" be a metaphor of the effects of American cultural imperialism? Maybe I should just do a taste test...

==Page 407==

'''"Smegmo"''' 
Smegma is a secretion of mammalian genitals [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma Wikipedia].

The word derives from a transliteration of the Greek word σμήγμα for soap.

As an "artificial substitute for everthing in the edible-fat category" pronounced kosher by an "eminent Rabbi of world hog capital Cincinnati, Ohio," Smegmo may be a code name for Crisco, a Procter & Gamble creation invented in Cincinnati in 1911 -- an anarchronism or time shift in the text -- and marketed through various ethnic cookbooks, including a Yiddish/English kosher cookbook published in 1933 with the "Hechsher (or certificate) of a prominent Orthodox rabbi, "denoting that Crisco contained nothing animal-based."
[http://www.crisco.com/about/history/1930.asp]

"Smegm"a + crisc "O" = Smegmo

:Interesting(?) sideline: Here in Denmark the slang word for smegma is 'nakkeost' -i.e. 'neck-cheese'. And of course anyone who's seen 'Red Dwarf' will know about the current British use of 'smeg' (Not smeggin'likely, get the smeg outa here! Smeg off!). What do Americans call it?

Smegmo and Candlebrow:
"The initial purpose [for Crisco] was to create a cheaper substance to make candles than the expensive animal fats in use at the time. Electricity began to diminish the candle market, and since the product looked like lard, they began selling it as a food." Yet another Lard Scandal? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisco]

Also P&G was founded as a candle (Procter) and soap (Gamble) company, making profits from the fat of slaughtered pigs in "Porkopolis," Cincinnati.

Finally, the stock ticker for P&G is PG which is pretty close to one of Pynchon's favorite animals -- PIG.

Cf. [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_525-556 cottonseed oil] p. 546.

'''margarine''' 
1887 saw the introduction of the Margarine Act in Great Britain, which required margarine to be labeled as such. This was in response to the adulteration of butter by oleomargarine (made from animal fats).

Candlebow + margarine reminds me of Camille Paglia on Renee Zellwegger as "margarine-browed" (which I don't really understand).

'''four thousand years''' 
Refers to the time believed to have elapsed since Abraham and the foundation of Judaism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham Wikipedia]. Under kosher laws Jews are not allowed to mix milk and meat products in the same meal. The rabbi's proclamation about having waited 4000 years refers to the arrival of Smegmo as a non-milk substitute for butter that can be eaten with meat dishes.

'''"you kept hearing different stories about exactly what was in it"''' 
Refers to wide range of urban legend-like attributions as to the origins and/or makeup of smegma that exist especially among children.

There's a resonance with Coca-Cola, too: exaggerated secrecy about the formula, fanatical market development, endowment of a university (Emory in the case of the Woodruff and Candler fortunes).

'''First International Conference on Time-Travel''' 
MIT students held a [http://web.mit.edu/adorai/timetraveler/ Time Traveler Convention] on May 7, 2005. The organizers did only modest publicity, claiming that the event would be reported and people in the future would read about it and decide to attend. One of the principals pointed out that only one such convention would ever need to take place. Vanderjuice's reasoning is almost a mirror image of that.

'''''The Time Machine''''' 
A short novel by H. G. Wells, written as a series of articles in 1888 for ''The Science Schools Journal'', and published as a book in 1895. The central character, ''Time Traveller'', tells a group of friends that he has invented a machine which can travel through time, enabling him to investigate the destiny of the human species. In the year 802,701, where he is temporarily stranded, he finds the meek and beautiful ''Eloi'' ling in apparently idyllic circumstances, but discovers that they are the prey of the degenerate ''Morlocks'', descendants of laborers who have lived underground for centuries. In later eras he sees the life-forms which survive the extinction of man, and thirty million years hence he is witness to the world's final decline as the sun cools. (Taken from ''The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English'', 1988 Edition.) For more information from other source see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine The Time Machine].

'''this year''' 
??? 1903.

'''flammivomous''' 
Vomiting out flame. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''sophomoric slogs''' 
Slog can be a forceful hit and a Cricket term. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slog Link]

'''nooky''' 
"nooky" is synonymous with "pussy" both of which are used metonymically to denote either the sex act or, in this case, women who are desirable as sex partners.

'''1925 or thereabouts''' 
Lindsay's unfamiliarity with the term "nooky" ''could'' continue until it becomes an accepted part of the English language, which occurred, according to the ''OED'', with its first substantiative written usage in 1928. The ''OED'', by the way, prefers the spelling ''nookie'' (the ''Shorter OED'' prefers "nooky"). However, the term was certainly in the vernacular long before it made it into the ''OED'' and is speculated to be of British origin, perhaps derived from "nugging" (having sex) or "nook" which a vagina could be considered, I suppose.

Most likely a simple "chummy" joke, implying that poor old Lindsay wouldn't get to experience the pleasures of the flesh for another 25 years. Considering that the Chums don't seem to age, I really can't say how old he will be when the blessed event finally comes.

'''Randolph''' 
(Has he been absent?)

==Page 408==

'''telegraphic messages''' 
(Why at night, particularly? Email parody?) Seems many telegraphic messages were delivered at night, perhaps because they could be picked up during the daytime and many came after evening began.

When telegrams were a customary means of communication, you could send a "straight wire," which would go right on the wire and get delivered promptly, or a "night letter," which would go into a queue for transmission in low-traffic times and be delivered the next morning. The rate for night letters was lower than that for straight wires.

'''"Goes with everything"''' 
Cf Al Capp's Shmoos?

'''a ''million'' uses for Smegmo''' 
Tracing out just one parallel: Coke—foundation of the Candler fortune and the Emory U. endowment—is a beverage, a sweetener and flavoring agent (Coca-Cola Cake a Southern favorite), a solvent (best thing for removing bugs from windshields) and a cleanser (''MythBuster''-tested for polishing automotive chrome). In an emergency you can fill your radiator with it, and used with care it will raise bread dough.

Tracing out another parallel: Crisco, not only the first but also emblamatic of all synthetic shortening, is "ubiquitous in the cuisine and among the table condiments..." It is found in baked products (breads, cakes, muffins, etc.), salad dressings, soups, potato chips, mayonnaise, cheese spreads, peanut butter, cake and biscuit mixes. Raisins are sometimes coated with it. You will find them in most processed foods.

'''in the way that certain odors can instantly return us to earlier years''' 
Recalls Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu in which the taste and smell of a madeleine cookie summons a collection of childhood memories.

'''"There's a seminar on that tomorrow ... Or do I mean day before yesterday?"''' 
Are all the folks at Candlebrow time travellers? Unlikely. This remark seems to be a typical collegiate witticism about classes. Seems about everyone can STUDY time travelling at Candlebrow.

'''Finney Hall''' 
Probably a Hall/Auditorium/Room in Candlebrow U. named after American author Jack Finney (1911-1995), who wrote a famous time travel novel, ''Time and Again'' (1970). See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Finney Jack Finney] for more.

'''florescent''' 
flowering, blooming.From florescense. Amer Heritage Dictionary

==Page 409==

'''Gibson Girls''' 
From illustrations of a kind of woman first made by Charles Dana Gibson. Besides certain physical features--see wikipedia---such women were thought
to be 'independent', often college girls, although not suffragettes.

'''"Why you insufferable little --"''' 
This line, paired with St. Cosmo's observation at the end of the following paragraph: "And might I add, Mr. Noseworth, that these constant attempts to strangle Suckling do our public image little good," seem a fairly direct reference to a well-worn trope from the ''Simpsons'' [http://www.snpp.com/guides/homer.file.html#strangle], in which the splenetic Homer, as played here by Noseworth, expresses his no-longer-controllable frustration with Bart, here the increasingly smartalecky Suckling.

Pynchon, as has been widely reported, has appeared on ''The Simpsons'' a couple times.

More than even "Vineland," it seems, this book is fraught with pop culture/low comedy asides. 

'''Wellesianism''' 
Typo, unless he means Orson. Should be Wellsianism. On page 412 the term
''''Wellsian''' optimism' was used.

:Orson Wellesianism seems correct: The scene, an immense inventory of discarded time machines, is reminiscent of the final scenes of ''Citizen Kane'' which show Kane's enormous collection of objects in rows of stacks extending seemingly to infinity.

'''Asimov Transecular''' 
Interesting to find one of Isaac Asimov's time travel machines on the pile of "picked-over hulks of failed time machines." Of course, it would have to have been deposited there from some time in the future.

transecular 
Adj "that is made through the centuries" (Portuguese) [[User:Btchakir|Btchakir]] 16:48, 19 December 2006 (PST)

Rather than troubling to search for a Portuguese word, isn't it more likely that Asimov or Pynchon coined this in a nearly trivial way? ''Trans,'' across, plus ''secular,'' ages or centuries (from Latin [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=s&p=11 ''sæculum,''] an age, a generation, 120 years; also yielding French ''siècle,'' a century).

'''Asimov''' 
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), Russian born American biochemist and science fiction writer. His family emigrated to the US in 1923 and he was naturalised in 1928. He graduated from Columbia University and had been Professor of Biochemistry of the University of Boston since 1979. He began contributing stories to science fiction magazines in 1939 and his first book ''Pebble in the Sky'' was published in 1950. Many others followed. ''The Foundation Trilogy'' (1963) made an international reputation as the master of science fiction. Since 1958 he had published few novels, preferring to concentrate on text books and works of popularized science such as ''Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' (2 Vols. 1960). And he also wrote ''Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare'' (1970). In his life time he wrote over 500 books that spanned the realm of human knowledge. [http://www.asimovonline.com/ Asimov Home Page] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issac_Asimov Isaac Asimov].

'''Tempomorph''' 
Tempo + morph = Time change

'''Q-98s''' 
FM station? The weapon used by Loony Tunes character Marvin the Martian is called the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

'''Flow''' 
Flow of Time.

'''vulcanite''' 
Star Trek allusion? A kind of mineralized rubber.
:a hard, readilly cut and polished rubber, obtained by vulcanizing rubber with a large amount of sulfur or some sulfur compound under a moderate heat (110-140 degree C), used in the manufacture of combs, buttons, and for electric insulation.

'''Heusler's alloy''' 
any of various alloys of manganese and other nonferromagnetic metals that exhibit ferromagnetism. Named after Conrad Heuslet, 19th-century German mining engineer and chemist.

'''bonzoline''' 
Synthetic ivory, used to make billiard balls.

'''electrum''' 
An alloy of gold and silver, presumably not the same as ''argentaurum''.

'''lignum vitae''' 
The very hard heavy wood of any of several tropical American guaiacum trees. In Latin, literally "wood of life."

'''platinoid''' 
An alloy of copper, nickel, tungsten and zinc, formerly used in elecric coils.

'''magnalium''' 
Magnesium-aluminum alloy.

'''packfong silver''' 
A Chinese alloy of nickel, zinc and copper, resembling German silver. [http://dict.die.net/packfong/ packfong].

'''The Ball in Hand''' 
[[#balinhan|See annotations to p. 405.]]

'''safe harbor''' 
Paradoxical, I think.

'''automorphic''' 
auto = Self,same. Morph = to change. The theory of automorphic functions concerns a generalization of periodic functions such as the Earth's revolution.

'''Eternal Return''' 
A fascinating interpretation of history in which Time is a single cycle and once it has reached its conclusion begins anew, and each repetition of the cycle is utterly identical to the first. Perhaps originating in ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico, though made most famous by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who used it as the basis for his moral philosophy. Cf. Nietzsche, ''The Will to Power''.

Notice that at Candlebrow, the conferences converged to a "form' of Eternal Return. The almost instantaneous way the conferees can be "resurrected' and seem never to age, makes this form of the Eternal
Return a lot like Never-Never Land. 
A-and perhaps a Pynchon jape at Nietzsche's vision of history?

==Page 410==

'''revenance''' 
Related to revenant, a ghost, a returner from the dead.

'''River of Time''' 
cf "the invisible river, the flow of Time", p.252. Herein a 'parable' drawn from the flowing of a literal river, by some Candlbrow conferees.

Cf. "The River of Time" (first published in 1981 as "Coexistence" in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine) 

Cf. M&D's "in America, time is a river that goes through hell"

Cf. Heraclitus's Flux and Fire Philosophy. [http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/heraclitus.html]

'''Symmes Street''' possible reference to the Symme's Hole which leads into the hollow earth, i. e. a street on the extreme fringe

Symmes Street = Symmetry ?

'''gaslit''' 
Lightfuel motif.

'''St. Louis Fair''' 
1904.

Also "Pygmy boyfriends escaped from the St. Louis Fair" - in the book Ota Benga, about a pygmy who appeared in the St. Louis Fair, there is a reference to pygmies escaping from their exhibit and disappearing into neighborhoods of St. Louis, never to be found

'''''kielbasa sausage''''' 
Often referred to as Polish sausage (which is uncooked), Kielbasa sausage is a precooked, smoked, traditionally made of pork that is highly seasoned with garlic.

also used to describe a very large penis. Judging from the "disreputable" nature of the Ball in Hand, it wouldn't seem too far-fetched to imagine Polish comedians hitting themselves over the head with their own appendages.

'''fantan''' 
Traditional Chinese gambling game; also a card game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan-Tan].

'''"preserver"''' 
Or "life-preserver": slang, a blackjack or cosh.

'''magenta-and-green''' 
Clashing-colors motif. This combination appears in a bandana in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow''] (Viking p. 69 line 14). 
Life colors in Pynchon, it might be argued?, as is a bandana. 
The clashing of (anarchic) life motif, maybe? 

magenta is a color that was renamed for a battle, the Battle of Magenta!
see wikipedia.

There's something else striking about magenta and green: In the field of [http://www.rgbworld.com/color.html color mixing,] these are complementary in the sense that magenta results from filtering all the green out of white light and vice versa. Green is an additive primary (red-green-blue), while magenta is a subtractive primary (cyan-magenta-yellow). This does not hold for some other ''AtD'' color schemes (red/indigo comes to mind, but there are a dozen or so of these binary combinations).

==Page 411==

'''Finding of Unusual Circumstances Questionaire''' 
Also, presumably, known as the "F.U.C.Q." or "fucq" for short.

'''Hawaiian volcano''' 
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.

The park encompasses 333,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. ''Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, offers scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands'' and visitors views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. Over half of the park is designated wilderness and provides unique hiking and camping opportunities. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaiian references in ''Against the Day'']]...

'''Zennist''' 
Practitioners of Zen Buddhism.

'''''Caged Women of Yokohama''''' 
Possible: Yokohama was one of the first Japanese cities with the heaviest
industrialization...wherein many young women from the surrounding rural
areas came to work in dreadful working and living conditions? "The early 20th century was marked by rapid growth of industry. Entrepreneurs built factories along reclaimed land to the north of the city towards Kawasaki, which eventually grew to be the Keihin Industrial Area. The growth of Japanese industry brought affluence to Yokohama, and many wealthy trading families constructed sprawling residences there, while the rapid influx of population from Japan and Korea also led to the formation of Kojiki-Yato, the largest slum in Japan at the time." Wikipedia. 
Misc. Like Telluride in the U.S., Yokohama had the first gaslit streetlamps in Japan. Wikipedia.

==Page 412==

'''koan''' 
Japanese. A ko-an is a story, dialogue, question or statement in the lore of Zen Buddhism. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koan koan].

'''"Does a dog possess the Buddha-nature?" [...] "Yes, obviously"''' 
According to the Zen parable the answer to the question is "Mu", which is both "No" and the sound of a dog's bark, thus neither simply yes nor no. See the explanantion given by the Learned English Dog in Mason & Dixon (Ch. 3, p. 22).

'''apricot and aquamarine''' 
Clashing-colors motif.

'''F.I.C.O.T.T.''' 
As Alonzo Meatman goes right on to explain, F.I.C.O.T.T. is the acronym for the First International Conference On Time Travel, but readers of ''Gravity's Rainbow'' will recall also "Fickt" from the line "Fickt nicht mit dem Raketemensch," or "Don't f--k with the Rocketman."

'''hootnanny''' 
Typo? Should be hootenanny, an informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience. The OED says that it can be spelled either way, and also hootananny.

'''Bohr... Mach... young Einstein... Spengler... Wells... McTaggart''' 
All of these people did work involving either speculation about time (Wells) or other subjects that reached their highest expression in Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which had implications regarding the nature of time and spacetime [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity Wikipedia]. Pynchon refers to the fact that this work was underway and 'in the air' at the time of the novel. [[Bohr, Mach, Einstein, et al.|History and Discussion...]]

Notice how, among this stellar cast of scientists, Wells seems to be placed above the rest (cf: "Mr. Wells himself"), as if the writer of fiction trumped "real" scientists when it came to the idea of time travel.

'''dismissing . . . the ''existence'' of Time''' 
In a 1908 essay, ''The Unreality of Time'', McTaggart said "Our ground for rejecting time . . . is that time cannot be explained without assuming time." For the full text of the essay [http://www.ditext.com/mctaggart/time.html The Unreality of Time (1)] and other information [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreality_of_Time The Unreality of Time (2)].

'''the McTaggartite''' 
disciple of Mctaggart?

'''neo-Augustinian''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo] (354-430), in his autobiographical [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions/confessions.html ''Confessions''], is credited with reconceptualizing the notion of time in Christian terms. Throyle, on [[ATD 119-148#Page 143|p.143]], summarizes what he terms "Christian time," as a "linear way of regarding time, a simple straight line from past, through present, into the future." See also [[ATD E|'''Eschatology''']].

<div id="pudding">'''fatal steamed pudding'''</div>
Presumably the subject of the "Christmas-pudding controversy" mentioned on p. 406. In the context of Prof. Taggart's disbelief in time and the Augustinian's presumed belief that time moves inevitably toward Christ's return, a Christmas pudding (which, one should mention, is prepared with suet or similar animal fat, though presumably Smegmo can be substituted) is a symbol, insofar as it invokes the birth of Christ, of a pivotal moment in the proper sequence of Augustinian time. The pudding, which context here suggests the neo-Augustinian dropped on the McTaggartite, at once symbolizes the Fall of Man, as well as the McTaggartite's inevitable descent into Hell. The whole arrangement is problematized, however, by the comments of the County Coroner, who describes the outcome of the event dependent on "wagering," chance being irreconcilable with Augustinian time.

'''vertical distance''' 
Of pudding-drop?

<div id="stearinery">'''Old Stearinery Bell Tower'''</div>
A stearinery (probably made-up word) is a facility where stearin is made. Chemically, stearin is an ester of glycerol with stearic acid, or stearic acid itself. The name also denotes the solid component of a fat. Smegmo undoubtedly contains stearin, so the Old Stearinery was a key part of the original production process.

"Until 1863 lard stearin was used to produce the stearic acid for candle making. With lard expensive and in short supply, a new method was discovered to produce the stearic acid using tallow. What lard and lard stearin was available was instead developed into a cooking compound. The same process was later adapted to create Crisco, the first all-vegetable shortening." [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Procter-amp;-Gamble-Company-Company-History.html]

==Page 413==

'''322 feet''' 
The ''average'' acceleration produced by gravity at the Earth's surface (sea level) is 32.2 (or 32.17405 to be exact) feet per second per second. This apllies "in any direction out to the curve of the Earth, notorious locally for exerting a fascination upon minds healthy and disordered alike."

''Pedantry Alert:'' From a height of 322 feet, you see the horizon at a distance of 22 miles.

'''disordered''' 
Eg clocktower assassins?
:Also people who may be moved to ''knock towers down.''

'''homeopathist''' 
One who practices homeopathy.

'''"the ''lycopodium'' type"... Fear''' 
Lycopodium is a common homeopathic remedy for many disorders. Homeopathy being the introduction into the body, in infinitesimal amounts, of a possibly toxic or irritating agent that ends up stimulating the body to heal itself.

'''sky-brother''' 
???
My take was that he was assuaging any hurt feelings with Meatman by placing him on the level of a fellow "Chum of Chance".

Hmm... maybe Chick is implying that he and Meatman are indeed of the same cloth, not bound by the earthly realm, the former spending most of his time in the air and the latter being able to travel to other dimensions.

'''other Promise... resurrected... two millennia''' 
???
:maybe this refers simply to the Resurrection (and therefore the end of Time); the Promise is that the trumpet (Chick's?) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised.

God's promise of eternal life vs. Time Travel's promise of making you immortal.

'''speaking trumpet''' 
Brass forerunner of the megaphone. [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1671RSPT....6.3056M Abstract] of a 1671 paper; [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.2647 photo] of a ship's speaking trumpet, 1799; [http://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/giftshop/1850figure/source/horn.htm catalog entry] for a replica American fire brigade speaking trumpet, mid-19th century.

==Page 414==

'''purlieus''' 
outskirts, outlying areas; also (OED) "meaner streets about some main thoroughfare; a mean, squalid or disreputable street or quarter."

This whole section is a progress into the outlying areas, the fringes
(Cf. Pynchon's story ''Low-lands'', which takes place at a town dump)

'''millwork''' 
woodwork, doors, molding, wainscotting, etc, but cheap, prefabricated, not custom-fabricted on site.

'''penumbrae''' 
A penumbra is the outer and lighter part of the shadow created by an eclipse. "Penumbrae" is the plural form.

'''quiescence''' 
His name suggests a purveyor of meat, and he does "deliver" Chick to Mr. Ace.

==Page 415==

'''"Mr. Ace"''' 
This could be a nod to the 1946 film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038752/ ''Mr. Ace''] starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft who plays Eddie Ace, the head man of a crooked political machine who intends to scuttle the gubernatorial campaign of female senator Margaret Wyndham Chase (Sylvia Sidney). He uses every dirty trick in the book to destroy Margaret, but she perseveres on the strength of sheer honesty and integrity. Through her example, Ace mends his own ways, earning Margaret's love as a bonus, and he helps her to run as an independent on a clean-government ticket.

It may, more specifically, refer to the old-time radio show called ''The Cases of Mr. Ace'' which had a very limited run mostly on WNEW in New York in the late forties. Raft played Eddie Ace, the sole owner of Ace Detective Agency on 6th Avenue. In the episode from June 25, 1945, Ace described one gangster thus:

:"The face of a small fragile old man. His hair was glossy and deep black. His eyes were glossy and deep black."

Compare this to Pynchon's Mr. Ace: "Glossy black eyes, presented like weapons in a duel."

'''phatic''' 
Relating to speech that serves to establish social relationships rather than to inform.

'''Those of us who spoke this truth were denounced as heretics''' 
Yes, the old Pynchon theme of those in control, the oligarchs, silencing the counterforce.

Taking of refuge in a planet's past was the plot of a Captain Kirk-era ''Star Trek'' episode; the unintentionally transported Kirk is taken to be a religious dissenter; fortunately his judge is one of the "refugees".

'''certain of your great dynamos''' 
Cf. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Brooks_Adams Henry Adams], author of ''The Virgin and The Dynamo''. Pynchon has written of being influenced deeply by Adams, and his ideas are particularly evident in Pynchon's [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''].

'''Fraternity of the Venturesome''' 
Mistranslated 'Chums of Chance'.

'''''nzzt''''' 
Electrical short?

Suggests "he" could be a holographic image. Time traveling holograms were one feature of the "Temporal Cold War" subplot of ''Star Trek: Enterprise''; one such manifestation (complete with "nzzt's") is set in a huge dynamo station in a Nazi-occupied New York. This is two possible ''Star Trek'' allusions in a single page.

Electrical short is certainly relevant. The mistranslation is a kind-of short-circuit, then he gets the right phrase from his data bank. Bit like C3P0 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars ''Star Wars'']?

'''You are not aware that each of your mission assignments is intended to prevent some attempt of our own to enter your time-regime.''' 
Aha! A little peek into the True Mission of the Chums. Time to take another look at those various adventures:

* ''Chums of Chance and The Evil Halfwit'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance and The Curse of the Great Kahuna'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance at Krakatoa'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance Search for Atlantis'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_7|p.7]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Bowels of the Earth'' ([[ATD_97-118#Page_117|p.117]])
* ''The Chums of Chance and the Ice Pirates'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''The Chums of Chance Nearly Crash into the Kremlin'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''Chums of Chance at the Ends of the Earth'' ([[ATD_199-218#Page_214|p.214]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Caged Women of Yokahama'' ([[ATD_397-428#Page_411|p.411]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Wrath of the Yellow Fang'' ([[ATD_1018-1039#Page_1019|p.1019]])

==Page 416==

'''ZZnrrt''' 
Cf 415.

'''"irreversible processes"''' 
In thermodynamics, an irreversible process is one in which the intermediate states cannot be specified by any set of macroscopic variables, and which are not equilibrium states. Since the intermediate states are unknown this process cannot be reversed.

'''Squanto and the Pilgrims''' 
Squanto (Tisquantum) was one of the two Native American Indians (Samoset being the other) that assisted the Pilgrims during their first winter in the New World. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto Squanto].

Ironic (although Chick means it sincerley) since in this case the Chums of C are "Squanto" and their strange interlocutors from another dimension are the pilgrims. Chick innocently suggests that the strangers from the future just want help (as, like the pilgrims, they have just arrived and are low on supplies, so to speak). It is implied that just as the Indian's helping the pilgrims was re-payed with disease, genocide and war, the payback the Chums reap for helping these visitors from another dimension may not be what they expect.

'''entropy''' 
A term first used in 1850s by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888). It is the name of a quantity in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and information theory variously representing the degree of disorder in a physical system, the extent to which the energy in a system is available for doing work, the distribution of the energy of a system between different modes, or the uncertainty in a given item of knowledge. In thermodynamics absolut entropies cannot be determined, only ''changes'' in entropy. One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics (Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page 238|page 238]]) is to say that in any change in an isolated system, the entropy increases. This increase in entropy represents the energy that is no longer available for doing work in that system. See [http://www.entropylaw.com/ Entropy & Laws of Thermodynamics.]

'''"It's our innocence . . . ."''' 
Speculation about the motives of people who come from the future claiming to need something from the past. It is a common fallacy in all ages to think back to the past as a 'golden age' and an age of 'innocence'. Lindsay elaborates further down the page: "[I]magine ''them''... so fallen, so corrupted, that we — even we — seem to them pure as lambs. And their own time so terrible that it's sent them desparately back...." Think also of the kind of 'golden age' rhetoric often employed by certain politicians.

==Page 417==

'''"we're totally"''' 
...fucked.

'''"He is not what he says he is."''' 
Pynchon denies Chums backstory/explanation.

In addition, his story would be plausible almost too plausible in terms of the thermodynamic theories of the day, i.e. the Heat Death of the Universe (about which Pynchon has written before: see [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''] and ''Entropy'').

'''trespassers''' 
Presumably individuals in the company of Mr. Ace and Alonzo Meatman, whose intentions toward the Chums of Chance are apparently sinister and for their own benefit. They appear to travel back through the stream of time without any kind of permission to execute their plans, thus making them trespassers (or parasites).

The idea of trespass could be thought of in another way too. Miles mentions Mr. Ace knowing him as a 'peeper' who observes the trespassers as they come to his time. We could think of the 'trespassers' as anyone in any time who looks back at a point in history. As such, they are actually 'peepers'. That these seem to have found a way not just to peep but actually to participate makes them more than peepers, in fact, it is this that constitutes their 'trespass'.

Pynchon seems to be playing with how we view history and the past, a theme common to all his work. The Chums, whose existence is, to an extent, fictional even within the work of fiction, are a nexus meant to control boundaries between points in time (e.g. the future and the present, or its past). Historians and other future observers want to use the past for their own purposes. If they become visible to the people in that past, they will appear as 'trespassers' and violators. As Miles says, they do "not have our best interests in mind".

We ourselves (readers and perhaps even more, Wiki authors) are also trespassers from the standpoint of the Chums. We read about them in the novel, which takes us to the past, to their present, and inserts us in a way that is invisible to them. We then write up entries and think thoughts about what they do. We are in their world in some way that to them is utterly mysterious and sinister because, again, we have own agendas in mind and not theirs.

Right: And what about the biggest trespasser of all - the author himself. After all, he's the one who can offer them immortality.

'''I see them ''pointing something'' back at me not exactly a weapon an enigmatic object.''' 
Hmmm. Could this have anything to do with the [[Q-weapon_and_Photography|Q-weapon]]?

— – – mmm... does anyone think that it might be just a remote control, and that the window through which the trespassers and the Chums see each other might be just a TV set? [[[User:Sonni|Sonni]] 09:19, 21 February 2008 (PST)]

==Page 418==

'''Trespass''' 
With a capital T.

'''evidence... everywhere''' 
Cf [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Crying of Lot 49''].

'''neuropathy''' 
An abnormal and usually degenerative state of the nervous system or nerves.

'''contracts''' 
With Devil.
More specifically, like Faust with Mephistopheles.

'''Other Units''' 
(So our five gossiped to others?)

'''exhaustive''' 
Cf Trekkies.

'''came to recall''' 
Cf PK Dick.

'''red and indigo''' 
Clashing?

'''Marching Academy Harmonica Band''' 
In this episode the academy goes by seven permutations of the name:
*Marching Academy Harmonica Band
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band Academy
*Harmonica Marching Band Academy
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band activities
*Harmonica Marching Band Training Academy
Its identity is not very securely tied down.
Clearly it's mutable, a kind of mirage. And surely there's a resonance with 'laughing academy'? And a hint of the Hogwarts train in 'Harry Potter'?

==Page 419==

'''"El Capitán"''' 
Sousa march. "El Capitán" was played by a military band on the deck of Admiral Dewey's battleship as he steamed into the Bay of Manila in 1898, to "liberate" the Philippines from Spain and also, not coincidentally, achieve access for U.S. capital and goods to East Asian markets once the Philippines became a colony. Thus the references to the "intricacies of greed as then being practiced by global capitalism" a few sentences later on p. 419 is hardly out of place for TRP, particularly when mixed with comments on how patriotic bromides and marching tunes go together. The harmonicas and the comment that improvisation is definitely NOT welcome in marching band arrangements, of course, provide Pynchon's own inimitable caustic/satiric touch; cf. the kazoos in GR. On "El Capitán": see Hess, Carol A. “John Philip Sousa’s ‘El Capitan’: Political Appropriation and the Spanish-American War.” ''American Music'' (Spring 1998).

'''"Whistling Rufus"''' 
[http://hetzler.homestead.com/NBCakeWalk.html A cakewalk song] written in 1899.

'''consecrated''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/consecrate] "1. To declare or set apart as sacred: consecrate a church."

'''Richardson Romanesque''' 
Style of American Romanesque architecture from 1880s-1890s, named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, notable for use of brown stone, rounded corners, arches and cylindrical turrets. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson_Romanesque Wikipedia Entry].

'''modal theory''' 
Context is suggestive of music theory, types of scales and keys of tonal music. However, Modal Realism is the view, notably propounded by David Lewis, that possible worlds are as real as the actual world. Possible worlds exist; the actual world is merely one among an infinite set of logically possible worlds, some nearer to the actual world and some more remote. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_realism]

'''chit''' 
Piece of military or bureaucratic paperwork; context suggests "request for transfer".

'''Bing Spooninger''' 
Like "Bing" Crosby, a crooner.

'''rack''' 
Current military and collegiate slang for "bed"--an anachronism.

==Page 420==

'''every note''' 
Om?

'''say "Wall"''' 
???

'''Yippy dippy dippy, doo!''' 
cf. ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (p. 66) where Slothrop goes down the toilet after, appropriately, a harmonica.

'''Now, it ain't that I wouldn't, 'cause I can but I won't,''' 
'''And I would if I wasn't, but I am so I don't''' 
This sounds very similar to a lyric from Frank Zappa's 'Stink-Foot:'

He said:
"IT DOESN'T, 'n YOU CAN'T!

I WON'T, 'n IT DON'T!

IT HASN'T, IT ISN'T, IT EVEN AIN'T

'N IT SHOULDN'T . . .

IT COULDN'T!"

He told me NO NO NO!

I told him YES YES YES!

I said: "I do it all the time . . .

Ain't this boogie a mess!"

'''difficult vocal feat''' 
???

'''segueing''' 
A deejaying term for moving from one song/track to another with no noticeable break if done correctly. 
Cf. [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow,''] Viking p. 70, line 36, where the phonetic spelling "segway" appears.

'''cakewalk''' 
An African-American entertainment having a cake as prize for the most accomplished steps and figures in walking; also, a stage dance developed from walking steps and figures typically involving a high prance with backward tilt. From this, slang for a one-sided contest or an easy task.

'''draw-note''' 
Note played on harmonica by "drawing" air through reed by sucking in rather than blowing out (insert crude sex joke here).

==Page 421==

'''popularity''' 
Masochistic love of oppressors.

'''''cover identity''''' 
Burden of resistance.

'''unannounced punishments . . . Combat-Inside-Ten-Meters''' 
Points up the Kafkaesque nature of the Academy.

'''Lombardy poplars.''' 
A large deciduous tree, reaching 30-40 m tall. They resemble large shrubs, due to their tall, slender appearance. They grow tall very quickly and usually die within 15 years of first planting. 

'''Out the window...''' 
The longest sentence so far in ATD.

'''Chromatic Harp''' 
A harmonica that plays all notes in an octave rather than a scale in a certain key. [http://www.hohnerusa.com/hchromatic.htm Examples].

'''Pitch Integrity Guard''' 
To prevent tampering with the notes in the ways described below - i.e. monitoring any tendency towards the 'Negroid'. 
= PIG - pigs long have held a fascination over Pynchon. 
A-and a Pitch Integrity Guard is a kind of cop, right? 

'''harmonica-reed files''' 
Filing the reeds would alter the notes slightly, allowing you to get 'in-between' notes that aren't in the normal major or minor scale.

'''sucking the tonic chords...Negroid sound''' 
Standard technique for playing blues harmonica ('harp'), also known as cross-blowing. The sucked notes are easier to 'bend' and wail with, so you can get the blues 'third', not quite minor, not quite major. Another technique that helps you get the 'Negroid sound' is soaking the harmonica, which gives the reeds a rougher, more bendable quality. That's probably the point of the 'late night visits to the latrine'. Compare with GR, where Slothrop (at college!) loses his harmonica down the toilet (he finds it much later in a stream in Germany! Gone back home, so to speak). There's a harmonica-soaking scene in Pennebaker's Dylan film 'Don't look Back'.
It wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of folk wisdom that piss is even better than water for soaking the harp. Pee-culiar.

==Page 422==

'''I.G. Mundharfwerke''' 
Interessen-Gemeinschaft Mundharfwerke (Harmonica-works Association of Common Interests). "Mundharf" is Swabian German for "Harmonica". By analogy with I.G. Farben in ''GR'': the Mouth-Harp Cartel.

'''drifted''' 
Cf. Slothrop's desk in ''GR''.

'''the sprightly Offenbach air "Halls of Montezoo-HOO-ma!"''' 
The "Marines' Hymn" borrows the tune of the "Gendarmes' Duet" from the opera ''Geneviève de Brabant'' (1859) by French composer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Offenbach Jacques Offenbach] (1819-1880). 
The lyrics of which are not entirely irrelevant: 
And if we meet a helpless woo-o-man 
Or little boys who do no harm 
We run them in, we run them in, 
We run them in, we run them in 
Because we are the bold gen-darmes! 

'''into the Latrine''' 
Cf. Slothrop's hallucination in ''GR''.

'''dentifrice''' 
A powder or other preparation for rubbing or cleansing the teeth; a tooth-powder or tooth-paste; also applied to liquid preparations.<ref>'''Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. ed. 1989.</ref>

'''vapor bearing...minerals''' 
Rows of mirrors facing each other (thus creating regular patterns, "chaining away for uncounted leagues") have been stained with images formed by regular use: breath, tiny bits of toothpaste or powder ("atomized dentifrice"), "shaving preparations," and mineral deposits from tapwater.

'''A.D.C.''' 
Aide-de-camp, administrative assistant to a commanding officer.

'''but they could find no entries in any of the daily Logs to help them remember''' 
Their situation has no precedent in any of the ''Chums'' novels. They have been betrayed, isolated and brainwashed, and they even doubt whether they are the authentic Chums. The following is not a spoiler: Any elementary handbook of plotting will tell you that they can't just single up all lines at the end of this episode and fly their ship "cheerly" on to the next adventure.

==Page 423==

'''revisit places where destinies took a wrong turn, or revisit in dreams the dreaming body of one loved more than either might have known...''' 
As far as we know, none of the Chums has actually experienced this. Sounds to me like an allusion to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust Faust] and Gretchen/Marguerite, since this actually happens in several of the Faust versions. Especially in the context of the Faustian bargain they have made with Mr. Ace.

'''None of them...''' 
Cf [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi#The_butterfly_dream Chuang Tzu's dream]: is he a man dreaming he's a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he's a man? On the rhetorical level of the story, this passage reiterates the dreamlike, near-delusional nature of the Chums' latest escape from what seems to have become their most dangerous foe. (418: "As if in a dream...").

'''volunteer decoys''' 
Fan-meme. 
Decoy = is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. 
I think this surprising phrase has Pynchonian meaning about the meaning of fiction like the Chums': 'escape', 'adventure' fiction is a decoy from
reality?

'''"At a Georgia Camp Meeting"''' 
a song by a Kerry Mills originally published in 1897.
Became a very popular 'cakewalk' tune. 
Lyrics: 
A camp meeting took place, by the colored race; way down in Georgia.
There were folks large and small, lanky, lean, fat and tall, at this great Georgia camp meeting.
When church was out, how the "sisters" did shout, they were so happy.
But the young folks were tired and wished to be inspired, and hired a big brass band.

Chorus: When the big brass band began to play pretty music so gay, hats were thrown away.
Thought them foolish people their necks would break,
When they quit their laughing and talking and went to walking for a big choc'late cake.

The old "sisters" raised sand, when they first heard the band; way down in Georgia.
The preacher did glare and the deacons did stare, at the young people prancing.
The band played so sweet that nobody could eat, 'twas so entrancing.
So the church folks agreed it was not a sinful deed, and they joined in with the rest. 

''':definition within above definition: 'cakewalk'''' 
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. A cake, or slices of cake, were offered as prizes for the best dancers — a rare treat during slavery — giving the dance its name.
The dance was invented as a satirical parody of the formal European dances preferred by white slaveowners, and featured exaggerated imitations of the dance ritual, combined with traditional African dance steps. One common form of cakewalk dance involved couples (one male and one female, with their arms linked at the elbows) lined up in a circle, dancing forward alternating a series of short hopping steps with a series of very high kicking steps. Costumes worn for the cakewalk often included large, exaggerated bowties, suits, canes, and top hats....
The dance became nationally popular among whites and blacks for a time at the end of the 19th century. The syncopated music of the cakewalk became a nationally popular force in American mainstream music, and with growing complexity and sophistication evolved into ragtime music in the mid 1890s. The music was adopted into the works of various white composers, including John Philip Sousa and Claude Debussy; the latter wrote Golliwog's Cakewalk as the final movement of the Children's Corner suite (1908).

'''"deps"''' 
Dep. from American Heritage Dictionary = 1. department 2. departure 3. dependency 4. deponent 5. deposed 6. deposit 7. depot 8. deputy 
barring any other allusion, I think 'deps' here might stand for 1) departures or 2) departments (given words about other Chums above.
:Surrogates, decoys, escape: Surely these all make it certain that "deps" means "deputies."

'''route out of the past''' 
The nostalgia trap.

'''We wish we could tell you about everything that's been going on, but it's not over yet, it's at such a critical stage, and the less said right now the better. But someday . . . ''' 
The Chums imagine "the real Chums" as being engaged in a secret war that demands only one sacrifice from "the people," that of their innocence.

==Page 424==

''''coon' material''' 
Songs and humor in which African-Americans were stereotyped (as lazy, immoral, stupid, vain, etc.) and held in contempt. The most popular coon song, though, was written by an African-American, Ernest Hogan; titled "All Coons Look Alike to Me," it has an ''AtD'' resonance. Coon material was extremely popular between about 1880 and 1910; stripped of the word "coon," a diluted form still appears nightly on your TV. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song Wikipedia] has a strikingly good article. For a partial list of coon references in ''AtD,'' [[ATD_26-56#Page_48|see annotation to p. 48.]]

'''isotropy''' 
the quality or condition of being equal along all directions. For more technical information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotropy isotropy].

'''presently''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Crumb R. Crumb] did a comic like this: [http://crumbproducts.com/prints_images/sha.gif pic] 
Nice find. That comic succintly summarizes TRP's view of the effects of railroads and "civilization."

'''opposition''' 
(Was unconscious, now conscious?)Are the Chums now able to intercede
in 'human' affairs, unlike their earlier mandate?
:That's exactly it, their stretch in the camp—sorry, the harmonica academy—has modified the terms of the C of C Prime Directive.

'''dropped from altitudes''' 
(Cf pudding above, Padzhitnoff's four-block fragments)

==Page 425==

'''"After the Ball"''' 
Music and lyrics by Charles K. Harris. This number was interpolated into the score of the hit musical ''A Trip to Chinatown'' (1892) during its record-setting Broadway run. It was introduced by J. Aldrich Libbey. When Kern and Hammerstein wanted to add period flavor to ''Show Boat'' (1927), they used "After the Ball" in the Trocadero scene where it was performed by Norma Terris. [[After the Ball|Read the lyrics...]]

See also the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_174-177 pantomime song] in ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (pages 174-175):
<blockquote>"And the lamps in the stairway are dying, 
It's the season just after the ball . . ."</blockquote>

'''Bukhara''' 
Either the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Bukhara Emirate of Bukhara], a former country in Central Asia or its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara capital]

'''T.D.Y.''' 
Abbrevation for Temporary Duty. [http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r614_11.pdf weblink]

'''Subdesertine''' 
submerge beneath the desert or sand.

'''''Saksaul''''' 
A plant/tree native to the deserts of Central Asia, particularly the Gobi desert; it has a very hard wood and is covered with knobs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxaul Wikipedia] [http://www.pbase.com/william_sokolenko/image/68724037 pic]

It may be significant that the saksaul tree is often planted in order to stabilize the sands. Part of western Europe's civilizing mission?

'''Q. Zane Toadflax''' 
(Sounds like Douglas Adams?). Toadflax is the name of an [http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/toadflax.html invasive plant species]

'''Hypopsammotic... Hypops''' 
''Hypo-'' (under) + ''psammot-'' (sand, from Greek ''psammos'') + ''-ic.'' Pynchon explains the device's function on the next page (426).

==Page 426==

'''beating their prices''' 
Contradicts p. 425 "no further expenditure".
:P. 425 merely says that "no further expenditure for that purpose [i.e. for Hypops rigs] will be approved." Presumably, the Chums have some additional discretionary fund from which to draw cash for emergency purchases such as these.

'''that medium which is wavelike as the sea, yet also particulate''' 
Alluding to the æther theory and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-particle_duality dual (wave/particle) nature of light].

==Page 427==

'''temporarily lapsing into English''' 
Contrasts with the technical jargon the Chums have been steeped in over the past few days, including lectures by Roswell Bounce (they're only boys, after all). Often, mathematicians, physicists, and their students fail to explain their theories "in English." This little phrase can be taken as a professorial joke, aimed at both the author (for always coming back to obscure or difficult theories) and the reader (for never understanding them). 
I thought it was contrasting with Miles' frequent babbling habit. 

'''''pigs fly''''' 
Lindsay = pig. "When (or until) pigs fly" = never.

'''X.O.''' 
The Executive Officer (XO) is the second-in-command, reporting to the Commanding Officer (CO).

'''legalistic''' 
Yes, Darby is now Legal Counsel.

==Page 428==
'''ill-starred Bell Tower''' 
Referring back of course to the [[#stearinery|Old Stearinery Bell Tower]] and the [[#pudding|Fatal Pudding]], and in turn to the [[Campanile]].

:The Campanile picture has me wondering. According to the sources, the old picture of the collapse of the Campanile is actually a fake. And it doesn't have the airship. It's a fun picture, but what is its status? There doesn't seem to be an appropriate place for this information in the wiki, or have I missed something?

:The Campanile picture is an illustration. Doubtful that anyone had their camera all set up for the awesome event. The airship was photoshopped in for, um, color...

::See also last paragraph of page 255.

Cf. Renata's tarot reading on [[ATD 243-272#Page 253|p. 253]], the last card of which is The Tower.

Cf. ''The Bell-Tower'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville Herman Melville], a famous short story from ''The Piazza Tales'' (1856) with an "ill-starred
bell tower" for sure. "Glancing backwards, they saw the groined belfry crashed sideways in.", a line from it which echos the picture used for the pynchonwiki home page. [http://www.melville.org/belltowr.htm Full text of ''The Bell-Tower'']

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 397-428

2009-08-10T19:48:47Z

Cortinas: /* Page 397 */

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 397==

'''syntonic wireless''' [[Image:Columbian1892_obv.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]][[Image:Columbian1892_rev.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]]
syn·ton·ic (sĭn-tŏn'ĭk) adj.Psychology. Characterized by a high degree of emotional responsiveness to the environment.
Electricity. Of or relating to two oscillating circuits having the same resonant frequency.
[From Greek suntonos, high-strung, intense, attuned, from sunteinein, to draw tight : sun-, syn- + teinein, to stretch.]

Syntonic Wireless Telegraphy. [http://earlyradiohistory.us/1901ayrt.htm Ayrton Prediction]. Electrical Review, June 29, 1901, p. 820.

'''street-Arab''' 
a homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets.
[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn wordnet].

'''some koindt of a ''sailboat'' pitchuhv on it''' 
The reverse of the coin (next entry) shows Columbus' flagship ''Santa Maria'' (the obverse has the navigator's portrait).

'''1893''' 
Columbian half dollars were struck in 1892 and 1893. [http://www.coinlink.com/CoinGuide/commemoratives/1892-1893-columbian-exposition-half-dollar/ CoinLink]

'''Columbian ''Half-Dollar''''' 
The 1892 Columbian Exposition half dollar was the first commemorative coin authorized by Congress. [http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/commemoratives/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=premodern]

'''"ten yeeuhz ago"''' 
Places this action in or around 1903.

==Page 398==

'''nuncio''' 
Casually, a messenger; more formally, a permanent official Papal representative at a foreign court.

'''Evening Quarters''' 
A muster of the ship's company at the end of the day. 
Is this at 1800 Hours?

'''H.G. Wells''' 
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), one of the 19th Century science fiction writers whom Pynchon is both emulating and parodying in ''ATD''. H.G. Wells was an English novelist, sociologist, journalist, and historian. He wrote series of fantastic scientific romances ''The Time Machine'' (1895), ''The Invisible Man'' (1897), etc. In combination with scientific speculation he developed a strain of sociological idealism in ''The War of the Worlds'' (1898), ''First Men on the Moon'' (1901) and many others. He also wrote the well-known ''Outline of History'' (1920). For more see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.G._Wells Wikipedia entry].

'''jeu d'esprit''' 
French: play of wits. Witticism.
Here, Lindsay places Wells' masterful Time Machine (see above) in opposition with the more flashy and vulgar versions ("adulterated") of time travel offered in dime novels. Interesting that this comment would be made by someone who is himself a character in a dime novel.

'''National Imprest''' 
An imprest system is a system using loans as control against fraud and theft. The most common imprest system known is the petty cash system. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprest_system Wikipedia]. Interesting that the Chums' petty cash system goes
under the rubric National, not International?

'''"Plug" Loafsley''' 
Plug-ugly loafer/oaf?

'''Lollipop Lounge''' 
Lollipop is vulgar slang for an underage girl. There is at least one 'pornographic' magazine called Lollipops featuring supposedly underage girls.

'''Tenderloin''' 
2) A city district notorious for vice and graft. [After 'the Tenderloin', an area of New York City (from the easy income it once offered corrupt policeman). Cf p.334.
From the American Heritage Dictionary.

'''squalid empire''' 
Cf Alan Parker's 1976 movie "Bugsy Malone". [http://imdb.com/title/tt0074256/ IMDb]

==Page 399==

'''indigo... yellow''' 
Clashing-colors motif. Bright full-of-life colors.

'''dicer''' 
A hat [http://books.google.com/books?id=CUQSAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=dicer+hat&source=web&ots=3K_D1BkmBP&sig=xhzWDfgmMitS2mGUzL4ee8MHzTo], perhaps of the style now known as "baseball cap"[http://www.skateamerica.com/store/KR3W-Youth-Hat-Dicer-Black-ID_P15118C62.cfm].

'''opopanax and vervain''' 
Two fragrant, medicinal substances derived from flowering plants. They bloom yellow and violet, respectively. Wikipedia pages for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opoponax opopanax] and for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vervain vervain].
:Though Wikipedia prefers the spelling ''opoponax'', the ''OED'' suggests Pynchon's.

'''contrabass saxophone''' 
A spectacular piece of hardware, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone#Members_of_the_saxophone_family somewhat taller than the person playing it.] Pitched in E-flat—if you are keeping track—two octaves below the alto sax.

'''slide cornet''' 
A brass instrument with the voice of a cornet but using a slide instead of valves. Very, very rare.

'''mandola''' 
An eight-stringed instrument shaped like a mandolin but tuned the same as a viola. It is originally an Irish instrument.

'''"tin pan" piano''' 
A reference to New York's Tin Pan Alley. Probably, the tag means to indicate that the piano was out of tune or sounded 'cacophonous'. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_pan_alley Wikipedia entry]

'''anchored by . . . piano''' 
It's hard to imagine the sound of the ensemble: big reedy bass, lots of rhythm from the mandola, the abandoned wailing of the cornet, fuzzy arpeggios on the piano. Like a children's Fourth of July parade, plus hallucinogens.

'''houris''' 
According to the ''OED'', a "nymph of the Muslim Paradise. Hence applied allusively to a voluptuously beautiful woman." <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd Ed. 1989.</ref>

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "houris" is the plural of 'houri', as defined above.

'''Darby''' 
Over 21yo, if he's aged.

'''chanteuse''' 
A female singer of popular songs, esp. in France. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

==Page 400==

'''paillettes''' 
2. a spangle used to ornament a dress or costume. [from Old French,diminutive of
paille,straw]. American Heritage Dictionary.

'''louche''' 
of questionable taste or morality. From Old French, losche= squint-eyed,
ultimately from Latin, luscus = blind in one eye. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''OED'' Oblique, not straightforward. Also, dubious, shifty, disreputable. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''"jazz"''' 
The ''OED'' suggests that the spelling here was always more popular than ''jass'', as used on [[Pages 358-373#Page 370|p. 370]]. It makes sense that a musician like "Dope" Breedlove might use a less conventional spelling, as he would be familiar with the term before common usage had regularized its spelling. By contrast, within the "dime novel" idiom of the Chums of Chance narration (dime novelists not necessarily being, especially in those days, the swingin'-est of cats), while ''jazz'' still registers as a slang term, its spelling has already been regularized.

'''Dey high-hats us uptown''' 
They scorn or snub us.

'''Dey low-balls us downtown''' 
They underestimate us.

'''Missus Grundy''' 
Mrs. Grundy, proverbial looker-askance at any improper activity. "[A]n extremely conventional or priggish person" after a character alluded to in the play ''Speed The Plough,'' by Thomas Morton (1764-1838), British playwright. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''''ying'''' 
"Yen"? And play/contrast with yang?

==Page 401==

'''Angela Grace''' 
I.e., Angel of Grace

'''Gophiz... Hudson Dustuhs''' 
Gophers, Hudson Dusters. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Dusters New York street gangs.]

'''bushwahs''' 
Bourgeois.

'''slickin up''' 
Gentrification.

'''Mr. Mawgin''' 
J. Pierpont Morgan. Dr. Zoot has funding from the same source that supported Tesla earlier.

'''stanchion''' 
Upright structural member, here part of the El trestle.

'''find it''' 
(Small-penis joke.)

'''time-corroded''' 
Actually, on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]] we learn that when these structures were erected, they were intentionally antiqued, "deliberately burned, attempts being made to blacken the stylized wreckage in aesthetic and interesting ways," a description that applies also to Pynchon's historical fiction with its antiquated language and its generally favorable view of all things black. Though, of course it's been a decade since the shrine was erected, and some actual time-corrosion may have occurred.

'''seeming to date from some ancient catastrophe, far older than the city.''' 
When, what is that catastrophe in ATD, pages 149-170?
:There's more than a hint in the geography. From Central Park to the Tenderloin, on a street where you can smell the waterfront; west and south till you hit (literally) the Ninth Avenue El; south on the El line. Eventually you get to the World Trade Center site.

'''I AM THE WAY INTO THE DOLEFUL CITY''' 
Italian: "Per me si va nella città dolente". Phrase first appears on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]], where it is inscribed over the shrine that the citizens erect to the Destroyer. It is a quote from Canto III of Dante's ''Il Inferno,'' where it is emblazoned over the gates to Hell.

'''triatomic''' 
I.e., ozone or O3, which is a molecule composed of three bonded oxygen molecules. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone Wikipedia.]

==Page 402==

'''solenoidal relay''' 
Solenoid: a cylindrical coil of wire hollow in the center. To make a relay, stick an iron rod partway into the middle. Turn the current on, and the magnetic field pulls the iron in. Attach the rod to the bolt on the gate and you can unlock it by pushing a button.

'''Dr. Zoot''' 
homage to Zoot Sims, jazzman? 
Most often combined with Suit, as in
Zoot suit - Wikipedia. Often zoot suiters wear a felt hat with a long feather (called a tapa or ... By their dress, Zoot suiters expressed defiance, at a time when fabric was ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit
There is a contemporary "zootsuit" radio station devoted to old radio shows. Historically, much later than the period of ATD here, there were riots in Los Angeles called the Zoot Suit riots (alluded to in, wasn't it, ''The Crying of Lot 49''?).

'''pale''' 
Even tough-guy Plug fears the time machine.
Pynchon's perspective on artificial light, "already harsh illumination".

'''dynamo''' 
Electrical generator. Converts any rotational motion to AC or DC power.

'''Grandmother's day''' 
Pre-Civil War.

'''Breguet''' 
A distinctive fine watch of French design, usually with open circles ('moons') near the ends of the hands. (See also p.140) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_(watch) Wikipedia entry]

'''shimming''' 
Insertion of thin material to make two parts line up. Think of the matchbook under the table leg.

'''revenue diverted''' 
(Why not no-revenue?)because revenue was spent---very cheaply: in only "the simplest upkeep."

==Page 403==

'''gutta-percha gasketry''' 
Gutta-percha (Palaquium) is genus of tropical trees native to southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to Malaya and east to the Solomon Islands. It is also an inelastic natural latex produced from the sap of these trees. One use of gutta-percha was the "guttie" golf ball with a solid gutta-percha core, which appears [[ATD_919-945#Page 934|later in ''Against the Day'']]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha Wikipedia]

'''coaming''' 
Bodywork. Panels concealing frame, wiring, etc.

'''undog this hatch''' 
Nautical: disengage whatever is holding the door shut.

'''faith''' 
(Blind, not humble.)

'''nervous organizations''' 
Cf drugs. Cf. sympathetic vibrations, a physical kind of empathy.

'''pillioned''' 
Riding two to a horse.
Refers specifically to the "passenger seat", separated from the main saddle. Also applies to motorcycle riding where the small passenger seat is called a "pillion". Metonymically, pillion can be used to describe the passenger.

'''horses''' 
Cavalry?

'''arrays of metallic points''' 
Bayonets? Appears to be a depiction of the (still future) Great War, WWI

==Page 404==

'''shockwaves of the Creation''' 
Anachronistic Big Bang theory? 
I must say that in the Big Bang theory, stars
were first created out of the bang; here the metaphor seems to accept that the stars already exist and "are blown through by the shockwaves of the Creation", capitalized, a common Pynchon touch, as in a Biblical allusion.

'''chamber shook''' 
(It didn't on p403.)

'''not beasts''' 
Airplanes?
Or Missiles/rockets? 'A screaming comes across the sky'....

'''smell''' 
Cf GR on Passchendaele.

==Page 405==

'''latest Oldsmobile''' 
(Dates.) 1903.

'''Candlebrow U.''' 
So what is a "candlebrow"? Consider those phallic ''ex voti'' candles offered up to [[St. Cosmo]]. The head of the candle-phallus, brow shaped, sits atop the cyclindrical candle-shaft and is, metaphorically, the candle's brow. And, natch, Gideon Candlebrow made the bucks necessary to fund Candlebrow U. with the miracle product [[#Page 407|"Smegmo,"]] the "Messiah of kitchen fats" (Imperial Margarine was advertised as "The King of Margarines") [http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Asmegma&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official smegma] is the "cheesy secretion" that collects atop the "candlebrow" beneath the foreskin. [[ATD 374-396#Page 374|Ewball Oust's name]] has similar connotations.

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious, but it seems to me like Pynchon's way of saying Dickhead University. --[[User:Pomopaulrevere|Pomopaulrevere]]

'''double-domes''' 
'dome' is slang for the human brain, of course. [Amer Heritage] and seems to mean, in humorous context, two-headed or double-brained thinkers...(more doubling motif--as joke?)

:Or possibly a sexual ''double entendre''...consistent with the [[The Sexual Angle|rampant sexuality]] in ''AtD''. Why, several double-dome images come to mind, almost faster than "egghead"...

:also possibly a reference to numerous "mad scientist" contraptions that connect two (unwilling?) patients, hooked together by metallic helmets (domes), in order to "switch" "souls" from one body to another. Seems far-fetched, but in a book dominated by the idea of dopplegangers created by the refraction from Iceland spar, not so much...

'''drumming''' 
Traveling salesmanship.

<div id="balinhan"></div>'''a saloon down by the river called the Ball in Hand''' 
The Ball in Hand isn't the river, it's the saloon. Still, the name does have an English ring to it. The Bird in Hand is a common pub name in Britain.

Another cricket allusion? If so, rather obvious. Surely a straightforward sexual joke.
:Oh yes. As discussed a couple paragraphs down!

Ball in Hand might refer to the "orb," an emblem of sovereignty held in the monarch's left hand in many state portraits; the orb is a small globe usually surmounted by a cross. Or a physics allusion, though anachronistic by some 30 years: the dome of a Van de Graaff generator. The museum visitor places her hand on it, the docent cranks the machine, and the victim's hair flies into an [[ATD_26-56#Page_26|aigrette.]] Or a more carnal connotation, not anachronistic at all. Or fortunetelling. These remote connections do make cricket sound pretty good:

A term used in pocket billiards (especially 9-ball) when a player has scratched (sunk the cue ball) and the player who follows is allowed to place the cue ball wherever he/she wants.

:Given all the other [[The Sexual Angle|sexual references]] in ''AtD'', this definitely has a sexual ring to it. Consider that the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines "ball" as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html]

<div id="meatman">'''Alonzo Meatman'''</div>
Meatman translated to German is Fleischmann, as in [http://www.fleischmanns.com/products/index.jsp Fleischmann's], makers of yeast, margarine, and assorted spreads.

:Yes, perhaps a cheesy spread, like that smegmo! In 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded an homage to his oral talents entitled "Meat Man" in which he brags of having "a maytag tongue with a sensitive taste." This fits in with [[The Sexual Angle]] in AtD. [[Meat Man|Read the lyrics...]]. And there ''are'' those [[ATD 57-80#Page 73|great balls of fire]] known as ball lightning.

'''they don't like to cross running water''' 
A preference shared by witches, vampires and in some accounts the Devil.

==Page 406==

'''counterfeit of the Timeless''' 
Thematic. Whole sentence seems the sharpest indictment of 'the Academy' as exemplified by Candlebrow U.

'''fatal discovery''' 
Note the contrast with "fateful discovery" on [[ATD 397-428#Page 398|p.398]].

'''''Imum Coeli''''' 
Latin for "bottom of the sky." In Astrology, it is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imum_Coeli Wikipedia entry]

'''rusticated''' 
Of masonry, parts of buildings, etc.: Rendered rustic in appearance. <ref>Def. 3a. '''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''Gideon Candlebrow''' 
made-up founder whose scandalous fortune underlay Candlebrow U?

'''Grossdale''' 
a gross dale?

'''great Lard Scandal of the '80s'''' 
Real event? (There were a couple of 'Lard Scandals" in last ten years but in countries other than Great Britain.) 

Since Gideon had to testify before congress about it, said Scandal must have happened in the States. He seems to have shipped lard that was deemed too "adulterated" to be sold in the US to good old Britain, thereby, as Pynchon puts it with a good dose of mean-spirited humor, "compromising further an already debased national cuisine". What did he use to adulterate the lard? The secret ingredient in Smegmo, maybe?

In [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_5#113 ''V.''] Pynchon mentions the "Great Sewer Scandal of 1955."

'''Christmas pudding controversy'''' 
Lard could certainly be used while making Christmas Pudding, aka Plum Pudding [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding Wikipedia entry], the quintessential British holiday treat. The traditional ingredient, though, is suet. Some families might have tried to substitute lard in the recipe, which would have radically altered the taste of the pudding, sparking bitter fights about the importance of culinary tradition. Could this "controversy" be a metaphor of the effects of American cultural imperialism? Maybe I should just do a taste test...

==Page 407==

'''"Smegmo"''' 
Smegma is a secretion of mammalian genitals [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma Wikipedia].

The word derives from a transliteration of the Greek word σμήγμα for soap.

As an "artificial substitute for everthing in the edible-fat category" pronounced kosher by an "eminent Rabbi of world hog capital Cincinnati, Ohio," Smegmo may be a code name for Crisco, a Procter & Gamble creation invented in Cincinnati in 1911 -- an anarchronism or time shift in the text -- and marketed through various ethnic cookbooks, including a Yiddish/English kosher cookbook published in 1933 with the "Hechsher (or certificate) of a prominent Orthodox rabbi, "denoting that Crisco contained nothing animal-based."
[http://www.crisco.com/about/history/1930.asp]

"Smegm"a + crisc "O" = Smegmo

:Interesting(?) sideline: Here in Denmark the slang word for smegma is 'nakkeost' -i.e. 'neck-cheese'. And of course anyone who's seen 'Red Dwarf' will know about the current British use of 'smeg' (Not smeggin'likely, get the smeg outa here! Smeg off!). What do Americans call it?

Smegmo and Candlebrow:
"The initial purpose [for Crisco] was to create a cheaper substance to make candles than the expensive animal fats in use at the time. Electricity began to diminish the candle market, and since the product looked like lard, they began selling it as a food." Yet another Lard Scandal? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisco]

Also P&G was founded as a candle (Procter) and soap (Gamble) company, making profits from the fat of slaughtered pigs in "Porkopolis," Cincinnati.

Finally, the stock ticker for P&G is PG which is pretty close to one of Pynchon's favorite animals -- PIG.

Cf. [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_525-556 cottonseed oil] p. 546.

'''margarine''' 
1887 saw the introduction of the Margarine Act in Great Britain, which required margarine to be labeled as such. This was in response to the adulteration of butter by oleomargarine (made from animal fats).

Candlebow + margarine reminds me of Camille Paglia on Renee Zellwegger as "margarine-browed" (which I don't really understand).

'''four thousand years''' 
Refers to the time believed to have elapsed since Abraham and the foundation of Judaism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham Wikipedia]. Under kosher laws Jews are not allowed to mix milk and meat products in the same meal. The rabbi's proclamation about having waited 4000 years refers to the arrival of Smegmo as a non-milk substitute for butter that can be eaten with meat dishes.

'''"you kept hearing different stories about exactly what was in it"''' 
Refers to wide range of urban legend-like attributions as to the origins and/or makeup of smegma that exist especially among children.

There's a resonance with Coca-Cola, too: exaggerated secrecy about the formula, fanatical market development, endowment of a university (Emory in the case of the Woodruff and Candler fortunes).

'''First International Conference on Time-Travel''' 
MIT students held a [http://web.mit.edu/adorai/timetraveler/ Time Traveler Convention] on May 7, 2005. The organizers did only modest publicity, claiming that the event would be reported and people in the future would read about it and decide to attend. One of the principals pointed out that only one such convention would ever need to take place. Vanderjuice's reasoning is almost a mirror image of that.

'''''The Time Machine''''' 
A short novel by H. G. Wells, written as a series of articles in 1888 for ''The Science Schools Journal'', and published as a book in 1895. The central character, ''Time Traveller'', tells a group of friends that he has invented a machine which can travel through time, enabling him to investigate the destiny of the human species. In the year 802,701, where he is temporarily stranded, he finds the meek and beautiful ''Eloi'' ling in apparently idyllic circumstances, but discovers that they are the prey of the degenerate ''Morlocks'', descendants of laborers who have lived underground for centuries. In later eras he sees the life-forms which survive the extinction of man, and thirty million years hence he is witness to the world's final decline as the sun cools. (Taken from ''The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English'', 1988 Edition.) For more information from other source see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine The Time Machine].

'''this year''' 
??? 1903.

'''flammivomous''' 
Vomiting out flame. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''sophomoric slogs''' 
Slog can be a forceful hit and a Cricket term. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slog Link]

'''nooky''' 
"nooky" is synonymous with "pussy" both of which are used metonymically to denote either the sex act or, in this case, women who are desirable as sex partners.

'''1925 or thereabouts''' 
Lindsay's unfamiliarity with the term "nooky" ''could'' continue until it becomes an accepted part of the English language, which occurred, according to the ''OED'', with its first substantiative written usage in 1928. The ''OED'', by the way, prefers the spelling ''nookie'' (the ''Shorter OED'' prefers "nooky"). However, the term was certainly in the vernacular long before it made it into the ''OED'' and is speculated to be of British origin, perhaps derived from "nugging" (having sex) or "nook" which a vagina could be considered, I suppose.

Most likely a simple "chummy" joke, implying that poor old Lindsay wouldn't get to experience the pleasures of the flesh for another 25 years. Considering that the Chums don't seem to age, I really can't say how old he will be when the blessed event finally comes.

'''Randolph''' 
(Has he been absent?)

==Page 408==

'''telegraphic messages''' 
(Why at night, particularly? Email parody?) Seems many telegraphic messages were delivered at night, perhaps because they could be picked up during the daytime and many came after evening began.

When telegrams were a customary means of communication, you could send a "straight wire," which would go right on the wire and get delivered promptly, or a "night letter," which would go into a queue for transmission in low-traffic times and be delivered the next morning. The rate for night letters was lower than that for straight wires.

'''"Goes with everything"''' 
Cf Al Capp's Shmoos?

'''a ''million'' uses for Smegmo''' 
Tracing out just one parallel: Coke—foundation of the Candler fortune and the Emory U. endowment—is a beverage, a sweetener and flavoring agent (Coca-Cola Cake a Southern favorite), a solvent (best thing for removing bugs from windshields) and a cleanser (''MythBuster''-tested for polishing automotive chrome). In an emergency you can fill your radiator with it, and used with care it will raise bread dough.

Tracing out another parallel: Crisco, not only the first but also emblamatic of all synthetic shortening, is "ubiquitous in the cuisine and among the table condiments..." It is found in baked products (breads, cakes, muffins, etc.), salad dressings, soups, potato chips, mayonnaise, cheese spreads, peanut butter, cake and biscuit mixes. Raisins are sometimes coated with it. You will find them in most processed foods.

'''in the way that certain odors can instantly return us to earlier years''' 
Recalls Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu in which the taste and smell of a madeleine cookie summons a collection of childhood memories.

'''"There's a seminar on that tomorrow ... Or do I mean day before yesterday?"''' 
Are all the folks at Candlebrow time travellers? Unlikely. This remark seems to be a typical collegiate witticism about classes. Seems about everyone can STUDY time travelling at Candlebrow.

'''Finney Hall''' 
Probably a Hall/Auditorium/Room in Candlebrow U. named after American author Jack Finney (1911-1995), who wrote a famous time travel novel, ''Time and Again'' (1970). See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Finney Jack Finney] for more.

'''florescent''' 
flowering, blooming.From florescense. Amer Heritage Dictionary

==Page 409==

'''Gibson Girls''' 
From illustrations of a kind of woman first made by Charles Dana Gibson. Besides certain physical features--see wikipedia---such women were thought
to be 'independent', often college girls, although not suffragettes.

'''"Why you insufferable little --"''' 
This line, paired with St. Cosmo's observation at the end of the following paragraph: "And might I add, Mr. Noseworth, that these constant attempts to strangle Suckling do our public image little good," seem a fairly direct reference to a well-worn trope from the ''Simpsons'' [http://www.snpp.com/guides/homer.file.html#strangle], in which the splenetic Homer, as played here by Noseworth, expresses his no-longer-controllable frustration with Bart, here the increasingly smartalecky Suckling.

Pynchon, as has been widely reported, has appeared on ''The Simpsons'' a couple times.

More than even "Vineland," it seems, this book is fraught with pop culture/low comedy asides. 

'''Wellesianism''' 
Typo, unless he means Orson. Should be Wellsianism. On page 412 the term
''''Wellsian''' optimism' was used.

:Orson Wellesianism seems correct: The scene, an immense inventory of discarded time machines, is reminiscent of the final scenes of ''Citizen Kane'' which show Kane's enormous collection of objects in rows of stacks extending seemingly to infinity.

'''Asimov Transecular''' 
Interesting to find one of Isaac Asimov's time travel machines on the pile of "picked-over hulks of failed time machines." Of course, it would have to have been deposited there from some time in the future.

transecular 
Adj "that is made through the centuries" (Portuguese) [[User:Btchakir|Btchakir]] 16:48, 19 December 2006 (PST)

Rather than troubling to search for a Portuguese word, isn't it more likely that Asimov or Pynchon coined this in a nearly trivial way? ''Trans,'' across, plus ''secular,'' ages or centuries (from Latin [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=s&p=11 ''sæculum,''] an age, a generation, 120 years; also yielding French ''siècle,'' a century).

'''Asimov''' 
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), Russian born American biochemist and science fiction writer. His family emigrated to the US in 1923 and he was naturalised in 1928. He graduated from Columbia University and had been Professor of Biochemistry of the University of Boston since 1979. He began contributing stories to science fiction magazines in 1939 and his first book ''Pebble in the Sky'' was published in 1950. Many others followed. ''The Foundation Trilogy'' (1963) made an international reputation as the master of science fiction. Since 1958 he had published few novels, preferring to concentrate on text books and works of popularized science such as ''Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' (2 Vols. 1960). And he also wrote ''Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare'' (1970). In his life time he wrote over 500 books that spanned the realm of human knowledge. [http://www.asimovonline.com/ Asimov Home Page] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issac_Asimov Isaac Asimov].

'''Tempomorph''' 
Tempo + morph = Time change

'''Q-98s''' 
FM station? The weapon used by Loony Tunes character Marvin the Martian is called the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

'''Flow''' 
Flow of Time.

'''vulcanite''' 
Star Trek allusion? A kind of mineralized rubber.
:a hard, readilly cut and polished rubber, obtained by vulcanizing rubber with a large amount of sulfur or some sulfur compound under a moderate heat (110-140 degree C), used in the manufacture of combs, buttons, and for electric insulation.

'''Heusler's alloy''' 
any of various alloys of manganese and other nonferromagnetic metals that exhibit ferromagnetism. Named after Conrad Heuslet, 19th-century German mining engineer and chemist.

'''bonzoline''' 
Synthetic ivory, used to make billiard balls.

'''electrum''' 
An alloy of gold and silver, presumably not the same as ''argentaurum''.

'''lignum vitae''' 
The very hard heavy wood of any of several tropical American guaiacum trees. In Latin, literally "wood of life."

'''platinoid''' 
An alloy of copper, nickel, tungsten and zinc, formerly used in elecric coils.

'''magnalium''' 
Magnesium-aluminum alloy.

'''packfong silver''' 
A Chinese alloy of nickel, zinc and copper, resembling German silver. [http://dict.die.net/packfong/ packfong].

'''The Ball in Hand''' 
[[#balinhan|See annotations to p. 405.]]

'''safe harbor''' 
Paradoxical, I think.

'''automorphic''' 
auto = Self,same. Morph = to change. The theory of automorphic functions concerns a generalization of periodic functions such as the Earth's revolution.

'''Eternal Return''' 
A fascinating interpretation of history in which Time is a single cycle and once it has reached its conclusion begins anew, and each repetition of the cycle is utterly identical to the first. Perhaps originating in ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico, though made most famous by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who used it as the basis for his moral philosophy. Cf. Nietzsche, ''The Will to Power''.

Notice that at Candlebrow, the conferences converged to a "form' of Eternal Return. The almost instantaneous way the conferees can be "resurrected' and seem never to age, makes this form of the Eternal
Return a lot like Never-Never Land. 
A-and perhaps a Pynchon jape at Nietzsche's vision of history?

==Page 410==

'''revenance''' 
Related to revenant, a ghost, a returner from the dead.

'''River of Time''' 
cf "the invisible river, the flow of Time", p.252. Herein a 'parable' drawn from the flowing of a literal river, by some Candlbrow conferees.

Cf. "The River of Time" (first published in 1981 as "Coexistence" in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine) 

Cf. M&D's "in America, time is a river that goes through hell"

Cf. Heraclitus's Flux and Fire Philosophy. [http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/heraclitus.html]

'''Symmes Street''' possible reference to the Symme's Hole which leads into the hollow earth, i. e. a street on the extreme fringe

Symmes Street = Symmetry ?

'''gaslit''' 
Lightfuel motif.

'''St. Louis Fair''' 
1904.

Also "Pygmy boyfriends escaped from the St. Louis Fair" - in the book Ota Benga, about a pygmy who appeared in the St. Louis Fair, there is a reference to pygmies escaping from their exhibit and disappearing into neighborhoods of St. Louis, never to be found

'''''kielbasa sausage''''' 
Often referred to as Polish sausage (which is uncooked), Kielbasa sausage is a precooked, smoked, traditionally made of pork that is highly seasoned with garlic.

also used to describe a very large penis. Judging from the "disreputable" nature of the Ball in Hand, it wouldn't seem too far-fetched to imagine Polish comedians hitting themselves over the head with their own appendages.

'''fantan''' 
Traditional Chinese gambling game; also a card game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan-Tan].

'''"preserver"''' 
Or "life-preserver": slang, a blackjack or cosh.

'''magenta-and-green''' 
Clashing-colors motif. This combination appears in a bandana in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow''] (Viking p. 69 line 14). 
Life colors in Pynchon, it might be argued?, as is a bandana. 
The clashing of (anarchic) life motif, maybe? 

magenta is a color that was renamed for a battle, the Battle of Magenta!
see wikipedia.

There's something else striking about magenta and green: In the field of [http://www.rgbworld.com/color.html color mixing,] these are complementary in the sense that magenta results from filtering all the green out of white light and vice versa. Green is an additive primary (red-green-blue), while magenta is a subtractive primary (cyan-magenta-yellow). This does not hold for some other ''AtD'' color schemes (red/indigo comes to mind, but there are a dozen or so of these binary combinations).

==Page 411==

'''Finding of Unusual Circumstances Questionaire''' 
Also, presumably, known as the "F.U.C.Q." or "fucq" for short.

'''Hawaiian volcano''' 
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.

The park encompasses 333,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. ''Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, offers scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands'' and visitors views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. Over half of the park is designated wilderness and provides unique hiking and camping opportunities. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaiian references in ''Against the Day'']]...

'''Zennist''' 
Practitioners of Zen Buddhism.

'''''Caged Women of Yokohama''''' 
Possible: Yokohama was one of the first Japanese cities with the heaviest
industrialization...wherein many young women from the surrounding rural
areas came to work in dreadful working and living conditions? "The early 20th century was marked by rapid growth of industry. Entrepreneurs built factories along reclaimed land to the north of the city towards Kawasaki, which eventually grew to be the Keihin Industrial Area. The growth of Japanese industry brought affluence to Yokohama, and many wealthy trading families constructed sprawling residences there, while the rapid influx of population from Japan and Korea also led to the formation of Kojiki-Yato, the largest slum in Japan at the time." Wikipedia. 
Misc. Like Telluride in the U.S., Yokohama had the first gaslit streetlamps in Japan. Wikipedia.

==Page 412==

'''koan''' 
Japanese. A ko-an is a story, dialogue, question or statement in the lore of Zen Buddhism. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koan koan].

'''"Does a dog possess the Buddha-nature?" [...] "Yes, obviously"''' 
According to the Zen parable the answer to the question is "Mu", which is both "No" and the sound of a dog's bark, thus neither simply yes nor no. See the explanantion given by the Learned English Dog in Mason & Dixon (Ch. 3, p. 22).

'''apricot and aquamarine''' 
Clashing-colors motif.

'''F.I.C.O.T.T.''' 
As Alonzo Meatman goes right on to explain, F.I.C.O.T.T. is the acronym for the First International Conference On Time Travel, but readers of ''Gravity's Rainbow'' will recall also "Fickt" from the line "Fickt nicht mit dem Raketemensch," or "Don't f--k with the Rocketman."

'''hootnanny''' 
Typo? Should be hootenanny, an informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience. The OED says that it can be spelled either way, and also hootananny.

'''Bohr... Mach... young Einstein... Spengler... Wells... McTaggart''' 
All of these people did work involving either speculation about time (Wells) or other subjects that reached their highest expression in Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which had implications regarding the nature of time and spacetime [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity Wikipedia]. Pynchon refers to the fact that this work was underway and 'in the air' at the time of the novel. [[Bohr, Mach, Einstein, et al.|History and Discussion...]]

Notice how, among this stellar cast of scientists, Wells seems to be placed above the rest (cf: "Mr. Wells himself"), as if the writer of fiction trumped "real" scientists when it came to the idea of time travel.

'''dismissing . . . the ''existence'' of Time''' 
In a 1908 essay, ''The Unreality of Time'', McTaggart said "Our ground for rejecting time . . . is that time cannot be explained without assuming time." For the full text of the essay [http://www.ditext.com/mctaggart/time.html The Unreality of Time (1)] and other information [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreality_of_Time The Unreality of Time (2)].

'''the McTaggartite''' 
disciple of Mctaggart?

'''neo-Augustinian''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo] (354-430), in his autobiographical [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions/confessions.html ''Confessions''], is credited with reconceptualizing the notion of time in Christian terms. Throyle, on [[ATD 119-148#Page 143|p.143]], summarizes what he terms "Christian time," as a "linear way of regarding time, a simple straight line from past, through present, into the future." See also [[ATD E|'''Eschatology''']].

<div id="pudding">'''fatal steamed pudding'''</div>
Presumably the subject of the "Christmas-pudding controversy" mentioned on p. 406. In the context of Prof. Taggart's disbelief in time and the Augustinian's presumed belief that time moves inevitably toward Christ's return, a Christmas pudding (which, one should mention, is prepared with suet or similar animal fat, though presumably Smegmo can be substituted) is a symbol, insofar as it invokes the birth of Christ, of a pivotal moment in the proper sequence of Augustinian time. The pudding, which context here suggests the neo-Augustinian dropped on the McTaggartite, at once symbolizes the Fall of Man, as well as the McTaggartite's inevitable descent into Hell. The whole arrangement is problematized, however, by the comments of the County Coroner, who describes the outcome of the event dependent on "wagering," chance being irreconcilable with Augustinian time.

'''vertical distance''' 
Of pudding-drop?

<div id="stearinery">'''Old Stearinery Bell Tower'''</div>
A stearinery (probably made-up word) is a facility where stearin is made. Chemically, stearin is an ester of glycerol with stearic acid, or stearic acid itself. The name also denotes the solid component of a fat. Smegmo undoubtedly contains stearin, so the Old Stearinery was a key part of the original production process.

"Until 1863 lard stearin was used to produce the stearic acid for candle making. With lard expensive and in short supply, a new method was discovered to produce the stearic acid using tallow. What lard and lard stearin was available was instead developed into a cooking compound. The same process was later adapted to create Crisco, the first all-vegetable shortening." [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Procter-amp;-Gamble-Company-Company-History.html]

==Page 413==

'''322 feet''' 
The ''average'' acceleration produced by gravity at the Earth's surface (sea level) is 32.2 (or 32.17405 to be exact) feet per second per second. This apllies "in any direction out to the curve of the Earth, notorious locally for exerting a fascination upon minds healthy and disordered alike."

''Pedantry Alert:'' From a height of 322 feet, you see the horizon at a distance of 22 miles.

'''disordered''' 
Eg clocktower assassins?
:Also people who may be moved to ''knock towers down.''

'''homeopathist''' 
One who practices homeopathy.

'''"the ''lycopodium'' type"... Fear''' 
Lycopodium is a common homeopathic remedy for many disorders. Homeopathy being the introduction into the body, in infinitesimal amounts, of a possibly toxic or irritating agent that ends up stimulating the body to heal itself.

'''sky-brother''' 
???
My take was that he was assuaging any hurt feelings with Meatman by placing him on the level of a fellow "Chum of Chance".

Hmm... maybe Chick is implying that he and Meatman are indeed of the same cloth, not bound by the earthly realm, the former spending most of his time in the air and the latter being able to travel to other dimensions.

'''other Promise... resurrected... two millennia''' 
???
:maybe this refers simply to the Resurrection (and therefore the end of Time); the Promise is that the trumpet (Chick's?) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised.

God's promise of eternal life vs. Time Travel's promise of making you immortal.

'''speaking trumpet''' 
Brass forerunner of the megaphone. [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1671RSPT....6.3056M Abstract] of a 1671 paper; [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.2647 photo] of a ship's speaking trumpet, 1799; [http://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/giftshop/1850figure/source/horn.htm catalog entry] for a replica American fire brigade speaking trumpet, mid-19th century.

==Page 414==

'''purlieus''' 
outskirts, outlying areas; also (OED) "meaner streets about some main thoroughfare; a mean, squalid or disreputable street or quarter."

This whole section is a progress into the outlying areas, the fringes
(Cf. Pynchon's story ''Low-lands'', which takes place at a town dump)

'''millwork''' 
woodwork, doors, molding, wainscotting, etc, but cheap, prefabricated, not custom-fabricted on site.

'''penumbrae''' 
A penumbra is the outer and lighter part of the shadow created by an eclipse. "Penumbrae" is the plural form.

'''quiescence''' 
His name suggests a purveyor of meat, and he does "deliver" Chick to Mr. Ace.

==Page 415==

'''"Mr. Ace"''' 
This could be a nod to the 1946 film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038752/ ''Mr. Ace''] starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft who plays Eddie Ace, the head man of a crooked political machine who intends to scuttle the gubernatorial campaign of female senator Margaret Wyndham Chase (Sylvia Sidney). He uses every dirty trick in the book to destroy Margaret, but she perseveres on the strength of sheer honesty and integrity. Through her example, Ace mends his own ways, earning Margaret's love as a bonus, and he helps her to run as an independent on a clean-government ticket.

It may, more specifically, refer to the old-time radio show called ''The Cases of Mr. Ace'' which had a very limited run mostly on WNEW in New York in the late forties. Raft played Eddie Ace, the sole owner of Ace Detective Agency on 6th Avenue. In the episode from June 25, 1945, Ace described one gangster thus:

:"The face of a small fragile old man. His hair was glossy and deep black. His eyes were glossy and deep black."

Compare this to Pynchon's Mr. Ace: "Glossy black eyes, presented like weapons in a duel."

'''phatic''' 
Relating to speech that serves to establish social relationships rather than to inform.

'''Those of us who spoke this truth were denounced as heretics''' 
Yes, the old Pynchon theme of those in control, the oligarchs, silencing the counterforce.

Taking of refuge in a planet's past was the plot of a Captain Kirk-era ''Star Trek'' episode; the unintentionally transported Kirk is taken to be a religious dissenter; fortunately his judge is one of the "refugees".

'''certain of your great dynamos''' 
Cf. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Brooks_Adams Henry Adams], author of ''The Virgin and The Dynamo''. Pynchon has written of being influenced deeply by Adams, and his ideas are particularly evident in Pynchon's [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''].

'''Fraternity of the Venturesome''' 
Mistranslated 'Chums of Chance'.

'''''nzzt''''' 
Electrical short?

Suggests "he" could be a holographic image. Time traveling holograms were one feature of the "Temporal Cold War" subplot of ''Star Trek: Enterprise''; one such manifestation (complete with "nzzt's") is set in a huge dynamo station in a Nazi-occupied New York. This is two possible ''Star Trek'' allusions in a single page.

Electrical short is certainly relevant. The mistranslation is a kind-of short-circuit, then he gets the right phrase from his data bank. Bit like C3P0 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars ''Star Wars'']?

'''You are not aware that each of your mission assignments is intended to prevent some attempt of our own to enter your time-regime.''' 
Aha! A little peek into the True Mission of the Chums. Time to take another look at those various adventures:

* ''Chums of Chance and The Evil Halfwit'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance and The Curse of the Great Kahuna'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance at Krakatoa'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance Search for Atlantis'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_7|p.7]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Bowels of the Earth'' ([[ATD_97-118#Page_117|p.117]])
* ''The Chums of Chance and the Ice Pirates'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''The Chums of Chance Nearly Crash into the Kremlin'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''Chums of Chance at the Ends of the Earth'' ([[ATD_199-218#Page_214|p.214]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Caged Women of Yokahama'' ([[ATD_397-428#Page_411|p.411]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Wrath of the Yellow Fang'' ([[ATD_1018-1039#Page_1019|p.1019]])

==Page 416==

'''ZZnrrt''' 
Cf 415.

'''"irreversible processes"''' 
In thermodynamics, an irreversible process is one in which the intermediate states cannot be specified by any set of macroscopic variables, and which are not equilibrium states. Since the intermediate states are unknown this process cannot be reversed.

'''Squanto and the Pilgrims''' 
Squanto (Tisquantum) was one of the two Native American Indians (Samoset being the other) that assisted the Pilgrims during their first winter in the New World. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto Squanto].

Ironic (although Chick means it sincerley) since in this case the Chums of C are "Squanto" and their strange interlocutors from another dimension are the pilgrims. Chick innocently suggests that the strangers from the future just want help (as, like the pilgrims, they have just arrived and are low on supplies, so to speak). It is implied that just as the Indian's helping the pilgrims was re-payed with disease, genocide and war, the payback the Chums reap for helping these visitors from another dimension may not be what they expect.

'''entropy''' 
A term first used in 1850s by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888). It is the name of a quantity in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and information theory variously representing the degree of disorder in a physical system, the extent to which the energy in a system is available for doing work, the distribution of the energy of a system between different modes, or the uncertainty in a given item of knowledge. In thermodynamics absolut entropies cannot be determined, only ''changes'' in entropy. One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics (Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page 238|page 238]]) is to say that in any change in an isolated system, the entropy increases. This increase in entropy represents the energy that is no longer available for doing work in that system. See [http://www.entropylaw.com/ Entropy & Laws of Thermodynamics.]

'''"It's our innocence . . . ."''' 
Speculation about the motives of people who come from the future claiming to need something from the past. It is a common fallacy in all ages to think back to the past as a 'golden age' and an age of 'innocence'. Lindsay elaborates further down the page: "[I]magine ''them''... so fallen, so corrupted, that we — even we — seem to them pure as lambs. And their own time so terrible that it's sent them desparately back...." Think also of the kind of 'golden age' rhetoric often employed by certain politicians.

==Page 417==

'''"we're totally"''' 
...fucked.

'''"He is not what he says he is."''' 
Pynchon denies Chums backstory/explanation.

In addition, his story would be plausible almost too plausible in terms of the thermodynamic theories of the day, i.e. the Heat Death of the Universe (about which Pynchon has written before: see [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''] and ''Entropy'').

'''trespassers''' 
Presumably individuals in the company of Mr. Ace and Alonzo Meatman, whose intentions toward the Chums of Chance are apparently sinister and for their own benefit. They appear to travel back through the stream of time without any kind of permission to execute their plans, thus making them trespassers (or parasites).

The idea of trespass could be thought of in another way too. Miles mentions Mr. Ace knowing him as a 'peeper' who observes the trespassers as they come to his time. We could think of the 'trespassers' as anyone in any time who looks back at a point in history. As such, they are actually 'peepers'. That these seem to have found a way not just to peep but actually to participate makes them more than peepers, in fact, it is this that constitutes their 'trespass'.

Pynchon seems to be playing with how we view history and the past, a theme common to all his work. The Chums, whose existence is, to an extent, fictional even within the work of fiction, are a nexus meant to control boundaries between points in time (e.g. the future and the present, or its past). Historians and other future observers want to use the past for their own purposes. If they become visible to the people in that past, they will appear as 'trespassers' and violators. As Miles says, they do "not have our best interests in mind".

We ourselves (readers and perhaps even more, Wiki authors) are also trespassers from the standpoint of the Chums. We read about them in the novel, which takes us to the past, to their present, and inserts us in a way that is invisible to them. We then write up entries and think thoughts about what they do. We are in their world in some way that to them is utterly mysterious and sinister because, again, we have own agendas in mind and not theirs.

Right: And what about the biggest trespasser of all - the author himself. After all, he's the one who can offer them immortality.

'''I see them ''pointing something'' back at me not exactly a weapon an enigmatic object.''' 
Hmmm. Could this have anything to do with the [[Q-weapon_and_Photography|Q-weapon]]?

— – – mmm... does anyone think that it might be just a remote control, and that the window through which the trespassers and the Chums see each other might be just a TV set? [[[User:Sonni|Sonni]] 09:19, 21 February 2008 (PST)]

==Page 418==

'''Trespass''' 
With a capital T.

'''evidence... everywhere''' 
Cf [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Crying of Lot 49''].

'''neuropathy''' 
An abnormal and usually degenerative state of the nervous system or nerves.

'''contracts''' 
With Devil.
More specifically, like Faust with Mephistopheles.

'''Other Units''' 
(So our five gossiped to others?)

'''exhaustive''' 
Cf Trekkies.

'''came to recall''' 
Cf PK Dick.

'''red and indigo''' 
Clashing?

'''Marching Academy Harmonica Band''' 
In this episode the academy goes by seven permutations of the name:
*Marching Academy Harmonica Band
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band Academy
*Harmonica Marching Band Academy
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band activities
*Harmonica Marching Band Training Academy
Its identity is not very securely tied down.
Clearly it's mutable, a kind of mirage. And surely there's a resonance with 'laughing academy'? And a hint of the Hogwarts train in 'Harry Potter'?

==Page 419==

'''"El Capitán"''' 
Sousa march. "El Capitán" was played by a military band on the deck of Admiral Dewey's battleship as he steamed into the Bay of Manila in 1898, to "liberate" the Philippines from Spain and also, not coincidentally, achieve access for U.S. capital and goods to East Asian markets once the Philippines became a colony. Thus the references to the "intricacies of greed as then being practiced by global capitalism" a few sentences later on p. 419 is hardly out of place for TRP, particularly when mixed with comments on how patriotic bromides and marching tunes go together. The harmonicas and the comment that improvisation is definitely NOT welcome in marching band arrangements, of course, provide Pynchon's own inimitable caustic/satiric touch; cf. the kazoos in GR. On "El Capitán": see Hess, Carol A. “John Philip Sousa’s ‘El Capitan’: Political Appropriation and the Spanish-American War.” ''American Music'' (Spring 1998).

'''"Whistling Rufus"''' 
[http://hetzler.homestead.com/NBCakeWalk.html A cakewalk song] written in 1899.

'''consecrated''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/consecrate] "1. To declare or set apart as sacred: consecrate a church."

'''Richardson Romanesque''' 
Style of American Romanesque architecture from 1880s-1890s, named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, notable for use of brown stone, rounded corners, arches and cylindrical turrets. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson_Romanesque Wikipedia Entry].

'''modal theory''' 
Context is suggestive of music theory, types of scales and keys of tonal music. However, Modal Realism is the view, notably propounded by David Lewis, that possible worlds are as real as the actual world. Possible worlds exist; the actual world is merely one among an infinite set of logically possible worlds, some nearer to the actual world and some more remote. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_realism]

'''chit''' 
Piece of military or bureaucratic paperwork; context suggests "request for transfer".

'''Bing Spooninger''' 
Like "Bing" Crosby, a crooner.

'''rack''' 
Current military and collegiate slang for "bed"--an anachronism.

==Page 420==

'''every note''' 
Om?

'''say "Wall"''' 
???

'''Yippy dippy dippy, doo!''' 
cf. ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (p. 66) where Slothrop goes down the toilet after, appropriately, a harmonica.

'''Now, it ain't that I wouldn't, 'cause I can but I won't,''' 
'''And I would if I wasn't, but I am so I don't''' 
This sounds very similar to a lyric from Frank Zappa's 'Stink-Foot:'

He said:
"IT DOESN'T, 'n YOU CAN'T!

I WON'T, 'n IT DON'T!

IT HASN'T, IT ISN'T, IT EVEN AIN'T

'N IT SHOULDN'T . . .

IT COULDN'T!"

He told me NO NO NO!

I told him YES YES YES!

I said: "I do it all the time . . .

Ain't this boogie a mess!"

'''difficult vocal feat''' 
???

'''segueing''' 
A deejaying term for moving from one song/track to another with no noticeable break if done correctly. 
Cf. [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow,''] Viking p. 70, line 36, where the phonetic spelling "segway" appears.

'''cakewalk''' 
An African-American entertainment having a cake as prize for the most accomplished steps and figures in walking; also, a stage dance developed from walking steps and figures typically involving a high prance with backward tilt. From this, slang for a one-sided contest or an easy task.

'''draw-note''' 
Note played on harmonica by "drawing" air through reed by sucking in rather than blowing out (insert crude sex joke here).

==Page 421==

'''popularity''' 
Masochistic love of oppressors.

'''''cover identity''''' 
Burden of resistance.

'''unannounced punishments . . . Combat-Inside-Ten-Meters''' 
Points up the Kafkaesque nature of the Academy.

'''Lombardy poplars.''' 
A large deciduous tree, reaching 30-40 m tall. They resemble large shrubs, due to their tall, slender appearance. They grow tall very quickly and usually die within 15 years of first planting. 

'''Out the window...''' 
The longest sentence so far in ATD.

'''Chromatic Harp''' 
A harmonica that plays all notes in an octave rather than a scale in a certain key. [http://www.hohnerusa.com/hchromatic.htm Examples].

'''Pitch Integrity Guard''' 
To prevent tampering with the notes in the ways described below - i.e. monitoring any tendency towards the 'Negroid'. 
= PIG - pigs long have held a fascination over Pynchon. 
A-and a Pitch Integrity Guard is a kind of cop, right? 

'''harmonica-reed files''' 
Filing the reeds would alter the notes slightly, allowing you to get 'in-between' notes that aren't in the normal major or minor scale.

'''sucking the tonic chords...Negroid sound''' 
Standard technique for playing blues harmonica ('harp'), also known as cross-blowing. The sucked notes are easier to 'bend' and wail with, so you can get the blues 'third', not quite minor, not quite major. Another technique that helps you get the 'Negroid sound' is soaking the harmonica, which gives the reeds a rougher, more bendable quality. That's probably the point of the 'late night visits to the latrine'. Compare with GR, where Slothrop (at college!) loses his harmonica down the toilet (he finds it much later in a stream in Germany! Gone back home, so to speak). There's a harmonica-soaking scene in Pennebaker's Dylan film 'Don't look Back'.
It wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of folk wisdom that piss is even better than water for soaking the harp. Pee-culiar.

==Page 422==

'''I.G. Mundharfwerke''' 
Interessen-Gemeinschaft Mundharfwerke (Harmonica-works Association of Common Interests). "Mundharf" is Swabian German for "Harmonica". By analogy with I.G. Farben in ''GR'': the Mouth-Harp Cartel.

'''drifted''' 
Cf. Slothrop's desk in ''GR''.

'''the sprightly Offenbach air "Halls of Montezoo-HOO-ma!"''' 
The "Marines' Hymn" borrows the tune of the "Gendarmes' Duet" from the opera ''Geneviève de Brabant'' (1859) by French composer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Offenbach Jacques Offenbach] (1819-1880). 
The lyrics of which are not entirely irrelevant: 
And if we meet a helpless woo-o-man 
Or little boys who do no harm 
We run them in, we run them in, 
We run them in, we run them in 
Because we are the bold gen-darmes! 

'''into the Latrine''' 
Cf. Slothrop's hallucination in ''GR''.

'''dentifrice''' 
A powder or other preparation for rubbing or cleansing the teeth; a tooth-powder or tooth-paste; also applied to liquid preparations.<ref>'''Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. ed. 1989.</ref>

'''vapor bearing...minerals''' 
Rows of mirrors facing each other (thus creating regular patterns, "chaining away for uncounted leagues") have been stained with images formed by regular use: breath, tiny bits of toothpaste or powder ("atomized dentifrice"), "shaving preparations," and mineral deposits from tapwater.

'''A.D.C.''' 
Aide-de-camp, administrative assistant to a commanding officer.

'''but they could find no entries in any of the daily Logs to help them remember''' 
Their situation has no precedent in any of the ''Chums'' novels. They have been betrayed, isolated and brainwashed, and they even doubt whether they are the authentic Chums. The following is not a spoiler: Any elementary handbook of plotting will tell you that they can't just single up all lines at the end of this episode and fly their ship "cheerly" on to the next adventure.

==Page 423==

'''revisit places where destinies took a wrong turn, or revisit in dreams the dreaming body of one loved more than either might have known...''' 
As far as we know, none of the Chums has actually experienced this. Sounds to me like an allusion to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust Faust] and Gretchen/Marguerite, since this actually happens in several of the Faust versions. Especially in the context of the Faustian bargain they have made with Mr. Ace.

'''None of them...''' 
Cf [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi#The_butterfly_dream Chuang Tzu's dream]: is he a man dreaming he's a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he's a man? On the rhetorical level of the story, this passage reiterates the dreamlike, near-delusional nature of the Chums' latest escape from what seems to have become their most dangerous foe. (418: "As if in a dream...").

'''volunteer decoys''' 
Fan-meme. 
Decoy = is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. 
I think this surprising phrase has Pynchonian meaning about the meaning of fiction like the Chums': 'escape', 'adventure' fiction is a decoy from
reality?

'''"At a Georgia Camp Meeting"''' 
a song by a Kerry Mills originally published in 1897.
Became a very popular 'cakewalk' tune. 
Lyrics: 
A camp meeting took place, by the colored race; way down in Georgia.
There were folks large and small, lanky, lean, fat and tall, at this great Georgia camp meeting.
When church was out, how the "sisters" did shout, they were so happy.
But the young folks were tired and wished to be inspired, and hired a big brass band.

Chorus: When the big brass band began to play pretty music so gay, hats were thrown away.
Thought them foolish people their necks would break,
When they quit their laughing and talking and went to walking for a big choc'late cake.

The old "sisters" raised sand, when they first heard the band; way down in Georgia.
The preacher did glare and the deacons did stare, at the young people prancing.
The band played so sweet that nobody could eat, 'twas so entrancing.
So the church folks agreed it was not a sinful deed, and they joined in with the rest. 

''':definition within above definition: 'cakewalk'''' 
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. A cake, or slices of cake, were offered as prizes for the best dancers — a rare treat during slavery — giving the dance its name.
The dance was invented as a satirical parody of the formal European dances preferred by white slaveowners, and featured exaggerated imitations of the dance ritual, combined with traditional African dance steps. One common form of cakewalk dance involved couples (one male and one female, with their arms linked at the elbows) lined up in a circle, dancing forward alternating a series of short hopping steps with a series of very high kicking steps. Costumes worn for the cakewalk often included large, exaggerated bowties, suits, canes, and top hats....
The dance became nationally popular among whites and blacks for a time at the end of the 19th century. The syncopated music of the cakewalk became a nationally popular force in American mainstream music, and with growing complexity and sophistication evolved into ragtime music in the mid 1890s. The music was adopted into the works of various white composers, including John Philip Sousa and Claude Debussy; the latter wrote Golliwog's Cakewalk as the final movement of the Children's Corner suite (1908).

'''"deps"''' 
Dep. from American Heritage Dictionary = 1. department 2. departure 3. dependency 4. deponent 5. deposed 6. deposit 7. depot 8. deputy 
barring any other allusion, I think 'deps' here might stand for 1) departures or 2) departments (given words about other Chums above.
:Surrogates, decoys, escape: Surely these all make it certain that "deps" means "deputies."

'''route out of the past''' 
The nostalgia trap.

'''We wish we could tell you about everything that's been going on, but it's not over yet, it's at such a critical stage, and the less said right now the better. But someday . . . ''' 
The Chums imagine "the real Chums" as being engaged in a secret war that demands only one sacrifice from "the people," that of their innocence.

==Page 424==

''''coon' material''' 
Songs and humor in which African-Americans were stereotyped (as lazy, immoral, stupid, vain, etc.) and held in contempt. The most popular coon song, though, was written by an African-American, Ernest Hogan; titled "All Coons Look Alike to Me," it has an ''AtD'' resonance. Coon material was extremely popular between about 1880 and 1910; stripped of the word "coon," a diluted form still appears nightly on your TV. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song Wikipedia] has a strikingly good article. For a partial list of coon references in ''AtD,'' [[ATD_26-56#Page_48|see annotation to p. 48.]]

'''isotropy''' 
the quality or condition of being equal along all directions. For more technical information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotropy isotropy].

'''presently''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Crumb R. Crumb] did a comic like this: [http://crumbproducts.com/prints_images/sha.gif pic] 
Nice find. That comic succintly summarizes TRP's view of the effects of railroads and "civilization."

'''opposition''' 
(Was unconscious, now conscious?)Are the Chums now able to intercede
in 'human' affairs, unlike their earlier mandate?
:That's exactly it, their stretch in the camp—sorry, the harmonica academy—has modified the terms of the C of C Prime Directive.

'''dropped from altitudes''' 
(Cf pudding above, Padzhitnoff's four-block fragments)

==Page 425==

'''"After the Ball"''' 
Music and lyrics by Charles K. Harris. This number was interpolated into the score of the hit musical ''A Trip to Chinatown'' (1892) during its record-setting Broadway run. It was introduced by J. Aldrich Libbey. When Kern and Hammerstein wanted to add period flavor to ''Show Boat'' (1927), they used "After the Ball" in the Trocadero scene where it was performed by Norma Terris. [[After the Ball|Read the lyrics...]]

See also the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_174-177 pantomime song] in ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (pages 174-175):
<blockquote>"And the lamps in the stairway are dying, 
It's the season just after the ball . . ."</blockquote>

'''Bukhara''' 
Either the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Bukhara Emirate of Bukhara], a former country in Central Asia or its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara capital]

'''T.D.Y.''' 
Abbrevation for Temporary Duty. [http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r614_11.pdf weblink]

'''Subdesertine''' 
submerge beneath the desert or sand.

'''''Saksaul''''' 
A plant/tree native to the deserts of Central Asia, particularly the Gobi desert; it has a very hard wood and is covered with knobs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxaul Wikipedia] [http://www.pbase.com/william_sokolenko/image/68724037 pic]

It may be significant that the saksaul tree is often planted in order to stabilize the sands. Part of western Europe's civilizing mission?

'''Q. Zane Toadflax''' 
(Sounds like Douglas Adams?). Toadflax is the name of an [http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/toadflax.html invasive plant species]

'''Hypopsammotic... Hypops''' 
''Hypo-'' (under) + ''psammot-'' (sand, from Greek ''psammos'') + ''-ic.'' Pynchon explains the device's function on the next page (426).

==Page 426==

'''beating their prices''' 
Contradicts p. 425 "no further expenditure".
:P. 425 merely says that "no further expenditure for that purpose [i.e. for Hypops rigs] will be approved." Presumably, the Chums have some additional discretionary fund from which to draw cash for emergency purchases such as these.

'''that medium which is wavelike as the sea, yet also particulate''' 
Alluding to the æther theory and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-particle_duality dual (wave/particle) nature of light].

==Page 427==

'''temporarily lapsing into English''' 
Contrasts with the technical jargon the Chums have been steeped in over the past few days, including lectures by Roswell Bounce (they're only boys, after all). Often, mathematicians, physicists, and their students fail to explain their theories "in English." This little phrase can be taken as a professorial joke, aimed at both the author (for always coming back to obscure or difficult theories) and the reader (for never understanding them). 
I thought it was contrasting with Miles' frequent babbling habit. 

'''''pigs fly''''' 
Lindsay = pig. "When (or until) pigs fly" = never.

'''X.O.''' 
The Executive Officer (XO) is the second-in-command, reporting to the Commanding Officer (CO).

'''legalistic''' 
Yes, Darby is now Legal Counsel.

==Page 428==
'''ill-starred Bell Tower''' 
Referring back of course to the [[#stearinery|Old Stearinery Bell Tower]] and the [[#pudding|Fatal Pudding]], and in turn to the [[Campanile]].

:The Campanile picture has me wondering. According to the sources, the old picture of the collapse of the Campanile is actually a fake. And it doesn't have the airship. It's a fun picture, but what is its status? There doesn't seem to be an appropriate place for this information in the wiki, or have I missed something?

:The Campanile picture is an illustration. Doubtful that anyone had their camera all set up for the awesome event. The airship was photoshopped in for, um, color...

::See also last paragraph of page 255.

Cf. Renata's tarot reading on [[ATD 243-272#Page 253|p. 253]], the last card of which is The Tower.

Cf. ''The Bell-Tower'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville Herman Melville], a famous short story from ''The Piazza Tales'' (1856) with an "ill-starred
bell tower" for sure. "Glancing backwards, they saw the groined belfry crashed sideways in.", a line from it which echos the picture used for the pynchonwiki home page. [http://www.melville.org/belltowr.htm Full text of ''The Bell-Tower'']

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 397-428

2009-08-10T19:38:57Z

Cortinas: /* Page 397 */

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 397==

'''syntonic wireless''' [[Image:Columbian1892_obv.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]][[Image:Columbian1892_rev.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]]
syn·ton·ic (sĭn-tŏn'ĭk) adj.Psychology. Characterized by a high degree of emotional responsiveness to the environment.
Electricity. Of or relating to two oscillating circuits having the same resonant frequency.
[From Greek suntonos, high-strung, intense, attuned, from sunteinein, to draw tight : sun-, syn- + teinein, to stretch.]

Syntonic Wireless Telegraphy. [http://earlyradiohistory.us/1901ayrt.htm Ayrton Prediction]. Electrical Review, June 29, 1901, p. 820.

'''street-Arab''' 
a homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets.
[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn wordnet].

'''some koindt of a ''sailboat'' pitchuhv on it''' 
The reverse of the coin (next entry) shows Columbus' flagship ''Santa Maria'' (the obverse has the navigator's portrait).

'''Columbian ''Half-Dollar''''' 
The 1892 Columbian Exposition half dollar was the first commemorative coin authorized by Congress. [http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/commemoratives/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=premodern]

'''"ten yeeuhz ago"''' 
Places this action in or around 1903.

==Page 398==

'''nuncio''' 
Casually, a messenger; more formally, a permanent official Papal representative at a foreign court.

'''Evening Quarters''' 
A muster of the ship's company at the end of the day. 
Is this at 1800 Hours?

'''H.G. Wells''' 
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), one of the 19th Century science fiction writers whom Pynchon is both emulating and parodying in ''ATD''. H.G. Wells was an English novelist, sociologist, journalist, and historian. He wrote series of fantastic scientific romances ''The Time Machine'' (1895), ''The Invisible Man'' (1897), etc. In combination with scientific speculation he developed a strain of sociological idealism in ''The War of the Worlds'' (1898), ''First Men on the Moon'' (1901) and many others. He also wrote the well-known ''Outline of History'' (1920). For more see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.G._Wells Wikipedia entry].

'''jeu d'esprit''' 
French: play of wits. Witticism.
Here, Lindsay places Wells' masterful Time Machine (see above) in opposition with the more flashy and vulgar versions ("adulterated") of time travel offered in dime novels. Interesting that this comment would be made by someone who is himself a character in a dime novel.

'''National Imprest''' 
An imprest system is a system using loans as control against fraud and theft. The most common imprest system known is the petty cash system. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprest_system Wikipedia]. Interesting that the Chums' petty cash system goes
under the rubric National, not International?

'''"Plug" Loafsley''' 
Plug-ugly loafer/oaf?

'''Lollipop Lounge''' 
Lollipop is vulgar slang for an underage girl. There is at least one 'pornographic' magazine called Lollipops featuring supposedly underage girls.

'''Tenderloin''' 
2) A city district notorious for vice and graft. [After 'the Tenderloin', an area of New York City (from the easy income it once offered corrupt policeman). Cf p.334.
From the American Heritage Dictionary.

'''squalid empire''' 
Cf Alan Parker's 1976 movie "Bugsy Malone". [http://imdb.com/title/tt0074256/ IMDb]

==Page 399==

'''indigo... yellow''' 
Clashing-colors motif. Bright full-of-life colors.

'''dicer''' 
A hat [http://books.google.com/books?id=CUQSAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=dicer+hat&source=web&ots=3K_D1BkmBP&sig=xhzWDfgmMitS2mGUzL4ee8MHzTo], perhaps of the style now known as "baseball cap"[http://www.skateamerica.com/store/KR3W-Youth-Hat-Dicer-Black-ID_P15118C62.cfm].

'''opopanax and vervain''' 
Two fragrant, medicinal substances derived from flowering plants. They bloom yellow and violet, respectively. Wikipedia pages for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opoponax opopanax] and for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vervain vervain].
:Though Wikipedia prefers the spelling ''opoponax'', the ''OED'' suggests Pynchon's.

'''contrabass saxophone''' 
A spectacular piece of hardware, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone#Members_of_the_saxophone_family somewhat taller than the person playing it.] Pitched in E-flat—if you are keeping track—two octaves below the alto sax.

'''slide cornet''' 
A brass instrument with the voice of a cornet but using a slide instead of valves. Very, very rare.

'''mandola''' 
An eight-stringed instrument shaped like a mandolin but tuned the same as a viola. It is originally an Irish instrument.

'''"tin pan" piano''' 
A reference to New York's Tin Pan Alley. Probably, the tag means to indicate that the piano was out of tune or sounded 'cacophonous'. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_pan_alley Wikipedia entry]

'''anchored by . . . piano''' 
It's hard to imagine the sound of the ensemble: big reedy bass, lots of rhythm from the mandola, the abandoned wailing of the cornet, fuzzy arpeggios on the piano. Like a children's Fourth of July parade, plus hallucinogens.

'''houris''' 
According to the ''OED'', a "nymph of the Muslim Paradise. Hence applied allusively to a voluptuously beautiful woman." <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd Ed. 1989.</ref>

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "houris" is the plural of 'houri', as defined above.

'''Darby''' 
Over 21yo, if he's aged.

'''chanteuse''' 
A female singer of popular songs, esp. in France. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

==Page 400==

'''paillettes''' 
2. a spangle used to ornament a dress or costume. [from Old French,diminutive of
paille,straw]. American Heritage Dictionary.

'''louche''' 
of questionable taste or morality. From Old French, losche= squint-eyed,
ultimately from Latin, luscus = blind in one eye. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''OED'' Oblique, not straightforward. Also, dubious, shifty, disreputable. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''"jazz"''' 
The ''OED'' suggests that the spelling here was always more popular than ''jass'', as used on [[Pages 358-373#Page 370|p. 370]]. It makes sense that a musician like "Dope" Breedlove might use a less conventional spelling, as he would be familiar with the term before common usage had regularized its spelling. By contrast, within the "dime novel" idiom of the Chums of Chance narration (dime novelists not necessarily being, especially in those days, the swingin'-est of cats), while ''jazz'' still registers as a slang term, its spelling has already been regularized.

'''Dey high-hats us uptown''' 
They scorn or snub us.

'''Dey low-balls us downtown''' 
They underestimate us.

'''Missus Grundy''' 
Mrs. Grundy, proverbial looker-askance at any improper activity. "[A]n extremely conventional or priggish person" after a character alluded to in the play ''Speed The Plough,'' by Thomas Morton (1764-1838), British playwright. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''''ying'''' 
"Yen"? And play/contrast with yang?

==Page 401==

'''Angela Grace''' 
I.e., Angel of Grace

'''Gophiz... Hudson Dustuhs''' 
Gophers, Hudson Dusters. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Dusters New York street gangs.]

'''bushwahs''' 
Bourgeois.

'''slickin up''' 
Gentrification.

'''Mr. Mawgin''' 
J. Pierpont Morgan. Dr. Zoot has funding from the same source that supported Tesla earlier.

'''stanchion''' 
Upright structural member, here part of the El trestle.

'''find it''' 
(Small-penis joke.)

'''time-corroded''' 
Actually, on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]] we learn that when these structures were erected, they were intentionally antiqued, "deliberately burned, attempts being made to blacken the stylized wreckage in aesthetic and interesting ways," a description that applies also to Pynchon's historical fiction with its antiquated language and its generally favorable view of all things black. Though, of course it's been a decade since the shrine was erected, and some actual time-corrosion may have occurred.

'''seeming to date from some ancient catastrophe, far older than the city.''' 
When, what is that catastrophe in ATD, pages 149-170?
:There's more than a hint in the geography. From Central Park to the Tenderloin, on a street where you can smell the waterfront; west and south till you hit (literally) the Ninth Avenue El; south on the El line. Eventually you get to the World Trade Center site.

'''I AM THE WAY INTO THE DOLEFUL CITY''' 
Italian: "Per me si va nella città dolente". Phrase first appears on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]], where it is inscribed over the shrine that the citizens erect to the Destroyer. It is a quote from Canto III of Dante's ''Il Inferno,'' where it is emblazoned over the gates to Hell.

'''triatomic''' 
I.e., ozone or O3, which is a molecule composed of three bonded oxygen molecules. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone Wikipedia.]

==Page 402==

'''solenoidal relay''' 
Solenoid: a cylindrical coil of wire hollow in the center. To make a relay, stick an iron rod partway into the middle. Turn the current on, and the magnetic field pulls the iron in. Attach the rod to the bolt on the gate and you can unlock it by pushing a button.

'''Dr. Zoot''' 
homage to Zoot Sims, jazzman? 
Most often combined with Suit, as in
Zoot suit - Wikipedia. Often zoot suiters wear a felt hat with a long feather (called a tapa or ... By their dress, Zoot suiters expressed defiance, at a time when fabric was ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit
There is a contemporary "zootsuit" radio station devoted to old radio shows. Historically, much later than the period of ATD here, there were riots in Los Angeles called the Zoot Suit riots (alluded to in, wasn't it, ''The Crying of Lot 49''?).

'''pale''' 
Even tough-guy Plug fears the time machine.
Pynchon's perspective on artificial light, "already harsh illumination".

'''dynamo''' 
Electrical generator. Converts any rotational motion to AC or DC power.

'''Grandmother's day''' 
Pre-Civil War.

'''Breguet''' 
A distinctive fine watch of French design, usually with open circles ('moons') near the ends of the hands. (See also p.140) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_(watch) Wikipedia entry]

'''shimming''' 
Insertion of thin material to make two parts line up. Think of the matchbook under the table leg.

'''revenue diverted''' 
(Why not no-revenue?)because revenue was spent---very cheaply: in only "the simplest upkeep."

==Page 403==

'''gutta-percha gasketry''' 
Gutta-percha (Palaquium) is genus of tropical trees native to southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to Malaya and east to the Solomon Islands. It is also an inelastic natural latex produced from the sap of these trees. One use of gutta-percha was the "guttie" golf ball with a solid gutta-percha core, which appears [[ATD_919-945#Page 934|later in ''Against the Day'']]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha Wikipedia]

'''coaming''' 
Bodywork. Panels concealing frame, wiring, etc.

'''undog this hatch''' 
Nautical: disengage whatever is holding the door shut.

'''faith''' 
(Blind, not humble.)

'''nervous organizations''' 
Cf drugs. Cf. sympathetic vibrations, a physical kind of empathy.

'''pillioned''' 
Riding two to a horse.
Refers specifically to the "passenger seat", separated from the main saddle. Also applies to motorcycle riding where the small passenger seat is called a "pillion". Metonymically, pillion can be used to describe the passenger.

'''horses''' 
Cavalry?

'''arrays of metallic points''' 
Bayonets? Appears to be a depiction of the (still future) Great War, WWI

==Page 404==

'''shockwaves of the Creation''' 
Anachronistic Big Bang theory? 
I must say that in the Big Bang theory, stars
were first created out of the bang; here the metaphor seems to accept that the stars already exist and "are blown through by the shockwaves of the Creation", capitalized, a common Pynchon touch, as in a Biblical allusion.

'''chamber shook''' 
(It didn't on p403.)

'''not beasts''' 
Airplanes?
Or Missiles/rockets? 'A screaming comes across the sky'....

'''smell''' 
Cf GR on Passchendaele.

==Page 405==

'''latest Oldsmobile''' 
(Dates.) 1903.

'''Candlebrow U.''' 
So what is a "candlebrow"? Consider those phallic ''ex voti'' candles offered up to [[St. Cosmo]]. The head of the candle-phallus, brow shaped, sits atop the cyclindrical candle-shaft and is, metaphorically, the candle's brow. And, natch, Gideon Candlebrow made the bucks necessary to fund Candlebrow U. with the miracle product [[#Page 407|"Smegmo,"]] the "Messiah of kitchen fats" (Imperial Margarine was advertised as "The King of Margarines") [http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Asmegma&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official smegma] is the "cheesy secretion" that collects atop the "candlebrow" beneath the foreskin. [[ATD 374-396#Page 374|Ewball Oust's name]] has similar connotations.

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious, but it seems to me like Pynchon's way of saying Dickhead University. --[[User:Pomopaulrevere|Pomopaulrevere]]

'''double-domes''' 
'dome' is slang for the human brain, of course. [Amer Heritage] and seems to mean, in humorous context, two-headed or double-brained thinkers...(more doubling motif--as joke?)

:Or possibly a sexual ''double entendre''...consistent with the [[The Sexual Angle|rampant sexuality]] in ''AtD''. Why, several double-dome images come to mind, almost faster than "egghead"...

:also possibly a reference to numerous "mad scientist" contraptions that connect two (unwilling?) patients, hooked together by metallic helmets (domes), in order to "switch" "souls" from one body to another. Seems far-fetched, but in a book dominated by the idea of dopplegangers created by the refraction from Iceland spar, not so much...

'''drumming''' 
Traveling salesmanship.

<div id="balinhan"></div>'''a saloon down by the river called the Ball in Hand''' 
The Ball in Hand isn't the river, it's the saloon. Still, the name does have an English ring to it. The Bird in Hand is a common pub name in Britain.

Another cricket allusion? If so, rather obvious. Surely a straightforward sexual joke.
:Oh yes. As discussed a couple paragraphs down!

Ball in Hand might refer to the "orb," an emblem of sovereignty held in the monarch's left hand in many state portraits; the orb is a small globe usually surmounted by a cross. Or a physics allusion, though anachronistic by some 30 years: the dome of a Van de Graaff generator. The museum visitor places her hand on it, the docent cranks the machine, and the victim's hair flies into an [[ATD_26-56#Page_26|aigrette.]] Or a more carnal connotation, not anachronistic at all. Or fortunetelling. These remote connections do make cricket sound pretty good:

A term used in pocket billiards (especially 9-ball) when a player has scratched (sunk the cue ball) and the player who follows is allowed to place the cue ball wherever he/she wants.

:Given all the other [[The Sexual Angle|sexual references]] in ''AtD'', this definitely has a sexual ring to it. Consider that the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines "ball" as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html]

<div id="meatman">'''Alonzo Meatman'''</div>
Meatman translated to German is Fleischmann, as in [http://www.fleischmanns.com/products/index.jsp Fleischmann's], makers of yeast, margarine, and assorted spreads.

:Yes, perhaps a cheesy spread, like that smegmo! In 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded an homage to his oral talents entitled "Meat Man" in which he brags of having "a maytag tongue with a sensitive taste." This fits in with [[The Sexual Angle]] in AtD. [[Meat Man|Read the lyrics...]]. And there ''are'' those [[ATD 57-80#Page 73|great balls of fire]] known as ball lightning.

'''they don't like to cross running water''' 
A preference shared by witches, vampires and in some accounts the Devil.

==Page 406==

'''counterfeit of the Timeless''' 
Thematic. Whole sentence seems the sharpest indictment of 'the Academy' as exemplified by Candlebrow U.

'''fatal discovery''' 
Note the contrast with "fateful discovery" on [[ATD 397-428#Page 398|p.398]].

'''''Imum Coeli''''' 
Latin for "bottom of the sky." In Astrology, it is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imum_Coeli Wikipedia entry]

'''rusticated''' 
Of masonry, parts of buildings, etc.: Rendered rustic in appearance. <ref>Def. 3a. '''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''Gideon Candlebrow''' 
made-up founder whose scandalous fortune underlay Candlebrow U?

'''Grossdale''' 
a gross dale?

'''great Lard Scandal of the '80s'''' 
Real event? (There were a couple of 'Lard Scandals" in last ten years but in countries other than Great Britain.) 

Since Gideon had to testify before congress about it, said Scandal must have happened in the States. He seems to have shipped lard that was deemed too "adulterated" to be sold in the US to good old Britain, thereby, as Pynchon puts it with a good dose of mean-spirited humor, "compromising further an already debased national cuisine". What did he use to adulterate the lard? The secret ingredient in Smegmo, maybe?

In [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_5#113 ''V.''] Pynchon mentions the "Great Sewer Scandal of 1955."

'''Christmas pudding controversy'''' 
Lard could certainly be used while making Christmas Pudding, aka Plum Pudding [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding Wikipedia entry], the quintessential British holiday treat. The traditional ingredient, though, is suet. Some families might have tried to substitute lard in the recipe, which would have radically altered the taste of the pudding, sparking bitter fights about the importance of culinary tradition. Could this "controversy" be a metaphor of the effects of American cultural imperialism? Maybe I should just do a taste test...

==Page 407==

'''"Smegmo"''' 
Smegma is a secretion of mammalian genitals [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma Wikipedia].

The word derives from a transliteration of the Greek word σμήγμα for soap.

As an "artificial substitute for everthing in the edible-fat category" pronounced kosher by an "eminent Rabbi of world hog capital Cincinnati, Ohio," Smegmo may be a code name for Crisco, a Procter & Gamble creation invented in Cincinnati in 1911 -- an anarchronism or time shift in the text -- and marketed through various ethnic cookbooks, including a Yiddish/English kosher cookbook published in 1933 with the "Hechsher (or certificate) of a prominent Orthodox rabbi, "denoting that Crisco contained nothing animal-based."
[http://www.crisco.com/about/history/1930.asp]

"Smegm"a + crisc "O" = Smegmo

:Interesting(?) sideline: Here in Denmark the slang word for smegma is 'nakkeost' -i.e. 'neck-cheese'. And of course anyone who's seen 'Red Dwarf' will know about the current British use of 'smeg' (Not smeggin'likely, get the smeg outa here! Smeg off!). What do Americans call it?

Smegmo and Candlebrow:
"The initial purpose [for Crisco] was to create a cheaper substance to make candles than the expensive animal fats in use at the time. Electricity began to diminish the candle market, and since the product looked like lard, they began selling it as a food." Yet another Lard Scandal? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisco]

Also P&G was founded as a candle (Procter) and soap (Gamble) company, making profits from the fat of slaughtered pigs in "Porkopolis," Cincinnati.

Finally, the stock ticker for P&G is PG which is pretty close to one of Pynchon's favorite animals -- PIG.

Cf. [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_525-556 cottonseed oil] p. 546.

'''margarine''' 
1887 saw the introduction of the Margarine Act in Great Britain, which required margarine to be labeled as such. This was in response to the adulteration of butter by oleomargarine (made from animal fats).

Candlebow + margarine reminds me of Camille Paglia on Renee Zellwegger as "margarine-browed" (which I don't really understand).

'''four thousand years''' 
Refers to the time believed to have elapsed since Abraham and the foundation of Judaism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham Wikipedia]. Under kosher laws Jews are not allowed to mix milk and meat products in the same meal. The rabbi's proclamation about having waited 4000 years refers to the arrival of Smegmo as a non-milk substitute for butter that can be eaten with meat dishes.

'''"you kept hearing different stories about exactly what was in it"''' 
Refers to wide range of urban legend-like attributions as to the origins and/or makeup of smegma that exist especially among children.

There's a resonance with Coca-Cola, too: exaggerated secrecy about the formula, fanatical market development, endowment of a university (Emory in the case of the Woodruff and Candler fortunes).

'''First International Conference on Time-Travel''' 
MIT students held a [http://web.mit.edu/adorai/timetraveler/ Time Traveler Convention] on May 7, 2005. The organizers did only modest publicity, claiming that the event would be reported and people in the future would read about it and decide to attend. One of the principals pointed out that only one such convention would ever need to take place. Vanderjuice's reasoning is almost a mirror image of that.

'''''The Time Machine''''' 
A short novel by H. G. Wells, written as a series of articles in 1888 for ''The Science Schools Journal'', and published as a book in 1895. The central character, ''Time Traveller'', tells a group of friends that he has invented a machine which can travel through time, enabling him to investigate the destiny of the human species. In the year 802,701, where he is temporarily stranded, he finds the meek and beautiful ''Eloi'' ling in apparently idyllic circumstances, but discovers that they are the prey of the degenerate ''Morlocks'', descendants of laborers who have lived underground for centuries. In later eras he sees the life-forms which survive the extinction of man, and thirty million years hence he is witness to the world's final decline as the sun cools. (Taken from ''The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English'', 1988 Edition.) For more information from other source see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine The Time Machine].

'''this year''' 
??? 1903.

'''flammivomous''' 
Vomiting out flame. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''sophomoric slogs''' 
Slog can be a forceful hit and a Cricket term. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slog Link]

'''nooky''' 
"nooky" is synonymous with "pussy" both of which are used metonymically to denote either the sex act or, in this case, women who are desirable as sex partners.

'''1925 or thereabouts''' 
Lindsay's unfamiliarity with the term "nooky" ''could'' continue until it becomes an accepted part of the English language, which occurred, according to the ''OED'', with its first substantiative written usage in 1928. The ''OED'', by the way, prefers the spelling ''nookie'' (the ''Shorter OED'' prefers "nooky"). However, the term was certainly in the vernacular long before it made it into the ''OED'' and is speculated to be of British origin, perhaps derived from "nugging" (having sex) or "nook" which a vagina could be considered, I suppose.

Most likely a simple "chummy" joke, implying that poor old Lindsay wouldn't get to experience the pleasures of the flesh for another 25 years. Considering that the Chums don't seem to age, I really can't say how old he will be when the blessed event finally comes.

'''Randolph''' 
(Has he been absent?)

==Page 408==

'''telegraphic messages''' 
(Why at night, particularly? Email parody?) Seems many telegraphic messages were delivered at night, perhaps because they could be picked up during the daytime and many came after evening began.

When telegrams were a customary means of communication, you could send a "straight wire," which would go right on the wire and get delivered promptly, or a "night letter," which would go into a queue for transmission in low-traffic times and be delivered the next morning. The rate for night letters was lower than that for straight wires.

'''"Goes with everything"''' 
Cf Al Capp's Shmoos?

'''a ''million'' uses for Smegmo''' 
Tracing out just one parallel: Coke—foundation of the Candler fortune and the Emory U. endowment—is a beverage, a sweetener and flavoring agent (Coca-Cola Cake a Southern favorite), a solvent (best thing for removing bugs from windshields) and a cleanser (''MythBuster''-tested for polishing automotive chrome). In an emergency you can fill your radiator with it, and used with care it will raise bread dough.

Tracing out another parallel: Crisco, not only the first but also emblamatic of all synthetic shortening, is "ubiquitous in the cuisine and among the table condiments..." It is found in baked products (breads, cakes, muffins, etc.), salad dressings, soups, potato chips, mayonnaise, cheese spreads, peanut butter, cake and biscuit mixes. Raisins are sometimes coated with it. You will find them in most processed foods.

'''in the way that certain odors can instantly return us to earlier years''' 
Recalls Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu in which the taste and smell of a madeleine cookie summons a collection of childhood memories.

'''"There's a seminar on that tomorrow ... Or do I mean day before yesterday?"''' 
Are all the folks at Candlebrow time travellers? Unlikely. This remark seems to be a typical collegiate witticism about classes. Seems about everyone can STUDY time travelling at Candlebrow.

'''Finney Hall''' 
Probably a Hall/Auditorium/Room in Candlebrow U. named after American author Jack Finney (1911-1995), who wrote a famous time travel novel, ''Time and Again'' (1970). See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Finney Jack Finney] for more.

'''florescent''' 
flowering, blooming.From florescense. Amer Heritage Dictionary

==Page 409==

'''Gibson Girls''' 
From illustrations of a kind of woman first made by Charles Dana Gibson. Besides certain physical features--see wikipedia---such women were thought
to be 'independent', often college girls, although not suffragettes.

'''"Why you insufferable little --"''' 
This line, paired with St. Cosmo's observation at the end of the following paragraph: "And might I add, Mr. Noseworth, that these constant attempts to strangle Suckling do our public image little good," seem a fairly direct reference to a well-worn trope from the ''Simpsons'' [http://www.snpp.com/guides/homer.file.html#strangle], in which the splenetic Homer, as played here by Noseworth, expresses his no-longer-controllable frustration with Bart, here the increasingly smartalecky Suckling.

Pynchon, as has been widely reported, has appeared on ''The Simpsons'' a couple times.

More than even "Vineland," it seems, this book is fraught with pop culture/low comedy asides. 

'''Wellesianism''' 
Typo, unless he means Orson. Should be Wellsianism. On page 412 the term
''''Wellsian''' optimism' was used.

:Orson Wellesianism seems correct: The scene, an immense inventory of discarded time machines, is reminiscent of the final scenes of ''Citizen Kane'' which show Kane's enormous collection of objects in rows of stacks extending seemingly to infinity.

'''Asimov Transecular''' 
Interesting to find one of Isaac Asimov's time travel machines on the pile of "picked-over hulks of failed time machines." Of course, it would have to have been deposited there from some time in the future.

transecular 
Adj "that is made through the centuries" (Portuguese) [[User:Btchakir|Btchakir]] 16:48, 19 December 2006 (PST)

Rather than troubling to search for a Portuguese word, isn't it more likely that Asimov or Pynchon coined this in a nearly trivial way? ''Trans,'' across, plus ''secular,'' ages or centuries (from Latin [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=s&p=11 ''sæculum,''] an age, a generation, 120 years; also yielding French ''siècle,'' a century).

'''Asimov''' 
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), Russian born American biochemist and science fiction writer. His family emigrated to the US in 1923 and he was naturalised in 1928. He graduated from Columbia University and had been Professor of Biochemistry of the University of Boston since 1979. He began contributing stories to science fiction magazines in 1939 and his first book ''Pebble in the Sky'' was published in 1950. Many others followed. ''The Foundation Trilogy'' (1963) made an international reputation as the master of science fiction. Since 1958 he had published few novels, preferring to concentrate on text books and works of popularized science such as ''Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' (2 Vols. 1960). And he also wrote ''Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare'' (1970). In his life time he wrote over 500 books that spanned the realm of human knowledge. [http://www.asimovonline.com/ Asimov Home Page] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issac_Asimov Isaac Asimov].

'''Tempomorph''' 
Tempo + morph = Time change

'''Q-98s''' 
FM station? The weapon used by Loony Tunes character Marvin the Martian is called the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

'''Flow''' 
Flow of Time.

'''vulcanite''' 
Star Trek allusion? A kind of mineralized rubber.
:a hard, readilly cut and polished rubber, obtained by vulcanizing rubber with a large amount of sulfur or some sulfur compound under a moderate heat (110-140 degree C), used in the manufacture of combs, buttons, and for electric insulation.

'''Heusler's alloy''' 
any of various alloys of manganese and other nonferromagnetic metals that exhibit ferromagnetism. Named after Conrad Heuslet, 19th-century German mining engineer and chemist.

'''bonzoline''' 
Synthetic ivory, used to make billiard balls.

'''electrum''' 
An alloy of gold and silver, presumably not the same as ''argentaurum''.

'''lignum vitae''' 
The very hard heavy wood of any of several tropical American guaiacum trees. In Latin, literally "wood of life."

'''platinoid''' 
An alloy of copper, nickel, tungsten and zinc, formerly used in elecric coils.

'''magnalium''' 
Magnesium-aluminum alloy.

'''packfong silver''' 
A Chinese alloy of nickel, zinc and copper, resembling German silver. [http://dict.die.net/packfong/ packfong].

'''The Ball in Hand''' 
[[#balinhan|See annotations to p. 405.]]

'''safe harbor''' 
Paradoxical, I think.

'''automorphic''' 
auto = Self,same. Morph = to change. The theory of automorphic functions concerns a generalization of periodic functions such as the Earth's revolution.

'''Eternal Return''' 
A fascinating interpretation of history in which Time is a single cycle and once it has reached its conclusion begins anew, and each repetition of the cycle is utterly identical to the first. Perhaps originating in ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico, though made most famous by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who used it as the basis for his moral philosophy. Cf. Nietzsche, ''The Will to Power''.

Notice that at Candlebrow, the conferences converged to a "form' of Eternal Return. The almost instantaneous way the conferees can be "resurrected' and seem never to age, makes this form of the Eternal
Return a lot like Never-Never Land. 
A-and perhaps a Pynchon jape at Nietzsche's vision of history?

==Page 410==

'''revenance''' 
Related to revenant, a ghost, a returner from the dead.

'''River of Time''' 
cf "the invisible river, the flow of Time", p.252. Herein a 'parable' drawn from the flowing of a literal river, by some Candlbrow conferees.

Cf. "The River of Time" (first published in 1981 as "Coexistence" in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine) 

Cf. M&D's "in America, time is a river that goes through hell"

Cf. Heraclitus's Flux and Fire Philosophy. [http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/heraclitus.html]

'''Symmes Street''' possible reference to the Symme's Hole which leads into the hollow earth, i. e. a street on the extreme fringe

Symmes Street = Symmetry ?

'''gaslit''' 
Lightfuel motif.

'''St. Louis Fair''' 
1904.

Also "Pygmy boyfriends escaped from the St. Louis Fair" - in the book Ota Benga, about a pygmy who appeared in the St. Louis Fair, there is a reference to pygmies escaping from their exhibit and disappearing into neighborhoods of St. Louis, never to be found

'''''kielbasa sausage''''' 
Often referred to as Polish sausage (which is uncooked), Kielbasa sausage is a precooked, smoked, traditionally made of pork that is highly seasoned with garlic.

also used to describe a very large penis. Judging from the "disreputable" nature of the Ball in Hand, it wouldn't seem too far-fetched to imagine Polish comedians hitting themselves over the head with their own appendages.

'''fantan''' 
Traditional Chinese gambling game; also a card game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan-Tan].

'''"preserver"''' 
Or "life-preserver": slang, a blackjack or cosh.

'''magenta-and-green''' 
Clashing-colors motif. This combination appears in a bandana in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow''] (Viking p. 69 line 14). 
Life colors in Pynchon, it might be argued?, as is a bandana. 
The clashing of (anarchic) life motif, maybe? 

magenta is a color that was renamed for a battle, the Battle of Magenta!
see wikipedia.

There's something else striking about magenta and green: In the field of [http://www.rgbworld.com/color.html color mixing,] these are complementary in the sense that magenta results from filtering all the green out of white light and vice versa. Green is an additive primary (red-green-blue), while magenta is a subtractive primary (cyan-magenta-yellow). This does not hold for some other ''AtD'' color schemes (red/indigo comes to mind, but there are a dozen or so of these binary combinations).

==Page 411==

'''Finding of Unusual Circumstances Questionaire''' 
Also, presumably, known as the "F.U.C.Q." or "fucq" for short.

'''Hawaiian volcano''' 
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.

The park encompasses 333,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. ''Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, offers scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands'' and visitors views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. Over half of the park is designated wilderness and provides unique hiking and camping opportunities. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaiian references in ''Against the Day'']]...

'''Zennist''' 
Practitioners of Zen Buddhism.

'''''Caged Women of Yokohama''''' 
Possible: Yokohama was one of the first Japanese cities with the heaviest
industrialization...wherein many young women from the surrounding rural
areas came to work in dreadful working and living conditions? "The early 20th century was marked by rapid growth of industry. Entrepreneurs built factories along reclaimed land to the north of the city towards Kawasaki, which eventually grew to be the Keihin Industrial Area. The growth of Japanese industry brought affluence to Yokohama, and many wealthy trading families constructed sprawling residences there, while the rapid influx of population from Japan and Korea also led to the formation of Kojiki-Yato, the largest slum in Japan at the time." Wikipedia. 
Misc. Like Telluride in the U.S., Yokohama had the first gaslit streetlamps in Japan. Wikipedia.

==Page 412==

'''koan''' 
Japanese. A ko-an is a story, dialogue, question or statement in the lore of Zen Buddhism. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koan koan].

'''"Does a dog possess the Buddha-nature?" [...] "Yes, obviously"''' 
According to the Zen parable the answer to the question is "Mu", which is both "No" and the sound of a dog's bark, thus neither simply yes nor no. See the explanantion given by the Learned English Dog in Mason & Dixon (Ch. 3, p. 22).

'''apricot and aquamarine''' 
Clashing-colors motif.

'''F.I.C.O.T.T.''' 
As Alonzo Meatman goes right on to explain, F.I.C.O.T.T. is the acronym for the First International Conference On Time Travel, but readers of ''Gravity's Rainbow'' will recall also "Fickt" from the line "Fickt nicht mit dem Raketemensch," or "Don't f--k with the Rocketman."

'''hootnanny''' 
Typo? Should be hootenanny, an informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience. The OED says that it can be spelled either way, and also hootananny.

'''Bohr... Mach... young Einstein... Spengler... Wells... McTaggart''' 
All of these people did work involving either speculation about time (Wells) or other subjects that reached their highest expression in Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which had implications regarding the nature of time and spacetime [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity Wikipedia]. Pynchon refers to the fact that this work was underway and 'in the air' at the time of the novel. [[Bohr, Mach, Einstein, et al.|History and Discussion...]]

Notice how, among this stellar cast of scientists, Wells seems to be placed above the rest (cf: "Mr. Wells himself"), as if the writer of fiction trumped "real" scientists when it came to the idea of time travel.

'''dismissing . . . the ''existence'' of Time''' 
In a 1908 essay, ''The Unreality of Time'', McTaggart said "Our ground for rejecting time . . . is that time cannot be explained without assuming time." For the full text of the essay [http://www.ditext.com/mctaggart/time.html The Unreality of Time (1)] and other information [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreality_of_Time The Unreality of Time (2)].

'''the McTaggartite''' 
disciple of Mctaggart?

'''neo-Augustinian''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo] (354-430), in his autobiographical [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions/confessions.html ''Confessions''], is credited with reconceptualizing the notion of time in Christian terms. Throyle, on [[ATD 119-148#Page 143|p.143]], summarizes what he terms "Christian time," as a "linear way of regarding time, a simple straight line from past, through present, into the future." See also [[ATD E|'''Eschatology''']].

<div id="pudding">'''fatal steamed pudding'''</div>
Presumably the subject of the "Christmas-pudding controversy" mentioned on p. 406. In the context of Prof. Taggart's disbelief in time and the Augustinian's presumed belief that time moves inevitably toward Christ's return, a Christmas pudding (which, one should mention, is prepared with suet or similar animal fat, though presumably Smegmo can be substituted) is a symbol, insofar as it invokes the birth of Christ, of a pivotal moment in the proper sequence of Augustinian time. The pudding, which context here suggests the neo-Augustinian dropped on the McTaggartite, at once symbolizes the Fall of Man, as well as the McTaggartite's inevitable descent into Hell. The whole arrangement is problematized, however, by the comments of the County Coroner, who describes the outcome of the event dependent on "wagering," chance being irreconcilable with Augustinian time.

'''vertical distance''' 
Of pudding-drop?

<div id="stearinery">'''Old Stearinery Bell Tower'''</div>
A stearinery (probably made-up word) is a facility where stearin is made. Chemically, stearin is an ester of glycerol with stearic acid, or stearic acid itself. The name also denotes the solid component of a fat. Smegmo undoubtedly contains stearin, so the Old Stearinery was a key part of the original production process.

"Until 1863 lard stearin was used to produce the stearic acid for candle making. With lard expensive and in short supply, a new method was discovered to produce the stearic acid using tallow. What lard and lard stearin was available was instead developed into a cooking compound. The same process was later adapted to create Crisco, the first all-vegetable shortening." [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Procter-amp;-Gamble-Company-Company-History.html]

==Page 413==

'''322 feet''' 
The ''average'' acceleration produced by gravity at the Earth's surface (sea level) is 32.2 (or 32.17405 to be exact) feet per second per second. This apllies "in any direction out to the curve of the Earth, notorious locally for exerting a fascination upon minds healthy and disordered alike."

''Pedantry Alert:'' From a height of 322 feet, you see the horizon at a distance of 22 miles.

'''disordered''' 
Eg clocktower assassins?
:Also people who may be moved to ''knock towers down.''

'''homeopathist''' 
One who practices homeopathy.

'''"the ''lycopodium'' type"... Fear''' 
Lycopodium is a common homeopathic remedy for many disorders. Homeopathy being the introduction into the body, in infinitesimal amounts, of a possibly toxic or irritating agent that ends up stimulating the body to heal itself.

'''sky-brother''' 
???
My take was that he was assuaging any hurt feelings with Meatman by placing him on the level of a fellow "Chum of Chance".

Hmm... maybe Chick is implying that he and Meatman are indeed of the same cloth, not bound by the earthly realm, the former spending most of his time in the air and the latter being able to travel to other dimensions.

'''other Promise... resurrected... two millennia''' 
???
:maybe this refers simply to the Resurrection (and therefore the end of Time); the Promise is that the trumpet (Chick's?) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised.

God's promise of eternal life vs. Time Travel's promise of making you immortal.

'''speaking trumpet''' 
Brass forerunner of the megaphone. [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1671RSPT....6.3056M Abstract] of a 1671 paper; [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.2647 photo] of a ship's speaking trumpet, 1799; [http://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/giftshop/1850figure/source/horn.htm catalog entry] for a replica American fire brigade speaking trumpet, mid-19th century.

==Page 414==

'''purlieus''' 
outskirts, outlying areas; also (OED) "meaner streets about some main thoroughfare; a mean, squalid or disreputable street or quarter."

This whole section is a progress into the outlying areas, the fringes
(Cf. Pynchon's story ''Low-lands'', which takes place at a town dump)

'''millwork''' 
woodwork, doors, molding, wainscotting, etc, but cheap, prefabricated, not custom-fabricted on site.

'''penumbrae''' 
A penumbra is the outer and lighter part of the shadow created by an eclipse. "Penumbrae" is the plural form.

'''quiescence''' 
His name suggests a purveyor of meat, and he does "deliver" Chick to Mr. Ace.

==Page 415==

'''"Mr. Ace"''' 
This could be a nod to the 1946 film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038752/ ''Mr. Ace''] starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft who plays Eddie Ace, the head man of a crooked political machine who intends to scuttle the gubernatorial campaign of female senator Margaret Wyndham Chase (Sylvia Sidney). He uses every dirty trick in the book to destroy Margaret, but she perseveres on the strength of sheer honesty and integrity. Through her example, Ace mends his own ways, earning Margaret's love as a bonus, and he helps her to run as an independent on a clean-government ticket.

It may, more specifically, refer to the old-time radio show called ''The Cases of Mr. Ace'' which had a very limited run mostly on WNEW in New York in the late forties. Raft played Eddie Ace, the sole owner of Ace Detective Agency on 6th Avenue. In the episode from June 25, 1945, Ace described one gangster thus:

:"The face of a small fragile old man. His hair was glossy and deep black. His eyes were glossy and deep black."

Compare this to Pynchon's Mr. Ace: "Glossy black eyes, presented like weapons in a duel."

'''phatic''' 
Relating to speech that serves to establish social relationships rather than to inform.

'''Those of us who spoke this truth were denounced as heretics''' 
Yes, the old Pynchon theme of those in control, the oligarchs, silencing the counterforce.

Taking of refuge in a planet's past was the plot of a Captain Kirk-era ''Star Trek'' episode; the unintentionally transported Kirk is taken to be a religious dissenter; fortunately his judge is one of the "refugees".

'''certain of your great dynamos''' 
Cf. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Brooks_Adams Henry Adams], author of ''The Virgin and The Dynamo''. Pynchon has written of being influenced deeply by Adams, and his ideas are particularly evident in Pynchon's [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''].

'''Fraternity of the Venturesome''' 
Mistranslated 'Chums of Chance'.

'''''nzzt''''' 
Electrical short?

Suggests "he" could be a holographic image. Time traveling holograms were one feature of the "Temporal Cold War" subplot of ''Star Trek: Enterprise''; one such manifestation (complete with "nzzt's") is set in a huge dynamo station in a Nazi-occupied New York. This is two possible ''Star Trek'' allusions in a single page.

Electrical short is certainly relevant. The mistranslation is a kind-of short-circuit, then he gets the right phrase from his data bank. Bit like C3P0 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars ''Star Wars'']?

'''You are not aware that each of your mission assignments is intended to prevent some attempt of our own to enter your time-regime.''' 
Aha! A little peek into the True Mission of the Chums. Time to take another look at those various adventures:

* ''Chums of Chance and The Evil Halfwit'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance and The Curse of the Great Kahuna'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance at Krakatoa'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance Search for Atlantis'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_7|p.7]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Bowels of the Earth'' ([[ATD_97-118#Page_117|p.117]])
* ''The Chums of Chance and the Ice Pirates'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''The Chums of Chance Nearly Crash into the Kremlin'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''Chums of Chance at the Ends of the Earth'' ([[ATD_199-218#Page_214|p.214]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Caged Women of Yokahama'' ([[ATD_397-428#Page_411|p.411]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Wrath of the Yellow Fang'' ([[ATD_1018-1039#Page_1019|p.1019]])

==Page 416==

'''ZZnrrt''' 
Cf 415.

'''"irreversible processes"''' 
In thermodynamics, an irreversible process is one in which the intermediate states cannot be specified by any set of macroscopic variables, and which are not equilibrium states. Since the intermediate states are unknown this process cannot be reversed.

'''Squanto and the Pilgrims''' 
Squanto (Tisquantum) was one of the two Native American Indians (Samoset being the other) that assisted the Pilgrims during their first winter in the New World. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto Squanto].

Ironic (although Chick means it sincerley) since in this case the Chums of C are "Squanto" and their strange interlocutors from another dimension are the pilgrims. Chick innocently suggests that the strangers from the future just want help (as, like the pilgrims, they have just arrived and are low on supplies, so to speak). It is implied that just as the Indian's helping the pilgrims was re-payed with disease, genocide and war, the payback the Chums reap for helping these visitors from another dimension may not be what they expect.

'''entropy''' 
A term first used in 1850s by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888). It is the name of a quantity in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and information theory variously representing the degree of disorder in a physical system, the extent to which the energy in a system is available for doing work, the distribution of the energy of a system between different modes, or the uncertainty in a given item of knowledge. In thermodynamics absolut entropies cannot be determined, only ''changes'' in entropy. One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics (Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page 238|page 238]]) is to say that in any change in an isolated system, the entropy increases. This increase in entropy represents the energy that is no longer available for doing work in that system. See [http://www.entropylaw.com/ Entropy & Laws of Thermodynamics.]

'''"It's our innocence . . . ."''' 
Speculation about the motives of people who come from the future claiming to need something from the past. It is a common fallacy in all ages to think back to the past as a 'golden age' and an age of 'innocence'. Lindsay elaborates further down the page: "[I]magine ''them''... so fallen, so corrupted, that we — even we — seem to them pure as lambs. And their own time so terrible that it's sent them desparately back...." Think also of the kind of 'golden age' rhetoric often employed by certain politicians.

==Page 417==

'''"we're totally"''' 
...fucked.

'''"He is not what he says he is."''' 
Pynchon denies Chums backstory/explanation.

In addition, his story would be plausible almost too plausible in terms of the thermodynamic theories of the day, i.e. the Heat Death of the Universe (about which Pynchon has written before: see [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''] and ''Entropy'').

'''trespassers''' 
Presumably individuals in the company of Mr. Ace and Alonzo Meatman, whose intentions toward the Chums of Chance are apparently sinister and for their own benefit. They appear to travel back through the stream of time without any kind of permission to execute their plans, thus making them trespassers (or parasites).

The idea of trespass could be thought of in another way too. Miles mentions Mr. Ace knowing him as a 'peeper' who observes the trespassers as they come to his time. We could think of the 'trespassers' as anyone in any time who looks back at a point in history. As such, they are actually 'peepers'. That these seem to have found a way not just to peep but actually to participate makes them more than peepers, in fact, it is this that constitutes their 'trespass'.

Pynchon seems to be playing with how we view history and the past, a theme common to all his work. The Chums, whose existence is, to an extent, fictional even within the work of fiction, are a nexus meant to control boundaries between points in time (e.g. the future and the present, or its past). Historians and other future observers want to use the past for their own purposes. If they become visible to the people in that past, they will appear as 'trespassers' and violators. As Miles says, they do "not have our best interests in mind".

We ourselves (readers and perhaps even more, Wiki authors) are also trespassers from the standpoint of the Chums. We read about them in the novel, which takes us to the past, to their present, and inserts us in a way that is invisible to them. We then write up entries and think thoughts about what they do. We are in their world in some way that to them is utterly mysterious and sinister because, again, we have own agendas in mind and not theirs.

Right: And what about the biggest trespasser of all - the author himself. After all, he's the one who can offer them immortality.

'''I see them ''pointing something'' back at me not exactly a weapon an enigmatic object.''' 
Hmmm. Could this have anything to do with the [[Q-weapon_and_Photography|Q-weapon]]?

— – – mmm... does anyone think that it might be just a remote control, and that the window through which the trespassers and the Chums see each other might be just a TV set? [[[User:Sonni|Sonni]] 09:19, 21 February 2008 (PST)]

==Page 418==

'''Trespass''' 
With a capital T.

'''evidence... everywhere''' 
Cf [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Crying of Lot 49''].

'''neuropathy''' 
An abnormal and usually degenerative state of the nervous system or nerves.

'''contracts''' 
With Devil.
More specifically, like Faust with Mephistopheles.

'''Other Units''' 
(So our five gossiped to others?)

'''exhaustive''' 
Cf Trekkies.

'''came to recall''' 
Cf PK Dick.

'''red and indigo''' 
Clashing?

'''Marching Academy Harmonica Band''' 
In this episode the academy goes by seven permutations of the name:
*Marching Academy Harmonica Band
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band Academy
*Harmonica Marching Band Academy
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band activities
*Harmonica Marching Band Training Academy
Its identity is not very securely tied down.
Clearly it's mutable, a kind of mirage. And surely there's a resonance with 'laughing academy'? And a hint of the Hogwarts train in 'Harry Potter'?

==Page 419==

'''"El Capitán"''' 
Sousa march. "El Capitán" was played by a military band on the deck of Admiral Dewey's battleship as he steamed into the Bay of Manila in 1898, to "liberate" the Philippines from Spain and also, not coincidentally, achieve access for U.S. capital and goods to East Asian markets once the Philippines became a colony. Thus the references to the "intricacies of greed as then being practiced by global capitalism" a few sentences later on p. 419 is hardly out of place for TRP, particularly when mixed with comments on how patriotic bromides and marching tunes go together. The harmonicas and the comment that improvisation is definitely NOT welcome in marching band arrangements, of course, provide Pynchon's own inimitable caustic/satiric touch; cf. the kazoos in GR. On "El Capitán": see Hess, Carol A. “John Philip Sousa’s ‘El Capitan’: Political Appropriation and the Spanish-American War.” ''American Music'' (Spring 1998).

'''"Whistling Rufus"''' 
[http://hetzler.homestead.com/NBCakeWalk.html A cakewalk song] written in 1899.

'''consecrated''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/consecrate] "1. To declare or set apart as sacred: consecrate a church."

'''Richardson Romanesque''' 
Style of American Romanesque architecture from 1880s-1890s, named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, notable for use of brown stone, rounded corners, arches and cylindrical turrets. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson_Romanesque Wikipedia Entry].

'''modal theory''' 
Context is suggestive of music theory, types of scales and keys of tonal music. However, Modal Realism is the view, notably propounded by David Lewis, that possible worlds are as real as the actual world. Possible worlds exist; the actual world is merely one among an infinite set of logically possible worlds, some nearer to the actual world and some more remote. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_realism]

'''chit''' 
Piece of military or bureaucratic paperwork; context suggests "request for transfer".

'''Bing Spooninger''' 
Like "Bing" Crosby, a crooner.

'''rack''' 
Current military and collegiate slang for "bed"--an anachronism.

==Page 420==

'''every note''' 
Om?

'''say "Wall"''' 
???

'''Yippy dippy dippy, doo!''' 
cf. ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (p. 66) where Slothrop goes down the toilet after, appropriately, a harmonica.

'''Now, it ain't that I wouldn't, 'cause I can but I won't,''' 
'''And I would if I wasn't, but I am so I don't''' 
This sounds very similar to a lyric from Frank Zappa's 'Stink-Foot:'

He said:
"IT DOESN'T, 'n YOU CAN'T!

I WON'T, 'n IT DON'T!

IT HASN'T, IT ISN'T, IT EVEN AIN'T

'N IT SHOULDN'T . . .

IT COULDN'T!"

He told me NO NO NO!

I told him YES YES YES!

I said: "I do it all the time . . .

Ain't this boogie a mess!"

'''difficult vocal feat''' 
???

'''segueing''' 
A deejaying term for moving from one song/track to another with no noticeable break if done correctly. 
Cf. [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow,''] Viking p. 70, line 36, where the phonetic spelling "segway" appears.

'''cakewalk''' 
An African-American entertainment having a cake as prize for the most accomplished steps and figures in walking; also, a stage dance developed from walking steps and figures typically involving a high prance with backward tilt. From this, slang for a one-sided contest or an easy task.

'''draw-note''' 
Note played on harmonica by "drawing" air through reed by sucking in rather than blowing out (insert crude sex joke here).

==Page 421==

'''popularity''' 
Masochistic love of oppressors.

'''''cover identity''''' 
Burden of resistance.

'''unannounced punishments . . . Combat-Inside-Ten-Meters''' 
Points up the Kafkaesque nature of the Academy.

'''Lombardy poplars.''' 
A large deciduous tree, reaching 30-40 m tall. They resemble large shrubs, due to their tall, slender appearance. They grow tall very quickly and usually die within 15 years of first planting. 

'''Out the window...''' 
The longest sentence so far in ATD.

'''Chromatic Harp''' 
A harmonica that plays all notes in an octave rather than a scale in a certain key. [http://www.hohnerusa.com/hchromatic.htm Examples].

'''Pitch Integrity Guard''' 
To prevent tampering with the notes in the ways described below - i.e. monitoring any tendency towards the 'Negroid'. 
= PIG - pigs long have held a fascination over Pynchon. 
A-and a Pitch Integrity Guard is a kind of cop, right? 

'''harmonica-reed files''' 
Filing the reeds would alter the notes slightly, allowing you to get 'in-between' notes that aren't in the normal major or minor scale.

'''sucking the tonic chords...Negroid sound''' 
Standard technique for playing blues harmonica ('harp'), also known as cross-blowing. The sucked notes are easier to 'bend' and wail with, so you can get the blues 'third', not quite minor, not quite major. Another technique that helps you get the 'Negroid sound' is soaking the harmonica, which gives the reeds a rougher, more bendable quality. That's probably the point of the 'late night visits to the latrine'. Compare with GR, where Slothrop (at college!) loses his harmonica down the toilet (he finds it much later in a stream in Germany! Gone back home, so to speak). There's a harmonica-soaking scene in Pennebaker's Dylan film 'Don't look Back'.
It wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of folk wisdom that piss is even better than water for soaking the harp. Pee-culiar.

==Page 422==

'''I.G. Mundharfwerke''' 
Interessen-Gemeinschaft Mundharfwerke (Harmonica-works Association of Common Interests). "Mundharf" is Swabian German for "Harmonica". By analogy with I.G. Farben in ''GR'': the Mouth-Harp Cartel.

'''drifted''' 
Cf. Slothrop's desk in ''GR''.

'''the sprightly Offenbach air "Halls of Montezoo-HOO-ma!"''' 
The "Marines' Hymn" borrows the tune of the "Gendarmes' Duet" from the opera ''Geneviève de Brabant'' (1859) by French composer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Offenbach Jacques Offenbach] (1819-1880). 
The lyrics of which are not entirely irrelevant: 
And if we meet a helpless woo-o-man 
Or little boys who do no harm 
We run them in, we run them in, 
We run them in, we run them in 
Because we are the bold gen-darmes! 

'''into the Latrine''' 
Cf. Slothrop's hallucination in ''GR''.

'''dentifrice''' 
A powder or other preparation for rubbing or cleansing the teeth; a tooth-powder or tooth-paste; also applied to liquid preparations.<ref>'''Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. ed. 1989.</ref>

'''vapor bearing...minerals''' 
Rows of mirrors facing each other (thus creating regular patterns, "chaining away for uncounted leagues") have been stained with images formed by regular use: breath, tiny bits of toothpaste or powder ("atomized dentifrice"), "shaving preparations," and mineral deposits from tapwater.

'''A.D.C.''' 
Aide-de-camp, administrative assistant to a commanding officer.

'''but they could find no entries in any of the daily Logs to help them remember''' 
Their situation has no precedent in any of the ''Chums'' novels. They have been betrayed, isolated and brainwashed, and they even doubt whether they are the authentic Chums. The following is not a spoiler: Any elementary handbook of plotting will tell you that they can't just single up all lines at the end of this episode and fly their ship "cheerly" on to the next adventure.

==Page 423==

'''revisit places where destinies took a wrong turn, or revisit in dreams the dreaming body of one loved more than either might have known...''' 
As far as we know, none of the Chums has actually experienced this. Sounds to me like an allusion to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust Faust] and Gretchen/Marguerite, since this actually happens in several of the Faust versions. Especially in the context of the Faustian bargain they have made with Mr. Ace.

'''None of them...''' 
Cf [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi#The_butterfly_dream Chuang Tzu's dream]: is he a man dreaming he's a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he's a man? On the rhetorical level of the story, this passage reiterates the dreamlike, near-delusional nature of the Chums' latest escape from what seems to have become their most dangerous foe. (418: "As if in a dream...").

'''volunteer decoys''' 
Fan-meme. 
Decoy = is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. 
I think this surprising phrase has Pynchonian meaning about the meaning of fiction like the Chums': 'escape', 'adventure' fiction is a decoy from
reality?

'''"At a Georgia Camp Meeting"''' 
a song by a Kerry Mills originally published in 1897.
Became a very popular 'cakewalk' tune. 
Lyrics: 
A camp meeting took place, by the colored race; way down in Georgia.
There were folks large and small, lanky, lean, fat and tall, at this great Georgia camp meeting.
When church was out, how the "sisters" did shout, they were so happy.
But the young folks were tired and wished to be inspired, and hired a big brass band.

Chorus: When the big brass band began to play pretty music so gay, hats were thrown away.
Thought them foolish people their necks would break,
When they quit their laughing and talking and went to walking for a big choc'late cake.

The old "sisters" raised sand, when they first heard the band; way down in Georgia.
The preacher did glare and the deacons did stare, at the young people prancing.
The band played so sweet that nobody could eat, 'twas so entrancing.
So the church folks agreed it was not a sinful deed, and they joined in with the rest. 

''':definition within above definition: 'cakewalk'''' 
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. A cake, or slices of cake, were offered as prizes for the best dancers — a rare treat during slavery — giving the dance its name.
The dance was invented as a satirical parody of the formal European dances preferred by white slaveowners, and featured exaggerated imitations of the dance ritual, combined with traditional African dance steps. One common form of cakewalk dance involved couples (one male and one female, with their arms linked at the elbows) lined up in a circle, dancing forward alternating a series of short hopping steps with a series of very high kicking steps. Costumes worn for the cakewalk often included large, exaggerated bowties, suits, canes, and top hats....
The dance became nationally popular among whites and blacks for a time at the end of the 19th century. The syncopated music of the cakewalk became a nationally popular force in American mainstream music, and with growing complexity and sophistication evolved into ragtime music in the mid 1890s. The music was adopted into the works of various white composers, including John Philip Sousa and Claude Debussy; the latter wrote Golliwog's Cakewalk as the final movement of the Children's Corner suite (1908).

'''"deps"''' 
Dep. from American Heritage Dictionary = 1. department 2. departure 3. dependency 4. deponent 5. deposed 6. deposit 7. depot 8. deputy 
barring any other allusion, I think 'deps' here might stand for 1) departures or 2) departments (given words about other Chums above.
:Surrogates, decoys, escape: Surely these all make it certain that "deps" means "deputies."

'''route out of the past''' 
The nostalgia trap.

'''We wish we could tell you about everything that's been going on, but it's not over yet, it's at such a critical stage, and the less said right now the better. But someday . . . ''' 
The Chums imagine "the real Chums" as being engaged in a secret war that demands only one sacrifice from "the people," that of their innocence.

==Page 424==

''''coon' material''' 
Songs and humor in which African-Americans were stereotyped (as lazy, immoral, stupid, vain, etc.) and held in contempt. The most popular coon song, though, was written by an African-American, Ernest Hogan; titled "All Coons Look Alike to Me," it has an ''AtD'' resonance. Coon material was extremely popular between about 1880 and 1910; stripped of the word "coon," a diluted form still appears nightly on your TV. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song Wikipedia] has a strikingly good article. For a partial list of coon references in ''AtD,'' [[ATD_26-56#Page_48|see annotation to p. 48.]]

'''isotropy''' 
the quality or condition of being equal along all directions. For more technical information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotropy isotropy].

'''presently''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Crumb R. Crumb] did a comic like this: [http://crumbproducts.com/prints_images/sha.gif pic] 
Nice find. That comic succintly summarizes TRP's view of the effects of railroads and "civilization."

'''opposition''' 
(Was unconscious, now conscious?)Are the Chums now able to intercede
in 'human' affairs, unlike their earlier mandate?
:That's exactly it, their stretch in the camp—sorry, the harmonica academy—has modified the terms of the C of C Prime Directive.

'''dropped from altitudes''' 
(Cf pudding above, Padzhitnoff's four-block fragments)

==Page 425==

'''"After the Ball"''' 
Music and lyrics by Charles K. Harris. This number was interpolated into the score of the hit musical ''A Trip to Chinatown'' (1892) during its record-setting Broadway run. It was introduced by J. Aldrich Libbey. When Kern and Hammerstein wanted to add period flavor to ''Show Boat'' (1927), they used "After the Ball" in the Trocadero scene where it was performed by Norma Terris. [[After the Ball|Read the lyrics...]]

See also the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_174-177 pantomime song] in ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (pages 174-175):
<blockquote>"And the lamps in the stairway are dying, 
It's the season just after the ball . . ."</blockquote>

'''Bukhara''' 
Either the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Bukhara Emirate of Bukhara], a former country in Central Asia or its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara capital]

'''T.D.Y.''' 
Abbrevation for Temporary Duty. [http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r614_11.pdf weblink]

'''Subdesertine''' 
submerge beneath the desert or sand.

'''''Saksaul''''' 
A plant/tree native to the deserts of Central Asia, particularly the Gobi desert; it has a very hard wood and is covered with knobs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxaul Wikipedia] [http://www.pbase.com/william_sokolenko/image/68724037 pic]

It may be significant that the saksaul tree is often planted in order to stabilize the sands. Part of western Europe's civilizing mission?

'''Q. Zane Toadflax''' 
(Sounds like Douglas Adams?). Toadflax is the name of an [http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/toadflax.html invasive plant species]

'''Hypopsammotic... Hypops''' 
''Hypo-'' (under) + ''psammot-'' (sand, from Greek ''psammos'') + ''-ic.'' Pynchon explains the device's function on the next page (426).

==Page 426==

'''beating their prices''' 
Contradicts p. 425 "no further expenditure".
:P. 425 merely says that "no further expenditure for that purpose [i.e. for Hypops rigs] will be approved." Presumably, the Chums have some additional discretionary fund from which to draw cash for emergency purchases such as these.

'''that medium which is wavelike as the sea, yet also particulate''' 
Alluding to the æther theory and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-particle_duality dual (wave/particle) nature of light].

==Page 427==

'''temporarily lapsing into English''' 
Contrasts with the technical jargon the Chums have been steeped in over the past few days, including lectures by Roswell Bounce (they're only boys, after all). Often, mathematicians, physicists, and their students fail to explain their theories "in English." This little phrase can be taken as a professorial joke, aimed at both the author (for always coming back to obscure or difficult theories) and the reader (for never understanding them). 
I thought it was contrasting with Miles' frequent babbling habit. 

'''''pigs fly''''' 
Lindsay = pig. "When (or until) pigs fly" = never.

'''X.O.''' 
The Executive Officer (XO) is the second-in-command, reporting to the Commanding Officer (CO).

'''legalistic''' 
Yes, Darby is now Legal Counsel.

==Page 428==
'''ill-starred Bell Tower''' 
Referring back of course to the [[#stearinery|Old Stearinery Bell Tower]] and the [[#pudding|Fatal Pudding]], and in turn to the [[Campanile]].

:The Campanile picture has me wondering. According to the sources, the old picture of the collapse of the Campanile is actually a fake. And it doesn't have the airship. It's a fun picture, but what is its status? There doesn't seem to be an appropriate place for this information in the wiki, or have I missed something?

:The Campanile picture is an illustration. Doubtful that anyone had their camera all set up for the awesome event. The airship was photoshopped in for, um, color...

::See also last paragraph of page 255.

Cf. Renata's tarot reading on [[ATD 243-272#Page 253|p. 253]], the last card of which is The Tower.

Cf. ''The Bell-Tower'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville Herman Melville], a famous short story from ''The Piazza Tales'' (1856) with an "ill-starred
bell tower" for sure. "Glancing backwards, they saw the groined belfry crashed sideways in.", a line from it which echos the picture used for the pynchonwiki home page. [http://www.melville.org/belltowr.htm Full text of ''The Bell-Tower'']

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 397-428

2009-08-10T19:38:18Z

Cortinas: /* Page 397 */ Added images of Columbian half dollar

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 397==

'''syntonic wireless''' 
syn·ton·ic (sĭn-tŏn'ĭk) adj.Psychology. Characterized by a high degree of emotional responsiveness to the environment.
Electricity. Of or relating to two oscillating circuits having the same resonant frequency.
[[Image:Columbian1892_obv.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]][[Image:Columbian1892_rev.jpg|thumb|United States Mint image]][From Greek suntonos, high-strung, intense, attuned, from sunteinein, to draw tight : sun-, syn- + teinein, to stretch.]

Syntonic Wireless Telegraphy. [http://earlyradiohistory.us/1901ayrt.htm Ayrton Prediction]. Electrical Review, June 29, 1901, p. 820.

'''street-Arab''' 
a homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets.
[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn wordnet].

'''some koindt of a ''sailboat'' pitchuhv on it''' 
The reverse of the coin (next entry) shows Columbus' flagship ''Santa Maria'' (the obverse has the navigator's portrait).

'''Columbian ''Half-Dollar''''' 
The 1892 Columbian Exposition half dollar was the first commemorative coin authorized by Congress. [http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/commemoratives/index.cfm?flash=yes&action=premodern]

'''"ten yeeuhz ago"''' 
Places this action in or around 1903.

==Page 398==

'''nuncio''' 
Casually, a messenger; more formally, a permanent official Papal representative at a foreign court.

'''Evening Quarters''' 
A muster of the ship's company at the end of the day. 
Is this at 1800 Hours?

'''H.G. Wells''' 
Herbert George Wells (1866-1946), one of the 19th Century science fiction writers whom Pynchon is both emulating and parodying in ''ATD''. H.G. Wells was an English novelist, sociologist, journalist, and historian. He wrote series of fantastic scientific romances ''The Time Machine'' (1895), ''The Invisible Man'' (1897), etc. In combination with scientific speculation he developed a strain of sociological idealism in ''The War of the Worlds'' (1898), ''First Men on the Moon'' (1901) and many others. He also wrote the well-known ''Outline of History'' (1920). For more see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.G._Wells Wikipedia entry].

'''jeu d'esprit''' 
French: play of wits. Witticism.
Here, Lindsay places Wells' masterful Time Machine (see above) in opposition with the more flashy and vulgar versions ("adulterated") of time travel offered in dime novels. Interesting that this comment would be made by someone who is himself a character in a dime novel.

'''National Imprest''' 
An imprest system is a system using loans as control against fraud and theft. The most common imprest system known is the petty cash system. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imprest_system Wikipedia]. Interesting that the Chums' petty cash system goes
under the rubric National, not International?

'''"Plug" Loafsley''' 
Plug-ugly loafer/oaf?

'''Lollipop Lounge''' 
Lollipop is vulgar slang for an underage girl. There is at least one 'pornographic' magazine called Lollipops featuring supposedly underage girls.

'''Tenderloin''' 
2) A city district notorious for vice and graft. [After 'the Tenderloin', an area of New York City (from the easy income it once offered corrupt policeman). Cf p.334.
From the American Heritage Dictionary.

'''squalid empire''' 
Cf Alan Parker's 1976 movie "Bugsy Malone". [http://imdb.com/title/tt0074256/ IMDb]

==Page 399==

'''indigo... yellow''' 
Clashing-colors motif. Bright full-of-life colors.

'''dicer''' 
A hat [http://books.google.com/books?id=CUQSAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=dicer+hat&source=web&ots=3K_D1BkmBP&sig=xhzWDfgmMitS2mGUzL4ee8MHzTo], perhaps of the style now known as "baseball cap"[http://www.skateamerica.com/store/KR3W-Youth-Hat-Dicer-Black-ID_P15118C62.cfm].

'''opopanax and vervain''' 
Two fragrant, medicinal substances derived from flowering plants. They bloom yellow and violet, respectively. Wikipedia pages for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opoponax opopanax] and for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vervain vervain].
:Though Wikipedia prefers the spelling ''opoponax'', the ''OED'' suggests Pynchon's.

'''contrabass saxophone''' 
A spectacular piece of hardware, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone#Members_of_the_saxophone_family somewhat taller than the person playing it.] Pitched in E-flat—if you are keeping track—two octaves below the alto sax.

'''slide cornet''' 
A brass instrument with the voice of a cornet but using a slide instead of valves. Very, very rare.

'''mandola''' 
An eight-stringed instrument shaped like a mandolin but tuned the same as a viola. It is originally an Irish instrument.

'''"tin pan" piano''' 
A reference to New York's Tin Pan Alley. Probably, the tag means to indicate that the piano was out of tune or sounded 'cacophonous'. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_pan_alley Wikipedia entry]

'''anchored by . . . piano''' 
It's hard to imagine the sound of the ensemble: big reedy bass, lots of rhythm from the mandola, the abandoned wailing of the cornet, fuzzy arpeggios on the piano. Like a children's Fourth of July parade, plus hallucinogens.

'''houris''' 
According to the ''OED'', a "nymph of the Muslim Paradise. Hence applied allusively to a voluptuously beautiful woman." <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd Ed. 1989.</ref>

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "houris" is the plural of 'houri', as defined above.

'''Darby''' 
Over 21yo, if he's aged.

'''chanteuse''' 
A female singer of popular songs, esp. in France. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

==Page 400==

'''paillettes''' 
2. a spangle used to ornament a dress or costume. [from Old French,diminutive of
paille,straw]. American Heritage Dictionary.

'''louche''' 
of questionable taste or morality. From Old French, losche= squint-eyed,
ultimately from Latin, luscus = blind in one eye. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''OED'' Oblique, not straightforward. Also, dubious, shifty, disreputable. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''"jazz"''' 
The ''OED'' suggests that the spelling here was always more popular than ''jass'', as used on [[Pages 358-373#Page 370|p. 370]]. It makes sense that a musician like "Dope" Breedlove might use a less conventional spelling, as he would be familiar with the term before common usage had regularized its spelling. By contrast, within the "dime novel" idiom of the Chums of Chance narration (dime novelists not necessarily being, especially in those days, the swingin'-est of cats), while ''jazz'' still registers as a slang term, its spelling has already been regularized.

'''Dey high-hats us uptown''' 
They scorn or snub us.

'''Dey low-balls us downtown''' 
They underestimate us.

'''Missus Grundy''' 
Mrs. Grundy, proverbial looker-askance at any improper activity. "[A]n extremely conventional or priggish person" after a character alluded to in the play ''Speed The Plough,'' by Thomas Morton (1764-1838), British playwright. Source: American Heritage Dictionary.

''''ying'''' 
"Yen"? And play/contrast with yang?

==Page 401==

'''Angela Grace''' 
I.e., Angel of Grace

'''Gophiz... Hudson Dustuhs''' 
Gophers, Hudson Dusters. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Dusters New York street gangs.]

'''bushwahs''' 
Bourgeois.

'''slickin up''' 
Gentrification.

'''Mr. Mawgin''' 
J. Pierpont Morgan. Dr. Zoot has funding from the same source that supported Tesla earlier.

'''stanchion''' 
Upright structural member, here part of the El trestle.

'''find it''' 
(Small-penis joke.)

'''time-corroded''' 
Actually, on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]] we learn that when these structures were erected, they were intentionally antiqued, "deliberately burned, attempts being made to blacken the stylized wreckage in aesthetic and interesting ways," a description that applies also to Pynchon's historical fiction with its antiquated language and its generally favorable view of all things black. Though, of course it's been a decade since the shrine was erected, and some actual time-corrosion may have occurred.

'''seeming to date from some ancient catastrophe, far older than the city.''' 
When, what is that catastrophe in ATD, pages 149-170?
:There's more than a hint in the geography. From Central Park to the Tenderloin, on a street where you can smell the waterfront; west and south till you hit (literally) the Ninth Avenue El; south on the El line. Eventually you get to the World Trade Center site.

'''I AM THE WAY INTO THE DOLEFUL CITY''' 
Italian: "Per me si va nella città dolente". Phrase first appears on [[ATD 149-170#Pages 154-155|p. 154]], where it is inscribed over the shrine that the citizens erect to the Destroyer. It is a quote from Canto III of Dante's ''Il Inferno,'' where it is emblazoned over the gates to Hell.

'''triatomic''' 
I.e., ozone or O3, which is a molecule composed of three bonded oxygen molecules. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone Wikipedia.]

==Page 402==

'''solenoidal relay''' 
Solenoid: a cylindrical coil of wire hollow in the center. To make a relay, stick an iron rod partway into the middle. Turn the current on, and the magnetic field pulls the iron in. Attach the rod to the bolt on the gate and you can unlock it by pushing a button.

'''Dr. Zoot''' 
homage to Zoot Sims, jazzman? 
Most often combined with Suit, as in
Zoot suit - Wikipedia. Often zoot suiters wear a felt hat with a long feather (called a tapa or ... By their dress, Zoot suiters expressed defiance, at a time when fabric was ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_suit
There is a contemporary "zootsuit" radio station devoted to old radio shows. Historically, much later than the period of ATD here, there were riots in Los Angeles called the Zoot Suit riots (alluded to in, wasn't it, ''The Crying of Lot 49''?).

'''pale''' 
Even tough-guy Plug fears the time machine.
Pynchon's perspective on artificial light, "already harsh illumination".

'''dynamo''' 
Electrical generator. Converts any rotational motion to AC or DC power.

'''Grandmother's day''' 
Pre-Civil War.

'''Breguet''' 
A distinctive fine watch of French design, usually with open circles ('moons') near the ends of the hands. (See also p.140) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_(watch) Wikipedia entry]

'''shimming''' 
Insertion of thin material to make two parts line up. Think of the matchbook under the table leg.

'''revenue diverted''' 
(Why not no-revenue?)because revenue was spent---very cheaply: in only "the simplest upkeep."

==Page 403==

'''gutta-percha gasketry''' 
Gutta-percha (Palaquium) is genus of tropical trees native to southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to Malaya and east to the Solomon Islands. It is also an inelastic natural latex produced from the sap of these trees. One use of gutta-percha was the "guttie" golf ball with a solid gutta-percha core, which appears [[ATD_919-945#Page 934|later in ''Against the Day'']]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutta-percha Wikipedia]

'''coaming''' 
Bodywork. Panels concealing frame, wiring, etc.

'''undog this hatch''' 
Nautical: disengage whatever is holding the door shut.

'''faith''' 
(Blind, not humble.)

'''nervous organizations''' 
Cf drugs. Cf. sympathetic vibrations, a physical kind of empathy.

'''pillioned''' 
Riding two to a horse.
Refers specifically to the "passenger seat", separated from the main saddle. Also applies to motorcycle riding where the small passenger seat is called a "pillion". Metonymically, pillion can be used to describe the passenger.

'''horses''' 
Cavalry?

'''arrays of metallic points''' 
Bayonets? Appears to be a depiction of the (still future) Great War, WWI

==Page 404==

'''shockwaves of the Creation''' 
Anachronistic Big Bang theory? 
I must say that in the Big Bang theory, stars
were first created out of the bang; here the metaphor seems to accept that the stars already exist and "are blown through by the shockwaves of the Creation", capitalized, a common Pynchon touch, as in a Biblical allusion.

'''chamber shook''' 
(It didn't on p403.)

'''not beasts''' 
Airplanes?
Or Missiles/rockets? 'A screaming comes across the sky'....

'''smell''' 
Cf GR on Passchendaele.

==Page 405==

'''latest Oldsmobile''' 
(Dates.) 1903.

'''Candlebrow U.''' 
So what is a "candlebrow"? Consider those phallic ''ex voti'' candles offered up to [[St. Cosmo]]. The head of the candle-phallus, brow shaped, sits atop the cyclindrical candle-shaft and is, metaphorically, the candle's brow. And, natch, Gideon Candlebrow made the bucks necessary to fund Candlebrow U. with the miracle product [[#Page 407|"Smegmo,"]] the "Messiah of kitchen fats" (Imperial Margarine was advertised as "The King of Margarines") [http://www.google.com/search?q=define%3Asmegma&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official smegma] is the "cheesy secretion" that collects atop the "candlebrow" beneath the foreskin. [[ATD 374-396#Page 374|Ewball Oust's name]] has similar connotations.

Maybe I'm pointing out the obvious, but it seems to me like Pynchon's way of saying Dickhead University. --[[User:Pomopaulrevere|Pomopaulrevere]]

'''double-domes''' 
'dome' is slang for the human brain, of course. [Amer Heritage] and seems to mean, in humorous context, two-headed or double-brained thinkers...(more doubling motif--as joke?)

:Or possibly a sexual ''double entendre''...consistent with the [[The Sexual Angle|rampant sexuality]] in ''AtD''. Why, several double-dome images come to mind, almost faster than "egghead"...

:also possibly a reference to numerous "mad scientist" contraptions that connect two (unwilling?) patients, hooked together by metallic helmets (domes), in order to "switch" "souls" from one body to another. Seems far-fetched, but in a book dominated by the idea of dopplegangers created by the refraction from Iceland spar, not so much...

'''drumming''' 
Traveling salesmanship.

<div id="balinhan"></div>'''a saloon down by the river called the Ball in Hand''' 
The Ball in Hand isn't the river, it's the saloon. Still, the name does have an English ring to it. The Bird in Hand is a common pub name in Britain.

Another cricket allusion? If so, rather obvious. Surely a straightforward sexual joke.
:Oh yes. As discussed a couple paragraphs down!

Ball in Hand might refer to the "orb," an emblem of sovereignty held in the monarch's left hand in many state portraits; the orb is a small globe usually surmounted by a cross. Or a physics allusion, though anachronistic by some 30 years: the dome of a Van de Graaff generator. The museum visitor places her hand on it, the docent cranks the machine, and the victim's hair flies into an [[ATD_26-56#Page_26|aigrette.]] Or a more carnal connotation, not anachronistic at all. Or fortunetelling. These remote connections do make cricket sound pretty good:

A term used in pocket billiards (especially 9-ball) when a player has scratched (sunk the cue ball) and the player who follows is allowed to place the cue ball wherever he/she wants.

:Given all the other [[The Sexual Angle|sexual references]] in ''AtD'', this definitely has a sexual ring to it. Consider that the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines "ball" as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html]

<div id="meatman">'''Alonzo Meatman'''</div>
Meatman translated to German is Fleischmann, as in [http://www.fleischmanns.com/products/index.jsp Fleischmann's], makers of yeast, margarine, and assorted spreads.

:Yes, perhaps a cheesy spread, like that smegmo! In 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded an homage to his oral talents entitled "Meat Man" in which he brags of having "a maytag tongue with a sensitive taste." This fits in with [[The Sexual Angle]] in AtD. [[Meat Man|Read the lyrics...]]. And there ''are'' those [[ATD 57-80#Page 73|great balls of fire]] known as ball lightning.

'''they don't like to cross running water''' 
A preference shared by witches, vampires and in some accounts the Devil.

==Page 406==

'''counterfeit of the Timeless''' 
Thematic. Whole sentence seems the sharpest indictment of 'the Academy' as exemplified by Candlebrow U.

'''fatal discovery''' 
Note the contrast with "fateful discovery" on [[ATD 397-428#Page 398|p.398]].

'''''Imum Coeli''''' 
Latin for "bottom of the sky." In Astrology, it is the point in space where the ecliptic crosses the meridian in the north, exactly opposite the Midheaven. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imum_Coeli Wikipedia entry]

'''rusticated''' 
Of masonry, parts of buildings, etc.: Rendered rustic in appearance. <ref>Def. 3a. '''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''Gideon Candlebrow''' 
made-up founder whose scandalous fortune underlay Candlebrow U?

'''Grossdale''' 
a gross dale?

'''great Lard Scandal of the '80s'''' 
Real event? (There were a couple of 'Lard Scandals" in last ten years but in countries other than Great Britain.) 

Since Gideon had to testify before congress about it, said Scandal must have happened in the States. He seems to have shipped lard that was deemed too "adulterated" to be sold in the US to good old Britain, thereby, as Pynchon puts it with a good dose of mean-spirited humor, "compromising further an already debased national cuisine". What did he use to adulterate the lard? The secret ingredient in Smegmo, maybe?

In [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_5#113 ''V.''] Pynchon mentions the "Great Sewer Scandal of 1955."

'''Christmas pudding controversy'''' 
Lard could certainly be used while making Christmas Pudding, aka Plum Pudding [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding Wikipedia entry], the quintessential British holiday treat. The traditional ingredient, though, is suet. Some families might have tried to substitute lard in the recipe, which would have radically altered the taste of the pudding, sparking bitter fights about the importance of culinary tradition. Could this "controversy" be a metaphor of the effects of American cultural imperialism? Maybe I should just do a taste test...

==Page 407==

'''"Smegmo"''' 
Smegma is a secretion of mammalian genitals [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma Wikipedia].

The word derives from a transliteration of the Greek word σμήγμα for soap.

As an "artificial substitute for everthing in the edible-fat category" pronounced kosher by an "eminent Rabbi of world hog capital Cincinnati, Ohio," Smegmo may be a code name for Crisco, a Procter & Gamble creation invented in Cincinnati in 1911 -- an anarchronism or time shift in the text -- and marketed through various ethnic cookbooks, including a Yiddish/English kosher cookbook published in 1933 with the "Hechsher (or certificate) of a prominent Orthodox rabbi, "denoting that Crisco contained nothing animal-based."
[http://www.crisco.com/about/history/1930.asp]

"Smegm"a + crisc "O" = Smegmo

:Interesting(?) sideline: Here in Denmark the slang word for smegma is 'nakkeost' -i.e. 'neck-cheese'. And of course anyone who's seen 'Red Dwarf' will know about the current British use of 'smeg' (Not smeggin'likely, get the smeg outa here! Smeg off!). What do Americans call it?

Smegmo and Candlebrow:
"The initial purpose [for Crisco] was to create a cheaper substance to make candles than the expensive animal fats in use at the time. Electricity began to diminish the candle market, and since the product looked like lard, they began selling it as a food." Yet another Lard Scandal? [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisco]

Also P&G was founded as a candle (Procter) and soap (Gamble) company, making profits from the fat of slaughtered pigs in "Porkopolis," Cincinnati.

Finally, the stock ticker for P&G is PG which is pretty close to one of Pynchon's favorite animals -- PIG.

Cf. [http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_525-556 cottonseed oil] p. 546.

'''margarine''' 
1887 saw the introduction of the Margarine Act in Great Britain, which required margarine to be labeled as such. This was in response to the adulteration of butter by oleomargarine (made from animal fats).

Candlebow + margarine reminds me of Camille Paglia on Renee Zellwegger as "margarine-browed" (which I don't really understand).

'''four thousand years''' 
Refers to the time believed to have elapsed since Abraham and the foundation of Judaism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham Wikipedia]. Under kosher laws Jews are not allowed to mix milk and meat products in the same meal. The rabbi's proclamation about having waited 4000 years refers to the arrival of Smegmo as a non-milk substitute for butter that can be eaten with meat dishes.

'''"you kept hearing different stories about exactly what was in it"''' 
Refers to wide range of urban legend-like attributions as to the origins and/or makeup of smegma that exist especially among children.

There's a resonance with Coca-Cola, too: exaggerated secrecy about the formula, fanatical market development, endowment of a university (Emory in the case of the Woodruff and Candler fortunes).

'''First International Conference on Time-Travel''' 
MIT students held a [http://web.mit.edu/adorai/timetraveler/ Time Traveler Convention] on May 7, 2005. The organizers did only modest publicity, claiming that the event would be reported and people in the future would read about it and decide to attend. One of the principals pointed out that only one such convention would ever need to take place. Vanderjuice's reasoning is almost a mirror image of that.

'''''The Time Machine''''' 
A short novel by H. G. Wells, written as a series of articles in 1888 for ''The Science Schools Journal'', and published as a book in 1895. The central character, ''Time Traveller'', tells a group of friends that he has invented a machine which can travel through time, enabling him to investigate the destiny of the human species. In the year 802,701, where he is temporarily stranded, he finds the meek and beautiful ''Eloi'' ling in apparently idyllic circumstances, but discovers that they are the prey of the degenerate ''Morlocks'', descendants of laborers who have lived underground for centuries. In later eras he sees the life-forms which survive the extinction of man, and thirty million years hence he is witness to the world's final decline as the sun cools. (Taken from ''The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English'', 1988 Edition.) For more information from other source see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine The Time Machine].

'''this year''' 
??? 1903.

'''flammivomous''' 
Vomiting out flame. <ref>'''The Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. Ed. 1989.</ref>

'''sophomoric slogs''' 
Slog can be a forceful hit and a Cricket term. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slog Link]

'''nooky''' 
"nooky" is synonymous with "pussy" both of which are used metonymically to denote either the sex act or, in this case, women who are desirable as sex partners.

'''1925 or thereabouts''' 
Lindsay's unfamiliarity with the term "nooky" ''could'' continue until it becomes an accepted part of the English language, which occurred, according to the ''OED'', with its first substantiative written usage in 1928. The ''OED'', by the way, prefers the spelling ''nookie'' (the ''Shorter OED'' prefers "nooky"). However, the term was certainly in the vernacular long before it made it into the ''OED'' and is speculated to be of British origin, perhaps derived from "nugging" (having sex) or "nook" which a vagina could be considered, I suppose.

Most likely a simple "chummy" joke, implying that poor old Lindsay wouldn't get to experience the pleasures of the flesh for another 25 years. Considering that the Chums don't seem to age, I really can't say how old he will be when the blessed event finally comes.

'''Randolph''' 
(Has he been absent?)

==Page 408==

'''telegraphic messages''' 
(Why at night, particularly? Email parody?) Seems many telegraphic messages were delivered at night, perhaps because they could be picked up during the daytime and many came after evening began.

When telegrams were a customary means of communication, you could send a "straight wire," which would go right on the wire and get delivered promptly, or a "night letter," which would go into a queue for transmission in low-traffic times and be delivered the next morning. The rate for night letters was lower than that for straight wires.

'''"Goes with everything"''' 
Cf Al Capp's Shmoos?

'''a ''million'' uses for Smegmo''' 
Tracing out just one parallel: Coke—foundation of the Candler fortune and the Emory U. endowment—is a beverage, a sweetener and flavoring agent (Coca-Cola Cake a Southern favorite), a solvent (best thing for removing bugs from windshields) and a cleanser (''MythBuster''-tested for polishing automotive chrome). In an emergency you can fill your radiator with it, and used with care it will raise bread dough.

Tracing out another parallel: Crisco, not only the first but also emblamatic of all synthetic shortening, is "ubiquitous in the cuisine and among the table condiments..." It is found in baked products (breads, cakes, muffins, etc.), salad dressings, soups, potato chips, mayonnaise, cheese spreads, peanut butter, cake and biscuit mixes. Raisins are sometimes coated with it. You will find them in most processed foods.

'''in the way that certain odors can instantly return us to earlier years''' 
Recalls Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu in which the taste and smell of a madeleine cookie summons a collection of childhood memories.

'''"There's a seminar on that tomorrow ... Or do I mean day before yesterday?"''' 
Are all the folks at Candlebrow time travellers? Unlikely. This remark seems to be a typical collegiate witticism about classes. Seems about everyone can STUDY time travelling at Candlebrow.

'''Finney Hall''' 
Probably a Hall/Auditorium/Room in Candlebrow U. named after American author Jack Finney (1911-1995), who wrote a famous time travel novel, ''Time and Again'' (1970). See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Finney Jack Finney] for more.

'''florescent''' 
flowering, blooming.From florescense. Amer Heritage Dictionary

==Page 409==

'''Gibson Girls''' 
From illustrations of a kind of woman first made by Charles Dana Gibson. Besides certain physical features--see wikipedia---such women were thought
to be 'independent', often college girls, although not suffragettes.

'''"Why you insufferable little --"''' 
This line, paired with St. Cosmo's observation at the end of the following paragraph: "And might I add, Mr. Noseworth, that these constant attempts to strangle Suckling do our public image little good," seem a fairly direct reference to a well-worn trope from the ''Simpsons'' [http://www.snpp.com/guides/homer.file.html#strangle], in which the splenetic Homer, as played here by Noseworth, expresses his no-longer-controllable frustration with Bart, here the increasingly smartalecky Suckling.

Pynchon, as has been widely reported, has appeared on ''The Simpsons'' a couple times.

More than even "Vineland," it seems, this book is fraught with pop culture/low comedy asides. 

'''Wellesianism''' 
Typo, unless he means Orson. Should be Wellsianism. On page 412 the term
''''Wellsian''' optimism' was used.

:Orson Wellesianism seems correct: The scene, an immense inventory of discarded time machines, is reminiscent of the final scenes of ''Citizen Kane'' which show Kane's enormous collection of objects in rows of stacks extending seemingly to infinity.

'''Asimov Transecular''' 
Interesting to find one of Isaac Asimov's time travel machines on the pile of "picked-over hulks of failed time machines." Of course, it would have to have been deposited there from some time in the future.

transecular 
Adj "that is made through the centuries" (Portuguese) [[User:Btchakir|Btchakir]] 16:48, 19 December 2006 (PST)

Rather than troubling to search for a Portuguese word, isn't it more likely that Asimov or Pynchon coined this in a nearly trivial way? ''Trans,'' across, plus ''secular,'' ages or centuries (from Latin [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=s&p=11 ''sæculum,''] an age, a generation, 120 years; also yielding French ''siècle,'' a century).

'''Asimov''' 
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), Russian born American biochemist and science fiction writer. His family emigrated to the US in 1923 and he was naturalised in 1928. He graduated from Columbia University and had been Professor of Biochemistry of the University of Boston since 1979. He began contributing stories to science fiction magazines in 1939 and his first book ''Pebble in the Sky'' was published in 1950. Many others followed. ''The Foundation Trilogy'' (1963) made an international reputation as the master of science fiction. Since 1958 he had published few novels, preferring to concentrate on text books and works of popularized science such as ''Intelligent Man's Guide to Science'' (2 Vols. 1960). And he also wrote ''Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare'' (1970). In his life time he wrote over 500 books that spanned the realm of human knowledge. [http://www.asimovonline.com/ Asimov Home Page] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issac_Asimov Isaac Asimov].

'''Tempomorph''' 
Tempo + morph = Time change

'''Q-98s''' 
FM station? The weapon used by Loony Tunes character Marvin the Martian is called the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

'''Flow''' 
Flow of Time.

'''vulcanite''' 
Star Trek allusion? A kind of mineralized rubber.
:a hard, readilly cut and polished rubber, obtained by vulcanizing rubber with a large amount of sulfur or some sulfur compound under a moderate heat (110-140 degree C), used in the manufacture of combs, buttons, and for electric insulation.

'''Heusler's alloy''' 
any of various alloys of manganese and other nonferromagnetic metals that exhibit ferromagnetism. Named after Conrad Heuslet, 19th-century German mining engineer and chemist.

'''bonzoline''' 
Synthetic ivory, used to make billiard balls.

'''electrum''' 
An alloy of gold and silver, presumably not the same as ''argentaurum''.

'''lignum vitae''' 
The very hard heavy wood of any of several tropical American guaiacum trees. In Latin, literally "wood of life."

'''platinoid''' 
An alloy of copper, nickel, tungsten and zinc, formerly used in elecric coils.

'''magnalium''' 
Magnesium-aluminum alloy.

'''packfong silver''' 
A Chinese alloy of nickel, zinc and copper, resembling German silver. [http://dict.die.net/packfong/ packfong].

'''The Ball in Hand''' 
[[#balinhan|See annotations to p. 405.]]

'''safe harbor''' 
Paradoxical, I think.

'''automorphic''' 
auto = Self,same. Morph = to change. The theory of automorphic functions concerns a generalization of periodic functions such as the Earth's revolution.

'''Eternal Return''' 
A fascinating interpretation of history in which Time is a single cycle and once it has reached its conclusion begins anew, and each repetition of the cycle is utterly identical to the first. Perhaps originating in ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico, though made most famous by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who used it as the basis for his moral philosophy. Cf. Nietzsche, ''The Will to Power''.

Notice that at Candlebrow, the conferences converged to a "form' of Eternal Return. The almost instantaneous way the conferees can be "resurrected' and seem never to age, makes this form of the Eternal
Return a lot like Never-Never Land. 
A-and perhaps a Pynchon jape at Nietzsche's vision of history?

==Page 410==

'''revenance''' 
Related to revenant, a ghost, a returner from the dead.

'''River of Time''' 
cf "the invisible river, the flow of Time", p.252. Herein a 'parable' drawn from the flowing of a literal river, by some Candlbrow conferees.

Cf. "The River of Time" (first published in 1981 as "Coexistence" in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine) 

Cf. M&D's "in America, time is a river that goes through hell"

Cf. Heraclitus's Flux and Fire Philosophy. [http://www.thebigview.com/greeks/heraclitus.html]

'''Symmes Street''' possible reference to the Symme's Hole which leads into the hollow earth, i. e. a street on the extreme fringe

Symmes Street = Symmetry ?

'''gaslit''' 
Lightfuel motif.

'''St. Louis Fair''' 
1904.

Also "Pygmy boyfriends escaped from the St. Louis Fair" - in the book Ota Benga, about a pygmy who appeared in the St. Louis Fair, there is a reference to pygmies escaping from their exhibit and disappearing into neighborhoods of St. Louis, never to be found

'''''kielbasa sausage''''' 
Often referred to as Polish sausage (which is uncooked), Kielbasa sausage is a precooked, smoked, traditionally made of pork that is highly seasoned with garlic.

also used to describe a very large penis. Judging from the "disreputable" nature of the Ball in Hand, it wouldn't seem too far-fetched to imagine Polish comedians hitting themselves over the head with their own appendages.

'''fantan''' 
Traditional Chinese gambling game; also a card game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan-Tan].

'''"preserver"''' 
Or "life-preserver": slang, a blackjack or cosh.

'''magenta-and-green''' 
Clashing-colors motif. This combination appears in a bandana in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow''] (Viking p. 69 line 14). 
Life colors in Pynchon, it might be argued?, as is a bandana. 
The clashing of (anarchic) life motif, maybe? 

magenta is a color that was renamed for a battle, the Battle of Magenta!
see wikipedia.

There's something else striking about magenta and green: In the field of [http://www.rgbworld.com/color.html color mixing,] these are complementary in the sense that magenta results from filtering all the green out of white light and vice versa. Green is an additive primary (red-green-blue), while magenta is a subtractive primary (cyan-magenta-yellow). This does not hold for some other ''AtD'' color schemes (red/indigo comes to mind, but there are a dozen or so of these binary combinations).

==Page 411==

'''Finding of Unusual Circumstances Questionaire''' 
Also, presumably, known as the "F.U.C.Q." or "fucq" for short.

'''Hawaiian volcano''' 
Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, established in 1916, displays the results of 70 million years of volcanism, migration, and evolution — processes that thrust a bare land from the sea and clothed it with complex and unique ecosystems, and a distinct human culture.

The park encompasses 333,000 acres and ranges from sea level to the summit of the earth's most massive volcano, Mauna Loa at 13,677 feet. ''Kilauea, the world's most active volcano, offers scientists insights on the birth of the Hawaiian Islands'' and visitors views of dramatic volcanic landscapes. Over half of the park is designated wilderness and provides unique hiking and camping opportunities. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaiian references in ''Against the Day'']]...

'''Zennist''' 
Practitioners of Zen Buddhism.

'''''Caged Women of Yokohama''''' 
Possible: Yokohama was one of the first Japanese cities with the heaviest
industrialization...wherein many young women from the surrounding rural
areas came to work in dreadful working and living conditions? "The early 20th century was marked by rapid growth of industry. Entrepreneurs built factories along reclaimed land to the north of the city towards Kawasaki, which eventually grew to be the Keihin Industrial Area. The growth of Japanese industry brought affluence to Yokohama, and many wealthy trading families constructed sprawling residences there, while the rapid influx of population from Japan and Korea also led to the formation of Kojiki-Yato, the largest slum in Japan at the time." Wikipedia. 
Misc. Like Telluride in the U.S., Yokohama had the first gaslit streetlamps in Japan. Wikipedia.

==Page 412==

'''koan''' 
Japanese. A ko-an is a story, dialogue, question or statement in the lore of Zen Buddhism. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koan koan].

'''"Does a dog possess the Buddha-nature?" [...] "Yes, obviously"''' 
According to the Zen parable the answer to the question is "Mu", which is both "No" and the sound of a dog's bark, thus neither simply yes nor no. See the explanantion given by the Learned English Dog in Mason & Dixon (Ch. 3, p. 22).

'''apricot and aquamarine''' 
Clashing-colors motif.

'''F.I.C.O.T.T.''' 
As Alonzo Meatman goes right on to explain, F.I.C.O.T.T. is the acronym for the First International Conference On Time Travel, but readers of ''Gravity's Rainbow'' will recall also "Fickt" from the line "Fickt nicht mit dem Raketemensch," or "Don't f--k with the Rocketman."

'''hootnanny''' 
Typo? Should be hootenanny, an informal performance by folk singers, typically with participation by the audience. The OED says that it can be spelled either way, and also hootananny.

'''Bohr... Mach... young Einstein... Spengler... Wells... McTaggart''' 
All of these people did work involving either speculation about time (Wells) or other subjects that reached their highest expression in Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which had implications regarding the nature of time and spacetime [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity Wikipedia]. Pynchon refers to the fact that this work was underway and 'in the air' at the time of the novel. [[Bohr, Mach, Einstein, et al.|History and Discussion...]]

Notice how, among this stellar cast of scientists, Wells seems to be placed above the rest (cf: "Mr. Wells himself"), as if the writer of fiction trumped "real" scientists when it came to the idea of time travel.

'''dismissing . . . the ''existence'' of Time''' 
In a 1908 essay, ''The Unreality of Time'', McTaggart said "Our ground for rejecting time . . . is that time cannot be explained without assuming time." For the full text of the essay [http://www.ditext.com/mctaggart/time.html The Unreality of Time (1)] and other information [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unreality_of_Time The Unreality of Time (2)].

'''the McTaggartite''' 
disciple of Mctaggart?

'''neo-Augustinian''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo] (354-430), in his autobiographical [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/augustine/confessions/confessions.html ''Confessions''], is credited with reconceptualizing the notion of time in Christian terms. Throyle, on [[ATD 119-148#Page 143|p.143]], summarizes what he terms "Christian time," as a "linear way of regarding time, a simple straight line from past, through present, into the future." See also [[ATD E|'''Eschatology''']].

<div id="pudding">'''fatal steamed pudding'''</div>
Presumably the subject of the "Christmas-pudding controversy" mentioned on p. 406. In the context of Prof. Taggart's disbelief in time and the Augustinian's presumed belief that time moves inevitably toward Christ's return, a Christmas pudding (which, one should mention, is prepared with suet or similar animal fat, though presumably Smegmo can be substituted) is a symbol, insofar as it invokes the birth of Christ, of a pivotal moment in the proper sequence of Augustinian time. The pudding, which context here suggests the neo-Augustinian dropped on the McTaggartite, at once symbolizes the Fall of Man, as well as the McTaggartite's inevitable descent into Hell. The whole arrangement is problematized, however, by the comments of the County Coroner, who describes the outcome of the event dependent on "wagering," chance being irreconcilable with Augustinian time.

'''vertical distance''' 
Of pudding-drop?

<div id="stearinery">'''Old Stearinery Bell Tower'''</div>
A stearinery (probably made-up word) is a facility where stearin is made. Chemically, stearin is an ester of glycerol with stearic acid, or stearic acid itself. The name also denotes the solid component of a fat. Smegmo undoubtedly contains stearin, so the Old Stearinery was a key part of the original production process.

"Until 1863 lard stearin was used to produce the stearic acid for candle making. With lard expensive and in short supply, a new method was discovered to produce the stearic acid using tallow. What lard and lard stearin was available was instead developed into a cooking compound. The same process was later adapted to create Crisco, the first all-vegetable shortening." [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/The-Procter-amp;-Gamble-Company-Company-History.html]

==Page 413==

'''322 feet''' 
The ''average'' acceleration produced by gravity at the Earth's surface (sea level) is 32.2 (or 32.17405 to be exact) feet per second per second. This apllies "in any direction out to the curve of the Earth, notorious locally for exerting a fascination upon minds healthy and disordered alike."

''Pedantry Alert:'' From a height of 322 feet, you see the horizon at a distance of 22 miles.

'''disordered''' 
Eg clocktower assassins?
:Also people who may be moved to ''knock towers down.''

'''homeopathist''' 
One who practices homeopathy.

'''"the ''lycopodium'' type"... Fear''' 
Lycopodium is a common homeopathic remedy for many disorders. Homeopathy being the introduction into the body, in infinitesimal amounts, of a possibly toxic or irritating agent that ends up stimulating the body to heal itself.

'''sky-brother''' 
???
My take was that he was assuaging any hurt feelings with Meatman by placing him on the level of a fellow "Chum of Chance".

Hmm... maybe Chick is implying that he and Meatman are indeed of the same cloth, not bound by the earthly realm, the former spending most of his time in the air and the latter being able to travel to other dimensions.

'''other Promise... resurrected... two millennia''' 
???
:maybe this refers simply to the Resurrection (and therefore the end of Time); the Promise is that the trumpet (Chick's?) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised.

God's promise of eternal life vs. Time Travel's promise of making you immortal.

'''speaking trumpet''' 
Brass forerunner of the megaphone. [http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1671RSPT....6.3056M Abstract] of a 1671 paper; [http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/conMediaFile.2647 photo] of a ship's speaking trumpet, 1799; [http://www.auroraregionalfiremuseum.org/giftshop/1850figure/source/horn.htm catalog entry] for a replica American fire brigade speaking trumpet, mid-19th century.

==Page 414==

'''purlieus''' 
outskirts, outlying areas; also (OED) "meaner streets about some main thoroughfare; a mean, squalid or disreputable street or quarter."

This whole section is a progress into the outlying areas, the fringes
(Cf. Pynchon's story ''Low-lands'', which takes place at a town dump)

'''millwork''' 
woodwork, doors, molding, wainscotting, etc, but cheap, prefabricated, not custom-fabricted on site.

'''penumbrae''' 
A penumbra is the outer and lighter part of the shadow created by an eclipse. "Penumbrae" is the plural form.

'''quiescence''' 
His name suggests a purveyor of meat, and he does "deliver" Chick to Mr. Ace.

==Page 415==

'''"Mr. Ace"''' 
This could be a nod to the 1946 film [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038752/ ''Mr. Ace''] starring Sylvia Sidney and George Raft who plays Eddie Ace, the head man of a crooked political machine who intends to scuttle the gubernatorial campaign of female senator Margaret Wyndham Chase (Sylvia Sidney). He uses every dirty trick in the book to destroy Margaret, but she perseveres on the strength of sheer honesty and integrity. Through her example, Ace mends his own ways, earning Margaret's love as a bonus, and he helps her to run as an independent on a clean-government ticket.

It may, more specifically, refer to the old-time radio show called ''The Cases of Mr. Ace'' which had a very limited run mostly on WNEW in New York in the late forties. Raft played Eddie Ace, the sole owner of Ace Detective Agency on 6th Avenue. In the episode from June 25, 1945, Ace described one gangster thus:

:"The face of a small fragile old man. His hair was glossy and deep black. His eyes were glossy and deep black."

Compare this to Pynchon's Mr. Ace: "Glossy black eyes, presented like weapons in a duel."

'''phatic''' 
Relating to speech that serves to establish social relationships rather than to inform.

'''Those of us who spoke this truth were denounced as heretics''' 
Yes, the old Pynchon theme of those in control, the oligarchs, silencing the counterforce.

Taking of refuge in a planet's past was the plot of a Captain Kirk-era ''Star Trek'' episode; the unintentionally transported Kirk is taken to be a religious dissenter; fortunately his judge is one of the "refugees".

'''certain of your great dynamos''' 
Cf. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Brooks_Adams Henry Adams], author of ''The Virgin and The Dynamo''. Pynchon has written of being influenced deeply by Adams, and his ideas are particularly evident in Pynchon's [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''].

'''Fraternity of the Venturesome''' 
Mistranslated 'Chums of Chance'.

'''''nzzt''''' 
Electrical short?

Suggests "he" could be a holographic image. Time traveling holograms were one feature of the "Temporal Cold War" subplot of ''Star Trek: Enterprise''; one such manifestation (complete with "nzzt's") is set in a huge dynamo station in a Nazi-occupied New York. This is two possible ''Star Trek'' allusions in a single page.

Electrical short is certainly relevant. The mistranslation is a kind-of short-circuit, then he gets the right phrase from his data bank. Bit like C3P0 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars ''Star Wars'']?

'''You are not aware that each of your mission assignments is intended to prevent some attempt of our own to enter your time-regime.''' 
Aha! A little peek into the True Mission of the Chums. Time to take another look at those various adventures:

* ''Chums of Chance and The Evil Halfwit'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance and The Curse of the Great Kahuna'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_5|p.5]])
* ''Chums of Chance at Krakatoa'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance Search for Atlantis'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_6|p.6]])
* ''Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'' ([[ATD_1-25#Page_7|p.7]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Bowels of the Earth'' ([[ATD_97-118#Page_117|p.117]])
* ''The Chums of Chance and the Ice Pirates'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''The Chums of Chance Nearly Crash into the Kremlin'' ([[ATD_119-148#Page_123|p.123]])
* ''Chums of Chance at the Ends of the Earth'' ([[ATD_199-218#Page_214|p.214]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Caged Women of Yokahama'' ([[ATD_397-428#Page_411|p.411]])
* ''Chums of Chance and the Wrath of the Yellow Fang'' ([[ATD_1018-1039#Page_1019|p.1019]])

==Page 416==

'''ZZnrrt''' 
Cf 415.

'''"irreversible processes"''' 
In thermodynamics, an irreversible process is one in which the intermediate states cannot be specified by any set of macroscopic variables, and which are not equilibrium states. Since the intermediate states are unknown this process cannot be reversed.

'''Squanto and the Pilgrims''' 
Squanto (Tisquantum) was one of the two Native American Indians (Samoset being the other) that assisted the Pilgrims during their first winter in the New World. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto Squanto].

Ironic (although Chick means it sincerley) since in this case the Chums of C are "Squanto" and their strange interlocutors from another dimension are the pilgrims. Chick innocently suggests that the strangers from the future just want help (as, like the pilgrims, they have just arrived and are low on supplies, so to speak). It is implied that just as the Indian's helping the pilgrims was re-payed with disease, genocide and war, the payback the Chums reap for helping these visitors from another dimension may not be what they expect.

'''entropy''' 
A term first used in 1850s by the German physicist Rudolf Clausius (1822-1888). It is the name of a quantity in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics and information theory variously representing the degree of disorder in a physical system, the extent to which the energy in a system is available for doing work, the distribution of the energy of a system between different modes, or the uncertainty in a given item of knowledge. In thermodynamics absolut entropies cannot be determined, only ''changes'' in entropy. One way of stating the second law of thermodynamics (Cf [[ATD_219-242#Page 238|page 238]]) is to say that in any change in an isolated system, the entropy increases. This increase in entropy represents the energy that is no longer available for doing work in that system. See [http://www.entropylaw.com/ Entropy & Laws of Thermodynamics.]

'''"It's our innocence . . . ."''' 
Speculation about the motives of people who come from the future claiming to need something from the past. It is a common fallacy in all ages to think back to the past as a 'golden age' and an age of 'innocence'. Lindsay elaborates further down the page: "[I]magine ''them''... so fallen, so corrupted, that we — even we — seem to them pure as lambs. And their own time so terrible that it's sent them desparately back...." Think also of the kind of 'golden age' rhetoric often employed by certain politicians.

==Page 417==

'''"we're totally"''' 
...fucked.

'''"He is not what he says he is."''' 
Pynchon denies Chums backstory/explanation.

In addition, his story would be plausible almost too plausible in terms of the thermodynamic theories of the day, i.e. the Heat Death of the Universe (about which Pynchon has written before: see [http://v.pynchonwiki.com/wiki ''V.''] and ''Entropy'').

'''trespassers''' 
Presumably individuals in the company of Mr. Ace and Alonzo Meatman, whose intentions toward the Chums of Chance are apparently sinister and for their own benefit. They appear to travel back through the stream of time without any kind of permission to execute their plans, thus making them trespassers (or parasites).

The idea of trespass could be thought of in another way too. Miles mentions Mr. Ace knowing him as a 'peeper' who observes the trespassers as they come to his time. We could think of the 'trespassers' as anyone in any time who looks back at a point in history. As such, they are actually 'peepers'. That these seem to have found a way not just to peep but actually to participate makes them more than peepers, in fact, it is this that constitutes their 'trespass'.

Pynchon seems to be playing with how we view history and the past, a theme common to all his work. The Chums, whose existence is, to an extent, fictional even within the work of fiction, are a nexus meant to control boundaries between points in time (e.g. the future and the present, or its past). Historians and other future observers want to use the past for their own purposes. If they become visible to the people in that past, they will appear as 'trespassers' and violators. As Miles says, they do "not have our best interests in mind".

We ourselves (readers and perhaps even more, Wiki authors) are also trespassers from the standpoint of the Chums. We read about them in the novel, which takes us to the past, to their present, and inserts us in a way that is invisible to them. We then write up entries and think thoughts about what they do. We are in their world in some way that to them is utterly mysterious and sinister because, again, we have own agendas in mind and not theirs.

Right: And what about the biggest trespasser of all - the author himself. After all, he's the one who can offer them immortality.

'''I see them ''pointing something'' back at me not exactly a weapon an enigmatic object.''' 
Hmmm. Could this have anything to do with the [[Q-weapon_and_Photography|Q-weapon]]?

— – – mmm... does anyone think that it might be just a remote control, and that the window through which the trespassers and the Chums see each other might be just a TV set? [[[User:Sonni|Sonni]] 09:19, 21 February 2008 (PST)]

==Page 418==

'''Trespass''' 
With a capital T.

'''evidence... everywhere''' 
Cf [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Crying of Lot 49''].

'''neuropathy''' 
An abnormal and usually degenerative state of the nervous system or nerves.

'''contracts''' 
With Devil.
More specifically, like Faust with Mephistopheles.

'''Other Units''' 
(So our five gossiped to others?)

'''exhaustive''' 
Cf Trekkies.

'''came to recall''' 
Cf PK Dick.

'''red and indigo''' 
Clashing?

'''Marching Academy Harmonica Band''' 
In this episode the academy goes by seven permutations of the name:
*Marching Academy Harmonica Band
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band Academy
*Harmonica Marching Band Academy
*Harmonica Band Marching Academy
*Marching Harmonica Band activities
*Harmonica Marching Band Training Academy
Its identity is not very securely tied down.
Clearly it's mutable, a kind of mirage. And surely there's a resonance with 'laughing academy'? And a hint of the Hogwarts train in 'Harry Potter'?

==Page 419==

'''"El Capitán"''' 
Sousa march. "El Capitán" was played by a military band on the deck of Admiral Dewey's battleship as he steamed into the Bay of Manila in 1898, to "liberate" the Philippines from Spain and also, not coincidentally, achieve access for U.S. capital and goods to East Asian markets once the Philippines became a colony. Thus the references to the "intricacies of greed as then being practiced by global capitalism" a few sentences later on p. 419 is hardly out of place for TRP, particularly when mixed with comments on how patriotic bromides and marching tunes go together. The harmonicas and the comment that improvisation is definitely NOT welcome in marching band arrangements, of course, provide Pynchon's own inimitable caustic/satiric touch; cf. the kazoos in GR. On "El Capitán": see Hess, Carol A. “John Philip Sousa’s ‘El Capitan’: Political Appropriation and the Spanish-American War.” ''American Music'' (Spring 1998).

'''"Whistling Rufus"''' 
[http://hetzler.homestead.com/NBCakeWalk.html A cakewalk song] written in 1899.

'''consecrated''' 
[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/consecrate] "1. To declare or set apart as sacred: consecrate a church."

'''Richardson Romanesque''' 
Style of American Romanesque architecture from 1880s-1890s, named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, notable for use of brown stone, rounded corners, arches and cylindrical turrets. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardson_Romanesque Wikipedia Entry].

'''modal theory''' 
Context is suggestive of music theory, types of scales and keys of tonal music. However, Modal Realism is the view, notably propounded by David Lewis, that possible worlds are as real as the actual world. Possible worlds exist; the actual world is merely one among an infinite set of logically possible worlds, some nearer to the actual world and some more remote. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_realism]

'''chit''' 
Piece of military or bureaucratic paperwork; context suggests "request for transfer".

'''Bing Spooninger''' 
Like "Bing" Crosby, a crooner.

'''rack''' 
Current military and collegiate slang for "bed"--an anachronism.

==Page 420==

'''every note''' 
Om?

'''say "Wall"''' 
???

'''Yippy dippy dippy, doo!''' 
cf. ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (p. 66) where Slothrop goes down the toilet after, appropriately, a harmonica.

'''Now, it ain't that I wouldn't, 'cause I can but I won't,''' 
'''And I would if I wasn't, but I am so I don't''' 
This sounds very similar to a lyric from Frank Zappa's 'Stink-Foot:'

He said:
"IT DOESN'T, 'n YOU CAN'T!

I WON'T, 'n IT DON'T!

IT HASN'T, IT ISN'T, IT EVEN AIN'T

'N IT SHOULDN'T . . .

IT COULDN'T!"

He told me NO NO NO!

I told him YES YES YES!

I said: "I do it all the time . . .

Ain't this boogie a mess!"

'''difficult vocal feat''' 
???

'''segueing''' 
A deejaying term for moving from one song/track to another with no noticeable break if done correctly. 
Cf. [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow,''] Viking p. 70, line 36, where the phonetic spelling "segway" appears.

'''cakewalk''' 
An African-American entertainment having a cake as prize for the most accomplished steps and figures in walking; also, a stage dance developed from walking steps and figures typically involving a high prance with backward tilt. From this, slang for a one-sided contest or an easy task.

'''draw-note''' 
Note played on harmonica by "drawing" air through reed by sucking in rather than blowing out (insert crude sex joke here).

==Page 421==

'''popularity''' 
Masochistic love of oppressors.

'''''cover identity''''' 
Burden of resistance.

'''unannounced punishments . . . Combat-Inside-Ten-Meters''' 
Points up the Kafkaesque nature of the Academy.

'''Lombardy poplars.''' 
A large deciduous tree, reaching 30-40 m tall. They resemble large shrubs, due to their tall, slender appearance. They grow tall very quickly and usually die within 15 years of first planting. 

'''Out the window...''' 
The longest sentence so far in ATD.

'''Chromatic Harp''' 
A harmonica that plays all notes in an octave rather than a scale in a certain key. [http://www.hohnerusa.com/hchromatic.htm Examples].

'''Pitch Integrity Guard''' 
To prevent tampering with the notes in the ways described below - i.e. monitoring any tendency towards the 'Negroid'. 
= PIG - pigs long have held a fascination over Pynchon. 
A-and a Pitch Integrity Guard is a kind of cop, right? 

'''harmonica-reed files''' 
Filing the reeds would alter the notes slightly, allowing you to get 'in-between' notes that aren't in the normal major or minor scale.

'''sucking the tonic chords...Negroid sound''' 
Standard technique for playing blues harmonica ('harp'), also known as cross-blowing. The sucked notes are easier to 'bend' and wail with, so you can get the blues 'third', not quite minor, not quite major. Another technique that helps you get the 'Negroid sound' is soaking the harmonica, which gives the reeds a rougher, more bendable quality. That's probably the point of the 'late night visits to the latrine'. Compare with GR, where Slothrop (at college!) loses his harmonica down the toilet (he finds it much later in a stream in Germany! Gone back home, so to speak). There's a harmonica-soaking scene in Pennebaker's Dylan film 'Don't look Back'.
It wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of folk wisdom that piss is even better than water for soaking the harp. Pee-culiar.

==Page 422==

'''I.G. Mundharfwerke''' 
Interessen-Gemeinschaft Mundharfwerke (Harmonica-works Association of Common Interests). "Mundharf" is Swabian German for "Harmonica". By analogy with I.G. Farben in ''GR'': the Mouth-Harp Cartel.

'''drifted''' 
Cf. Slothrop's desk in ''GR''.

'''the sprightly Offenbach air "Halls of Montezoo-HOO-ma!"''' 
The "Marines' Hymn" borrows the tune of the "Gendarmes' Duet" from the opera ''Geneviève de Brabant'' (1859) by French composer [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Offenbach Jacques Offenbach] (1819-1880). 
The lyrics of which are not entirely irrelevant: 
And if we meet a helpless woo-o-man 
Or little boys who do no harm 
We run them in, we run them in, 
We run them in, we run them in 
Because we are the bold gen-darmes! 

'''into the Latrine''' 
Cf. Slothrop's hallucination in ''GR''.

'''dentifrice''' 
A powder or other preparation for rubbing or cleansing the teeth; a tooth-powder or tooth-paste; also applied to liquid preparations.<ref>'''Oxford English Dictionary''' 2nd. ed. 1989.</ref>

'''vapor bearing...minerals''' 
Rows of mirrors facing each other (thus creating regular patterns, "chaining away for uncounted leagues") have been stained with images formed by regular use: breath, tiny bits of toothpaste or powder ("atomized dentifrice"), "shaving preparations," and mineral deposits from tapwater.

'''A.D.C.''' 
Aide-de-camp, administrative assistant to a commanding officer.

'''but they could find no entries in any of the daily Logs to help them remember''' 
Their situation has no precedent in any of the ''Chums'' novels. They have been betrayed, isolated and brainwashed, and they even doubt whether they are the authentic Chums. The following is not a spoiler: Any elementary handbook of plotting will tell you that they can't just single up all lines at the end of this episode and fly their ship "cheerly" on to the next adventure.

==Page 423==

'''revisit places where destinies took a wrong turn, or revisit in dreams the dreaming body of one loved more than either might have known...''' 
As far as we know, none of the Chums has actually experienced this. Sounds to me like an allusion to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust Faust] and Gretchen/Marguerite, since this actually happens in several of the Faust versions. Especially in the context of the Faustian bargain they have made with Mr. Ace.

'''None of them...''' 
Cf [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi#The_butterfly_dream Chuang Tzu's dream]: is he a man dreaming he's a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he's a man? On the rhetorical level of the story, this passage reiterates the dreamlike, near-delusional nature of the Chums' latest escape from what seems to have become their most dangerous foe. (418: "As if in a dream...").

'''volunteer decoys''' 
Fan-meme. 
Decoy = is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. 
I think this surprising phrase has Pynchonian meaning about the meaning of fiction like the Chums': 'escape', 'adventure' fiction is a decoy from
reality?

'''"At a Georgia Camp Meeting"''' 
a song by a Kerry Mills originally published in 1897.
Became a very popular 'cakewalk' tune. 
Lyrics: 
A camp meeting took place, by the colored race; way down in Georgia.
There were folks large and small, lanky, lean, fat and tall, at this great Georgia camp meeting.
When church was out, how the "sisters" did shout, they were so happy.
But the young folks were tired and wished to be inspired, and hired a big brass band.

Chorus: When the big brass band began to play pretty music so gay, hats were thrown away.
Thought them foolish people their necks would break,
When they quit their laughing and talking and went to walking for a big choc'late cake.

The old "sisters" raised sand, when they first heard the band; way down in Georgia.
The preacher did glare and the deacons did stare, at the young people prancing.
The band played so sweet that nobody could eat, 'twas so entrancing.
So the church folks agreed it was not a sinful deed, and they joined in with the rest. 

''':definition within above definition: 'cakewalk'''' 
Cakewalk is a traditional African American form of music and dance which originated among slaves in the US South. A cake, or slices of cake, were offered as prizes for the best dancers — a rare treat during slavery — giving the dance its name.
The dance was invented as a satirical parody of the formal European dances preferred by white slaveowners, and featured exaggerated imitations of the dance ritual, combined with traditional African dance steps. One common form of cakewalk dance involved couples (one male and one female, with their arms linked at the elbows) lined up in a circle, dancing forward alternating a series of short hopping steps with a series of very high kicking steps. Costumes worn for the cakewalk often included large, exaggerated bowties, suits, canes, and top hats....
The dance became nationally popular among whites and blacks for a time at the end of the 19th century. The syncopated music of the cakewalk became a nationally popular force in American mainstream music, and with growing complexity and sophistication evolved into ragtime music in the mid 1890s. The music was adopted into the works of various white composers, including John Philip Sousa and Claude Debussy; the latter wrote Golliwog's Cakewalk as the final movement of the Children's Corner suite (1908).

'''"deps"''' 
Dep. from American Heritage Dictionary = 1. department 2. departure 3. dependency 4. deponent 5. deposed 6. deposit 7. depot 8. deputy 
barring any other allusion, I think 'deps' here might stand for 1) departures or 2) departments (given words about other Chums above.
:Surrogates, decoys, escape: Surely these all make it certain that "deps" means "deputies."

'''route out of the past''' 
The nostalgia trap.

'''We wish we could tell you about everything that's been going on, but it's not over yet, it's at such a critical stage, and the less said right now the better. But someday . . . ''' 
The Chums imagine "the real Chums" as being engaged in a secret war that demands only one sacrifice from "the people," that of their innocence.

==Page 424==

''''coon' material''' 
Songs and humor in which African-Americans were stereotyped (as lazy, immoral, stupid, vain, etc.) and held in contempt. The most popular coon song, though, was written by an African-American, Ernest Hogan; titled "All Coons Look Alike to Me," it has an ''AtD'' resonance. Coon material was extremely popular between about 1880 and 1910; stripped of the word "coon," a diluted form still appears nightly on your TV. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_song Wikipedia] has a strikingly good article. For a partial list of coon references in ''AtD,'' [[ATD_26-56#Page_48|see annotation to p. 48.]]

'''isotropy''' 
the quality or condition of being equal along all directions. For more technical information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotropy isotropy].

'''presently''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Crumb R. Crumb] did a comic like this: [http://crumbproducts.com/prints_images/sha.gif pic] 
Nice find. That comic succintly summarizes TRP's view of the effects of railroads and "civilization."

'''opposition''' 
(Was unconscious, now conscious?)Are the Chums now able to intercede
in 'human' affairs, unlike their earlier mandate?
:That's exactly it, their stretch in the camp—sorry, the harmonica academy—has modified the terms of the C of C Prime Directive.

'''dropped from altitudes''' 
(Cf pudding above, Padzhitnoff's four-block fragments)

==Page 425==

'''"After the Ball"''' 
Music and lyrics by Charles K. Harris. This number was interpolated into the score of the hit musical ''A Trip to Chinatown'' (1892) during its record-setting Broadway run. It was introduced by J. Aldrich Libbey. When Kern and Hammerstein wanted to add period flavor to ''Show Boat'' (1927), they used "After the Ball" in the Trocadero scene where it was performed by Norma Terris. [[After the Ball|Read the lyrics...]]

See also the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_174-177 pantomime song] in ''Gravity's Rainbow'' (pages 174-175):
<blockquote>"And the lamps in the stairway are dying, 
It's the season just after the ball . . ."</blockquote>

'''Bukhara''' 
Either the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emirate_of_Bukhara Emirate of Bukhara], a former country in Central Asia or its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhara capital]

'''T.D.Y.''' 
Abbrevation for Temporary Duty. [http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r614_11.pdf weblink]

'''Subdesertine''' 
submerge beneath the desert or sand.

'''''Saksaul''''' 
A plant/tree native to the deserts of Central Asia, particularly the Gobi desert; it has a very hard wood and is covered with knobs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxaul Wikipedia] [http://www.pbase.com/william_sokolenko/image/68724037 pic]

It may be significant that the saksaul tree is often planted in order to stabilize the sands. Part of western Europe's civilizing mission?

'''Q. Zane Toadflax''' 
(Sounds like Douglas Adams?). Toadflax is the name of an [http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/weedfeeders/toadflax.html invasive plant species]

'''Hypopsammotic... Hypops''' 
''Hypo-'' (under) + ''psammot-'' (sand, from Greek ''psammos'') + ''-ic.'' Pynchon explains the device's function on the next page (426).

==Page 426==

'''beating their prices''' 
Contradicts p. 425 "no further expenditure".
:P. 425 merely says that "no further expenditure for that purpose [i.e. for Hypops rigs] will be approved." Presumably, the Chums have some additional discretionary fund from which to draw cash for emergency purchases such as these.

'''that medium which is wavelike as the sea, yet also particulate''' 
Alluding to the æther theory and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-particle_duality dual (wave/particle) nature of light].

==Page 427==

'''temporarily lapsing into English''' 
Contrasts with the technical jargon the Chums have been steeped in over the past few days, including lectures by Roswell Bounce (they're only boys, after all). Often, mathematicians, physicists, and their students fail to explain their theories "in English." This little phrase can be taken as a professorial joke, aimed at both the author (for always coming back to obscure or difficult theories) and the reader (for never understanding them). 
I thought it was contrasting with Miles' frequent babbling habit. 

'''''pigs fly''''' 
Lindsay = pig. "When (or until) pigs fly" = never.

'''X.O.''' 
The Executive Officer (XO) is the second-in-command, reporting to the Commanding Officer (CO).

'''legalistic''' 
Yes, Darby is now Legal Counsel.

==Page 428==
'''ill-starred Bell Tower''' 
Referring back of course to the [[#stearinery|Old Stearinery Bell Tower]] and the [[#pudding|Fatal Pudding]], and in turn to the [[Campanile]].

:The Campanile picture has me wondering. According to the sources, the old picture of the collapse of the Campanile is actually a fake. And it doesn't have the airship. It's a fun picture, but what is its status? There doesn't seem to be an appropriate place for this information in the wiki, or have I missed something?

:The Campanile picture is an illustration. Doubtful that anyone had their camera all set up for the awesome event. The airship was photoshopped in for, um, color...

::See also last paragraph of page 255.

Cf. Renata's tarot reading on [[ATD 243-272#Page 253|p. 253]], the last card of which is The Tower.

Cf. ''The Bell-Tower'' by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Melville Herman Melville], a famous short story from ''The Piazza Tales'' (1856) with an "ill-starred
bell tower" for sure. "Glancing backwards, they saw the groined belfry crashed sideways in.", a line from it which echos the picture used for the pynchonwiki home page. [http://www.melville.org/belltowr.htm Full text of ''The Bell-Tower'']

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

File:Columbian1892 rev.jpg

2009-08-10T19:28:30Z

Cortinas: United States Mint image

United States Mint image

File:Columbian1892 obv.jpg

2009-08-10T19:25:56Z

Cortinas:

Talk:ATD 26-56

2009-08-07T19:17:33Z

Cortinas:

p. 51

I think that '''deadfalls'''

in:

"in the '''deadfalls''' where the desperate malcontents convened"

may be:

'''rough saloon'''
(Jonathon Green, Cassells's Slang Dictionary)

[[User:JerryS|JerryS]] 10:42, 22 May 2008 (PDT)

P28
Dahlia Rideout
The Lolita motif is common in Pynchon's works. Other Lolitas include Bianca in [Gravity's Rainbow.
Dahlia is four or five years old! She is not a Lolita motif here. Lolita was twelve and Humbert was sick.
Too early in the novel to jump into such conclusions.

Not sure what this adds in the informational part of the Wiki. --[[User:Cortinas|Cortinas]] 12:17, 7 August 2009 (PDT)

Talk:ATD 26-56

2009-08-07T19:16:54Z

Cortinas: Dahlia comps to Lolita

ATD 26-56

2009-08-07T19:14:14Z

Cortinas: /* Page 28 */ moved Dahlia Rideout to discussion

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 26==

'''egret plumes''' 
Some species of egrets were threatened with extinction in the 19th century because their plumes (also called ''aigrettes'') were much used in millinery. Problem is, the egrets grew the showy feathers only in breeding season, so that's when they were killed, hence no little egrets (egretlets?).

'''Little Egypt''' 
was the stage name for two popular exotic dancers, Ashea Wabe who danced at the Seeley banquet at the 1893 World's Fair and Farida Mazar Spyropoulos, also performing under the stage name Fatima, appeared at the "Street in Cairo" exhibition on the Midway at the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Egypt_(dancer) Wikipedia entry] Also a 1961 [[Little_Egypt|song]] by the Coasters.

==Page 27==

'''“I greatly admire the music of the region,” said Miles, “the ukulele in particular.”''' 
[http://www.thomaspynchon.com/hawaiian-vacations-pynchon.html The Hawaiian Islands and culture] (particularly ukuleles) have a strong presence in [http://vineland.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Vineland''] and [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Hawaiian_Islands_and_Ukuleles ''Gravity's Rainbow'']. [[Hawaii|More on Hawaiian references in ''Against the Day'']]...

'''Bacchanale''' 
From ''Samson et Dalila'', op. 47 (1877) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_and_Delilah_%28opera%29 Wikipedia entry]. Listen to a [http://themodernword.com/wiki/bacchanale.mp3 30 second MP3 sample]

"Bacchanalia" describes not just the music but the dance too, in this context.

'''from here to Timbuctoo''' 
Now known as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbuktu Timbuktu,] a standard figure of speech for the other end of Creation.

'''Maxim whirling machines...''' 
This paragraph describes a number of real flying apparati: [http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Aero_Oct1893.html This article] from October 1893 describes the Maxim whirling machine and others.

'''wing-flapping miracles of ornithurgy''' 
"ornithurgy" appears to be a Pynchon neologism meaning "bird-works" (Greek: ''ornis'', ''ornithos'', "bird" + ''-ourgia'' work, working). This entire passage seems proleptic, prefiguring the appearance of the [[ATD_1018-1039#Page_1030|Sodality of Ǣtheronauts]].

'''Dally''' 
Merle's relationship with Dally is reminiscent of Ryan and Tatum O'Neal's characters in the 1973 Peter Bogdanovich film, "Paper Moon". Merle's family situation (single father, smart aleck daughter, mother who took off) is identical to that of ''Vineland's'' protagonist Zoyd Wheeler.

==Page 28==

'''''Imbottigliata!''''' Italian for "bottled".

'''in Randolph's face a degree of stupefaction one regrets to term characteristic''' 
Randolph "froze" previously, on page 12; evidently this is a trait already established in the ''Chums'' novels.

'''fulminate me if she ain't''' 
What an odd turn of phrase: "set me off explosively." Actually, fulminate is derived from the Latin ''fulminat'' - "struck by lightning" - so it's more, May I be struck by lightning if she ain't.

'''this Trouvé-screw unit over here''' 
Gustave Trouvé built advanced machinery from the 1860s to the 1890s; [http://invention.psychology.msstate.edu/i/Chanute/library/Prog_Screws_May1892.html his work on airscrews] was pivotal, and he also invented [http://www.electricrecordteam.com/history.htm the outboard motor.] Before Trouvé's design studies, propulsion in the air used sail-rotors like windmills or depended on slightly modified marine propellers.

==Page 29==

'''Midway Plaisance''' 
The big central concourse of the White City. "Plaisance" is an alternative (or Frenchified) spelling of "pleasance," an esthetically appealing spot. According to [http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/columbian.html this very good site] on the Columbian Exposition, the Midway Plaisance lent its name to the midways of circuses ever after.

'''a l'étouffée''' 
French, meaning braised. So, braised alligator meat. Braised food, for instance crawfish, is a culinary specialty of New Orleans.

In the New Orleans context, a recipe is pertinent because "braise" doesn't exactly tell the story of this Cajun preparation. The following is drastically abridged from, of all things, the obituary of Joe Daole ("Joe Dale") in the ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution,'' April 21, 2007:
:Saute onion, green pepper, celery, parsley and garlic in a great deal of butter. Add peeled and chopped tomatoes and seasonings. Simmer, covered, 5-10 minutes. Make a dark brown roux with oil and flour; add to vegetables. Add seafood stock and bring to a boil. Add peeled shrimp or crawfish tail meat and cook just 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice.

'''Sloane Laboratory''' 
Yale's physics lab built 1882. Cf [[ATD_26-56#Page_33|page 33]].

'''Professor Gibbs''' 
Josiah Williard Gibbs (1839-1903), American mathematical physicist. He was born in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1854 he went to Yale and won prizes for excellence in Latin and mathematics. He undertook research in engineering and received his Ph.D in 1863, the first doctorate in engineering to be conferred in the US. From 1866 to 1869 Gibbs studies in Europe - first in Paris, then in Berlin and finally in Heidelberg. He was professor at Yale from 1871 to 1903. He contributed substantially to the study of thermodynamics, and his most important work, ''On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances'' (1876 and 1878) and his "phase rule" established him as a founder of physical chemistry. Gibbs' work on vector analysis was also of major importance in pure mathematics. Gibbs was one of the greatest American scientists in the 19th century. ([http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/Mathematicians/Gibbs.html Gibbs].)

'''De Forest''' 
Lee De Forest (1873-1961), American inventor. He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and educated at Yale and Chicago. A pioneer of radio, he introduced the grid into the therm-ionic valve, and invented the audion (1907), feedback circuit (1912) and the four-electrode valve. He involved in first news by radio (1916). He also did much early work on sound reproduction and on television. He patented over 300 inventions in wireless telegraphy, radio, telephony, talking pictures, high-speed facsimile transmission, television, radiotherapy, radar, etc. He was called, sometimes, "the father of radio." ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_De_Forest De Forest].)

'''Kimura''' 
He received his Ph.D degree in mathematics from Yale University in 1896. (Dissertation: ''Studies on General Spherical Functions''.) He published a paper ''On the Nabla of Quaternions'' in ''The Annals of Mathermatics'', Vol 10, No. 1/6 (1895-1896). In 1912, he published a paper called ''One-Waveness in Wireless Telegraphy; Pseudo-Impact Excitation'' in ''Physical Review'' of May 1912. (''Nabla'' is an early name for the "del" operator, symbolized by the inverted Greek letter Δ.)

'''Ray Ipsow''' 
In Latin ''re ipso'' means "the thing itself." "To the thing itself" was the motto and rallying cry of the investigational method known as phenomenology [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenology Wikipedia entry] developed by Edmund Husserl [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Husserl Wikipedia entry]. As the phrase indicates, it is a plea against abstraction--a theme of GR--- and for reality 'itself'.

'''Outer Indianoplace''' 
Derogatory nickname for Indianapolis.

'''down in New Orleans . . . that Khartoum business''' 
Evidently two Chums of Chance books we didn't know about. Perhaps ''The Chums of Chance and the Voodoo Priest'' and ''The Chums of Chance and the Mussulman Hordes.''

'''Khartoum... Mahdi's army''' 
Khartoum is the capital of Sudan. The Mahdi army refered to here was an Islamic group in the 1880s that advocated a return to strict Islamic values and battled with the government of Khartoum and Egyptian armies.More on these convoluted events at the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sudan_(1884-1898) Wikipedia entry].

The concept of the Mahdi is far beyond this one historic event, however.
In point of fact, the U.S. is fighting the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi_Army Mahdi Army] in Iraq right now.

==Page 30==

'''contrary wind . . . Oltre Giubba, instead of down at Alex''' 
From Khartoum you fly north by west to Alexandria. That wind was about as contrary as it could be: from Khartoum to Oltre Giuba is south by east. Now called [http://www.jubaland.org/ Jubaland,] Oltre Giuba (just one B, please, this isn't ''Pagliacci'') is [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_Giuba the southwesternmost part of Somalia,] across the Juba River from the rest. Not to be confused with Juba province in southern Sudan.
:Oh, and the Oltre Giuba diversion must have taken place before ''Inconvenience'' was fitted with hydrogen steam power, else she could have flown against the wind.

'''railroad watch''' 
High-quality pocket watch. [http://www.pockethorology.org/Railroad/Railroad.htm [pix and info]]

==Page 31==

'''Scarsdale Vibe''' 
Scarsdale NY boasts that it's Westchester County's wealthiest community, so a 'Scarsdale vibe' implies 'stinking of money'. Vibe is another Pynchon baddie whose last name starts with "V", ''e.g.'', Brock Vond in ''Vineland.''

'''"The Juggernaut"''' 
The name of Vibe's private train derives from the Sanskrit Jagannātha, meaning "Lord of the Universe" one of the many names of Lord Krishna. "Krishna" itself means "black" or "dark" skinned. British colonial "urban" legend had it that Hindus sought to be crushed under the wheels of giant cars in Krishna's "chariot procession" at Puri as a way of gaining salvation. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juggernaut see the Wikipedia entry.]

Capitalism has often been described as a juggernaut. One of numerous uses:
"Even as leaders of nation states compete for power and prestige, the juggernaut of capitalism diminishes borders, weakens governments and, eventually," ...
http://www.southpacific.arts.unsw.edu.au/resources/resource_nissology.htm - 
:A leading sociologist, Anthony Giddens, is also responsible for the phrase, "the juggernaut of modernity". See this incredibly relevant definition and analysis of this phrase: "The most defining property of modernity, according to Giddens, is '''that we are disembedded from time and space'''. In pre-modern societies, space was the area in which one moved, time was the experience one had while moving. In modern societies, however, the social space is no longer confined by the boundaries set by the space in which one moves. One can now imagine what other spaces look like, even if he has never been there. In this regard, Giddens talks about virtual space and virtual time. Another distinctive property of modernity lies in the field of knowledge. In pre-modern societies, it were the elders who possessed the knowledge: they were definable in time and space. In modern societies we must rely on expert systems. These are not present in time and space, but we must trust them. Even if we trust them, we know that something could go wrong: there's always a risk we have to take. Also the technologies which we use, and which transform constraints into means, hold risks. Consequently, there is always a heightened sense of uncertainty in contemporary societies. It is also in this regard that Giddens uses the image of a 'juggernaut': modernity is said to be like an unsteerable juggernaut traveling through space." Wikipedia [[http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Giddens]]

'''in disguise . . . bodyguards and secretaries . . . ebony stick''' 
Some great disguise!

'''Foley Walker''' 
"Foley walker" is a term used to indicate a sound-effects expert. Also known as a foley artist [http://www.natf.org/wad/foley.htm [cite]]. One of the foley walker's main jobs is to add the sound of footsteps to movies where required, imitating the way the character would walk. So, a kind of 'stand-in'.

'''Forty-seventh and Ashland''' 
[[image:47th-Ashland.jpg|right|thumb|caption|47th & Ashland Avenue, 1935| 200px]][...] First, the story [...] about Ashland being named for the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire is an urban legend. Ashland Avenue, first known as Reuben Street, was already developed before the fire and was considered the height of suburban living on the West Side in the 1860s.
[http://www.gapersblock.com/airbags/archives/ashland_the_great_fire_and_the_ruins_of_chicago/ [cite]] [...] The spread of movie palaces in the automobile age presaged the spread of commercial buildings from the Loop to the neighborhoods and suburbs. By 1930, Marshall Field & Co. had created smaller versions of its downtown store in Evanston and Oak Park, while neighborhood retailers like Goldblatt's and Wieboldt's were moving downtown. Chicago developed regional shopping districts at 47th and Ashland, 63rd and Halsted, Irving Park and Pulaski, and many other locations. Certain areas catered to specialized industries, such as “Automobile Row” on South Michigan Avenue, or the Maxwell Street Market, an open-air European-style market that resisted every effort at modernization until its destruction in the 1990s. [...]
[http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/316.html [cite]]

==Page 32==

'''Second Corinthians''' 
This exchange between Vibe and Ipsow refers specifically to 2 Corinthians 11:19 -- For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
[http://www.kingjamesversionofthebible.com/47-secondcorinthians.html [cite]]

'''Ipsow's response to S. Vibe on lines 21-23( ...in these days need arises directly from criminal acts of the rich)''' can be seen as a direct paraphrase of Ch. 5 of the book of James:
Now listen you rich.. you have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! the wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields cry out against you... you have lived in luxury and fattened yourself in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and killed innocent men ... James 5

==Page 33==

'''"Old Zip Coon"''' 
"Old Zip Coon" dates from as early as 1834 and is considered the original name for the 19th-century American folk song, 'Turkey in the Straw'. [[Old Zip Coon | lyrics]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_in_the_Straw Wikipedia] See also [http://www.stephen-foster-songs.de/Amsong59.htm] and [http://www.csufresno.edu:80/folklore/ballads/RJ19258.html]. 
The word "coon" may originate in America as a derogatory name for a Negro, but it was current in England too (therefore not "for an African-American"). For other occurrences of the word, with show business associations in every case, see text and annotations: [[#Page_48|page 48]], [[ATD_336-357#Page_344|page 344]], [[ATD_358-373#Page_369|page 369]] and [[ATD_397-428#Page 424|page 424.]]
:In this contributor's boyhood, a brand of chewing tobacco heavily advertised on East Tennessee radio and television used the tune in its jingle, with lyrics close to:
<blockquote>If you like a spicy taste 
Every morning, night and noon, 
Then you're bound to like the taste 
When you chew Red Coon.</blockquote>
:The package at this time portrayed a raccoon, but it's possible a different image had come before.

'''Dr. Tesla''' 
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), American inventor. He was born in Croatia of Serbian parents. He studied at Graz (Austria), Prague and Paris. He discovered (1881) principle of rotating magnetic field, basis of practically all alternating-current (AC) machinery. Between 1882-1884 he was an engineer in Paris (1882-84) and constructed his first induction motor (1883). He emigrated to the United States (1884, naturalized in 1889). Worked for Thmoas Edison (1884-85) but left the Edison Works at Menlo Park (Edison opposed to AC idea) to concentrate on his own inventions, which include improved dynamos, transformers, electric bulbs, wireless communication (1897) and the high-frequency coil which bears his name. (Cf [[ATD_97-118#Page_97|page 97]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla Tesla].)

<div id="rewrite">'''violate . . . the essence of everything modern history is supposed to be''' 
Notice what he ''doesn't'' say: the principles of the free market, the essence of the capitalist economic system. As if modern history has already been written and such research would somehow undermine it.</div>

'''Sloane Lab''' 
Completed in 1912, was the gift of Henry T. Sloane, BA 1866, and William D. Sloane, MA HON. 1889. Of Longmeadow stone, it is Collegiate Gothic in style. Charles C. Haight was the architect. (An underground addition was constructed in 1958 to house a Van de Graaff machine-now removed. The John A. Hartford Foundation, Inc., and the U.S. Public Health Service financed it. Sloane Lab was the first University constructed on the Hillhouse Estate (less the three acres adjoining Sachem’s Wood). The property was a gift in 1910 of Mrs. Russell Sage, and called Pierson Sage Square. The University had wanted to acquire the land to develop into a turn-of-the-century “science park”. The well-known landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead advised in the land’s development. [217 Prospect Street]
[http://www.facilities.yale.edu/campus/Building1.asp?lstBldg=1075 [cite]] and [http://www.facilities.yale.edu/images/BFS/1075.jpg [photo]].

Interestingly, Frederick Law Olmstead was also pivital in the development of the grounds for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. His famous "Wooded Isle" remains a centerpiece in Chicago's Jackson Park. [http://www.hydepark.org/parks/jpac/jpkhistoryandfair.htm [link]] and
[http://www.hydepark.org/parks/pics/laggen4.JPG [photo]].

For a more detailed account of Olmstead's landscape architecture as it relates to the 1893 World's Fair, see Erik Larson's ''The Devil in the White City''.

:These would be anachronistic, but as the note for p29 above mentions, a lab existed by 1882.

'''World-System''' 
Dr. Tesla's idea of providing electrical power that anyone could tap in for free alludes the birth of wireless internet before being monopolized by b(p)ig companies and corporate greed.

==Page 34==

'''the most terrible weapon the world has seen . . . rational systems of control''' 
This statement defines the threat—as the plutocrats see it—of free power (anarchy) and their justification for bending government and every other compelling force to stamp it out.

'''out of the fish-market anarchy of all battling all''' 
Vibe quotes Thomas Hobbes, who in ''Leviathan'' (1651) described the primitive state of the human race as ''bellum omnium contra omnes,'' the war of all against all, which was ended only by the creation of the State. Note the change of "war" to "anarchy."

'''Pierpont''' 
John Pierpont Morgan I (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and banker, who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation.
[...]
In 1900, Morgan financed inventor Nikola Tesla and his Wardenclyffe Tower with $150,000 for experiments in radio. Tesla was unsuccessful and, in 1904, Morgan pulled out. Later, Tesla created an AC generator
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._Morgan [cite]]

'''non-linear phenomena of scale''' 
Linear scaling means, for example, store twice as much charge, get twice as much voltage. An instance of behavior becoming nonlinear is when air insulation breaks down (arcs, lightning); here adding charge may lead to a ''decrease'' in voltage.

'''Somble, Strool & Fleshway''' 
Law firms in Pynchon have such charming names; compare Salitieri, Poore, Nash, de Brutus, and Short in [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow''] or Warpe, Wistfull, Kubitschek and McMingus in [http://cl49.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''The Crying of Lot 49'']. This one has more of a Dickensian sound. Somble could be a portmanteau of ''somber'' and ''tremble'' or ''some bull''; Strool, perhaps, of ''strait'' (= narrow) and ''cruel,'' or ''stool'' and ''drool''. "Fleshway" might suggest a reference to Samuel Butler's ''The Way of All Flesh,'' which was not published until 1903, but it seems more likely to go back to [http://www.gracecathedral.org/enrichment/brush_excerpts/brush_20041027.shtml a biblical phrase] associated with death.

Using the onomatapeia technique such as in the ''Gravity's Rainbow'' law firm, we start to get 'Some Bull, is ('t) Drool And.......Help needed! How about "some bull's strool and fleshway." Strool being the portmanteau of stool and drool, and fleshway being the meaty part of the flushway (g.i. tract, anus) -- you know, something like bullshit with the consitency of diarrhea.

Incidentally, Strool is an actual surname as well as the name of a town in South Dakota.

By the way, Thomas Hobbes' ''Leviathan'' (see "all against all" entry toward the top of this page) is also the source of Salitieri et al. ("solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short," describing the life of human beings in their primitive state). 

'''vestiary''' 
Of, or relating to, clothing.

==Page 36==

'''Fairgoers would see the ship overhead and yet not see it''' 
Useful property for a surveillance platform.

'''Lew Basnight''' 
"Bas" is French for "low", though "bas nuit" means nothing in French.

A detective named 'Lew' reminds us (who is "us"?) of Ross Macdonald's character Lew Archer which in turn recalls another detective, Miles Archer, partner of Sam Spade in San Francisco detective agency Spade & Archer. This may be a bad pun on 'lube-ass night' and also might refer to the incident causing Lew to be shunned by his peers.

[[image:beaver-on-the-brain.jpg|thumb|Beaver on the Brain T-Shirt|right]]Very possibly, Pynchon is having some fun here, working a whole sexual angle, naming his character after the phrase "BAS night," meaning a boys' night out, "BAS" being an acronym for "Bitches Ain't Shit" from the [http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/drdre/bitchesaintshit.html "song" by Dr. Dre] (featuring Snoop Dogg, Dat Nigga Daz, Kurupt, Jewel). And, hey, Lew meets Nicholas Nookshaft, Grand Cohen of T.W.I.T. (Nookie Shaft? Twat crossed w/clit? A-and isn't that tetractys an inverted beaver?), where he meets Yashmeen, a ''very'' sexual woman. And then there's that whole "Beavers of the Brain" cyclomite episode ([[ATD 171-198#Page 183|p. 183]]) (Beavers, fercrissakes!). Perhaps something worth following up ... or not!

It is possible Basnight is an Americanization of the German "Fasnacht". "Fastnacht or Fasnacht is the pre-Lenten carnival in Alemannic folklore in Switzerland, southern Germany, Alsace and western Austria. It is also known in parts of Pennsylvania Dutch Country as Fauschnaut Day and is celebrated on the day before Ash Wednesday, or the last Tuesday before Lent." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasnacht]

"A likely derivation is from PIE pwo- "purify" (cognate to pava-mana), or alternatively connected with Middle High German vaselen "prosper, bud" and interpreted as a fertility rite."

Fasnacht Day is known in English as Shrove Tuesday. "The word shrove is a past tense of the English verb "shrive," which means to obtain absolution for one's sins by confessing and doing penance." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday] All of this seems to tally well with the Basnight character.

Another pun theory: on page 38, Lew is described as being in an ignorance "black as night." This can be abbreviated to "Basnight."
Lew is pronounced "loo," which of course is the British toilet.
Lew Basnight then means, "toilet, black as night." Just a thought...

'''White City Investigations''' 
Since the White City dates from 01 May 1893, this ought to be later.

The name recalls the White Visitation of [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/ ''Gravity's Rainbow'']. Any connection?

==Page 37==
'''fictitiousness''' 
On this and the previous page, there is a question raised of whether the Chums are fictional. Or it could be saying that such fantastical sights as the airship are easy to miss at the fair.

It seems more likely that the comparison here is simply between that of the fair, a small, self-contained world of marvels (like all World's Fairs) and the "real world" outside its gates.

There is lots more going on (and it's ''lots'' more interesting). Consider these passages on pages 36-37:
*the . . . celebration possessed the exact degree of fictitiousness to permit the boys access and agency
*The harsh nonfictional world waited outside the White City's limits
*he (Lew) had not . . . heard of the Chums of Chance
*every boy knows the Chums of Chance
*you're not storybook characters. . . . Are you?
Too much back-and-forth about fiction to be '''just''' about the exposition and the real world. Some premises that are implicit here:
*The Chums know that they live in literature whether they have a "real" existence or not.
*They know their books are popular with an audience of boys. (Lindsay is surprised that Lew didn't read them earlier, not that he isn't reading them now.)
*Lew doesn't regard objective evidence (they are standing before him, he's ascended in their ship) as sufficient to rule out ambiguity (". . . Are you?").
*The lads are able to experience and act only in a quasi-fictitious environment. Off the fairgrounds (in the WCI office), Randolph gives nothing but answers scripted for him by National.
All this suggests that even the Chums aren't sure on what level they exist. They definitely have adventures, as recorded in their books, but they don't seem to have adventures ''not'' contained in the novels.
What will happen if they come to the end of a ''Chums'' book while we are still reading ''AtD''?

'''No more than Wyatt Earp or Nellie Bly''' 
See the next two entries. Earp had a "real" life but people remember him chiefly because of stories written about him (and by him through ghostwriters, [http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.pl?htx=/zpub2000/sfentries&cmd=list&range=0,50&Title~=E&cmd=all&Id=98 link 1], [http://www.ferncanyonpress.com/tombston/robbery.shtml link 2]). Bly entertained masses of people by having adventures and then writing about them. Each "lived" through a body of literature.

'''Wyatt Earp''' 
(1848–1929), was a teamster, sometime buffalo hunter, officer of the law in various Western frontier towns, gambler, and saloon-keeper in the Wild West and the U.S. mining frontier from California to Alaska. He is best known for his participation in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyatt_Earp Wikipedia]

'''Nellie Bly''' 
(1864-1922) was an American journalist, author, industrialist, and charity worker. She is most famous for an undercover exposé in which she faked insanity to study a mental institution from within. She is also well-known for her record-breaking trip around the world. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly Wikipedia]

'''Regarding Lew Basnight's malady...''' 
Again, there seems to be a character with a neurological illness; in this case it is presented as amnesia, but seizures also result in "lost time". (See comments on Miles' "electricity coming on" on page 24.) Such maladies are more common than one supposes, and can offer a glimpse of other-worldliness akin to that of hallucinogenics, and epileptics have, at times, been considered to have access to past or future lives.
:OR it could be the case that Lew has fallen through a crack in time-space and entered a parallel universe; in the previous universe (which he simply remembers as the past), he had not done anything wrong, which explains his perplexity. The same might be the case with Miles, which would be why he did not expect baskets of crockery near his feet. Such moving among worlds is a thread in this work.

'''making a point of pronouncing his name disrespectfully''' 
The only way it could be done is, apparently, by saying Lube Ass Night. Well, that or tone of voice.

'''the Upstate-Downstate Beast''' 
Illinois is one of three states with an Upstate, though one of them doesn't use the term Downstate (South Carolina divides itself into Upstate and Lowcountry). The nickname points to a traveling man, perhaps. "Moral horror," "denounced," "revulsion" probably fit with many crimes, though most of those would have led to a prison sentence and we don't have any information of Lew's serving time.

'''"Although the longer a fellow's name has been in the magazines, the harder it is to tell fiction from non-fiction."''' 
May express Pynchon's reaction to the press' treatment of him over the years. In 1964, when Pynchon heard that the ''New York Herald Tribune'' was writing an article about him, Pynchon wrote to his agent that he assumed the piece "will be riddled with the same lies, calumnies and all-around knavish disregard for my privacy" as previous articles. ("Pynchon's Letters Nudge His Mask," ''New York Times,'' 4 Mar 1998).

'''Wensleydale''' 
A type of cheese made in Yorkshire, England.

==Page 38==

'''"You have destroyed your name."''' 
Wensleydale using very strong language. He doesn't say "destroyed your reputation" or "discredited your name" but "''destroyed'' your name." Does anyone else see this as suggesting Lew's name was not Lew Basnight before his sin?

'''to plead with him to come back''' 
A strange response, that Troth should ask the Upstate-Downstate Beast to return to her. You would think she'd prefer him as far away as he could get.

'''one of your other wives''' 
A direct reference to Lew's sin, or is Troth just pelting Lew with anything that's in reach?

==Page 39==

'''kazoos''' 
This silly instrument appears in several Pynchon novels.

'''slow ritual movement''' 
Maybe tai chi, or anachronistic Gurdjieffian dance?

'''Drave''' 
A noun meaning, according to the OED, a "fishing expedition in which several men take part, each supplying a net and receiving a share of the profits made. Later, A haul (of fish); also, a shoal." There is also a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drave Drave river] in south central Europe, though there seems to be no textual evidence to support this association.

'''Saratoga chips''' 
Potato chips were invented in Saratoga Springs, NY, and were often called Saratoga chips in the 19th century.

'''Esthonia Hotel''' 
How the country Estonia was spelled in English during the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Atonia is a lack of normal muscle tension, but also, "A frightening form of paralysis that occurs when a person suddenly finds himself or herself unable to move for a few minutes, most often upon falling asleep or waking up. Commonly called sleep paralysis, the condition is due to an ill-timed disconnection between the brain and the body." [http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9811 Definition] This could mean that the hotel in question is nothing more than an internal hallucination of Basnight's, further suggesting that his problem is one of neurological rather than simply moral or spiritual cause.

'''"liable for criminal penalties"''' 
Law and the legal profession so far appear in AtD more than any other Pynchon novel (perhaps save ''The Crying of Lot 49''), and so far, like here, in a negative or confusing light. Perhaps Pynchon sees law as part of the general establishment the novel seems to criticize/oppose.--("Seems to?" Is there some way in which, in the end, that this novel is SUPPORTING the "general establishment?" That would be an interesting hypothesis.)

==Page 40==

'''lofty regions no high-iron pioneer had yet dared''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wainwright_Building In the early 1890s] anything taller than about 10 stories would have qualified.

'''remembrance stick''' 
Similar to keisaku in Zen Buddhism, an attempt by a sensei to alert students to their mindlessness in zazen (sitting meditation), usually administered by a stick. An English translation is stick of compassion. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyosaku [Wikipedia]]

Lew's performance of commonplace and strange chores is also similar to the way Zen training can proceed for novitiates.

==Page 41==

'''you keep bouncing free. Avoiding penance and thereby definition''' 
It is hard to tie Drave down philosophically. No connection between sin and penance, penance as destiny, penance happens or doesn't, and now this idea that penance ''defines'' one's existence.

==Page 42==

'''Spring arrived''' 
We've seen Lew pretty well through a year: summertime (p. 38) when Troth followed him to Chicago, autumn (p. 40) when he checked in at the Esthonia, winter (p. 41) as his bank account starved, now in the spring his moment of grace.

'''scorcher cap''' 
The cap of an early bicycling enthusiast. According to [http://www.velorution.biz/?p=1288 this site]:

:"In […]1892 [… a] bicyclist to be considered genuine had to be dressed in bicycle clothes. A man had to wear bicycle pants which were baggy at the top and tight to the legs below. Then he had to have bicycle socks and shoes. The shoes were made of canvass. Then he had to have a loose fitting grey colored short which we would designate now as a sport shirt. Then on his head he had to wear a tight fitting cap with a long bill in front, the longer the better up to a certain ceiling length. With this outfit and a bicycle with drop handlebars he was ready to appear in public as a real cyclist. If he could make 20 miles an hour on a good track he was called a 'scorcher,' the idea being that he was going so fast that he would scorch at least the end of his nose if nothing else."

'''shirtwaists with huge shoulders''' 
[[image:shirtwaist.jpg|thumb|caption|Shirtwaists|150px|right]]Fashionable the year of the Fair, the shirtwaist is a dress with a bodice (waist) like a tailored shirt and an attached straight or full skirt, the huge shoulders being the sort of "puffy" look of the sleeves. They are now called blouses. Compare Chevrolette McAdoo's outfit, [[ATD_26-56#Page 26|p. 26]].

'''He understood that things were exactly what they were.''' 
This sentence sums up the entire experience at the Esthonia hotel, which seems to be a Zen-like initiation. Here, Lew Basnight seems to have attained some form of enlightenment, and the description ("a condition...which he later came to think of as grace"), along with this sentence, are almost textbook examples of Zen enlightenment. No lights flash, no changes are seen; one merely understands that things are what they are. After this experience, he leaves the hotel, and no longer needs to be there. He then embarks on his new career, in part because of his extreme ability to notice minute details; something that he was not said to have had before.
:The sentence can also serve as a guide to readers of ''AtD.'' Even when it is tempting to speculate that "this paragraph is about Richard Nixon" or protest that "you can't see Sirius on a summer evening," it is worth the effort to let the text mean what it means.

==Page 43==

'''transfigured''' 
In Lew's time of grace, he shows a changed face.

'''leisurely rips through the fabric of the day''' 
See below

==Page 44==

'''He had learned to step to the side of the day.''' 
Through the book there are juxtapositions of things with and against the day (the 'title motif'). Here, we are told that Lew has learned to step "to the side" of the day. Possibly he is able to enter another plane? This is possible considering the dream-like hotel sequence on previous pages.
:I think that the "other plane" interpretation is a bit of a stretch. The passage seems to imply that Lew has learned to will and maintain a degree of detachment from his surroundings, perhaps a relinquishment of his perceived control over events or his attempts to control them.
: -- I don't see it as a stretch if we accept that he now recognizes that there are alternate, parallel, universes.

'''it was apparently not as easy for anyone in "Chicago" to be that certain of his whereabouts''' 
The quotes here may be to distinguish the fact that while technically living in Chicago, Lew sometimes exists or moves within a place or plane that others also living there don't see, or have access to.
:Yes, or universes rather than planes.

==Page 45==

'''two-headed eagle''' 
As Holy Roman Emperor, the Austro-Hungarian emperor bore a two-headed eagle (each head crowned) as part of his arms. The Tsar of Russia also used a two-headed eagle, but it was triply crowned (one crown between the heads). The Serbian two-headed eagle appeared on a shield with one crown above it, and the Montenegrin one had a single crown between the heads. Other details of the envelope would serve to disambiguate.

'''Trabants''' 
"Trabanten" (German for 'satellites') originally - during the Thirty Years' War - were lightly armed foot soldiers; later this term was used for servants and/or bodyguards of high-ranking persons.

'''"have a lawyer explain civil liability to you"''' 
Again, law.

'''gumshoe''' 
Perhaps a bit too early to use this term; the Dictionary of American Slang dates it as "by 1906".

'''a couple a thousand hunkies''' 
"Hunkies" was a slur against Hungarians and other eastern Europeans. The word may have morphed into "honkies."

'''Francis Ferdinand''' 
This is indeed the same Franz Ferdinand whose assassination in 1914 triggered World War I. At the time of his appearance in ''AtD'', he would have been 30, and his two passions throughout young adulthood and his 20s were travel and hunting (it is estimated that he shot more than 5,000 deer in his lifetime). [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria Wikipedia entry]. He did indeed attend the Chicago Exposition. [http://columbus.iit.edu/bookfair/ch27.html]

Click for [[The Habsburgs in Against the Day]]...

See the annotation about Austria-Hungary on the next page.

'''shive artist''' 
Someone proficient with a knife (shive=knife or razor).

'''to rewrite history''' 
Hold on, '''re'''write? As Vibe did on [[#rewrite|page 33,]] Privett seems to reason that history has already been decided and some action would change it rather than generate a valid new history.

==Page 46==

'''"staff," a mixture of plaster and hemp fibers''' 
[http://users.vnet.net/schulman/Columbian/columbian.html One source] says it was jute, not hemp.

According to [http://www.buildingstonemagazine.com/summer-06/historic.html ''Building Stone'' magazine,] the buildings were meant to be painted in bright colors, but the Chicago climate put the kibosh on that. Even keeping them white called for continuous repainting.

The Museum of Science and Industry is the only structure surviving from the exposition. Built as the Palace of Fine Arts, it started out faced in staff but was later [http://www.aviewoncities.com/chicago/museumofscienceandindustry.htm rebuilt] to the original exterior design in limestone and marble.

'''to counterfeit some deathless white stone''' 

Given the many references throughout ''AtD'' to "white" and "stones" to ''counterfeit'' a ''deathless'' white stone seems portentous.

'''"In Austria," the Archduke was explaining, ". . . the Chicago Stockyards might possibly be rented out . . . for a weekend's amusement"''' 

Pynchon continues his linking of the Stockyard killing-floor with the genocidal horrors of the 20th Century, it seems. See above. Heidegger (sic) made this connection somewhere and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maxwell_Coetzee J.M Coetze's] novel ''Elizabeth Costello'' uses it in a key chapter that was published separately.

'''beaters who drive the animals toward the hunters . . . waiting to shoot them''' 
Skillful use of ambiguity: waiting to shoot the animals or the beaters?

'''"Hungarians occupy the lowest level of brute existence"''' 
Even if the quote might be fictive, the Archduke's characterization is close to the point. Franz Ferdinand, a dour reactionary with aggressive ideas in foreign policy, had the reputation of an avowed Hungarophobe. The Compromise of 1867 created a dualistic Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, which the Archduke sought to transform in a "trialistic" way, giving an enivsioned southern Slav union of Croatia (which was united in a sub-confederation with Hungary), Bosnia and Dalmatia a status similar to that of the Kingdom of Hungary. Note how the Czechs, a population about twice as large as southwestern Slavs, were omitted from this scheme. The idea was evidently to weaken the Hungarian establishment, and recentralize power in Vienna.

'''Mannlicher''' 
A double-barreled rifle designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher. It is reported that Archduke Franz Ferdinand had several of these made special for him.

Interestingly enough, the rifle is also mentioned in ''Green Hills of Africa'' and ''The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber'' by Ernest Hemingway, who used it extensively on hunting.

Franz was eventually assassinated in Sarajevo. Coincidentally (?), fellow assassinee JFK was initially claimed to have been a victim of Lee Harvey Oswald's Mannlicher rifle.

==Page 47==

'''K&K Special Security''' 
"K&K" stands for "Kaiserlich und Königlich," German for "imperial and royal (kingly)," to indicate the Austrian two titles of the ruler of the Dual Monarchy: King of Hungary and Emperor of Austria. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiserlich_und_königlich Wikipedia entry].

'''Kuchenteigs-Verderbtheit''' 
This is not a German word as far as I know and most likely not even a degenerate Habsburg or one of his officers would have used it (but then I haven't read Franz Ferdinand's account of his travels...). Sounds more like some Babelfish machine translation of "pastry-depravity" to me. I wonder what the German translator will make of this. My guess is, s/he will not make a "typical German" combined noun out of it, but turn the phrase to be able to use an adverb like "mehlspeisennarrisch" instead (what with in Austria and Bavaria there is a word for (mostly sweet) pastry: "Mehlspeise" (literally "flour-meal), and "narrisch" is Austrian/Viennese for being (slightly) mad). But then, of course, there might be a pun intended I as a bad english-speaker just dont get. Maybe via the pronounciation? Check out this [http://www.dict.cc/?s=Kuchenteigs-Verderbtheit dictionary], head for "continue searching" and press "voice output" - voila, thats what "Kuchenteigs-Verderbtheit" sounds like.

The term probably is made up, but the meaning is more like "shameful addiction to cookie dough." In the context of detectives, what may be happening here is this: The Austrians have heard the canard that American policemen are addicted to doughnuts, but they misunderstand both ''doughnut'' and ''addicted.''

Another possibility: Austrians have read that American detectives will do anything for dough.

'''Boll Weevil Lounge''' 
The boll weevil, a destructive cotton pest, first arrived in America (via Mexico) in 1892, only one year before the opening section of ATD. It is a fitting name for a "Negro Bar" as the boll weevil is the subject of dozens of blues songs. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boll_weevil [Wikipedia]]

1893 is too soon for the songs and probably for the lounge too. Cotton was still king in the South; the big [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_States_and_International_Exposition_%281895%29 Atlanta exposition] was two years in the future, and the economic dislocation had not properly begun. The boll weevil songs date from the teens-20s and later.

'''...the only place in Chicago a man could find a decent orange phosphate...''' 
A reference to the modern stereotype that black people like orange soda, here called a phosphate.

==Page 48==

'''Wassermelone''' 
Watermelon; another black stereotype...

'''grip cars''' 
The lead cars in cable-car systems. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_City_Railway [Wikipedia]]

'''''deine Mutti'', as you would say''' 
Franz Ferdinand is attempting to engage the patrons of the Boll Weevil Lounge in a game of "the dozens", an insult contest in which opponents make fun of each other's mothers. "The dozens" has its origins in the New Orleans slave trade. As with the boll weevil, "the dozens" is closely associated with blues music. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dozens [Wikipedia]]

'''the World's Fair, not the World's Ugly''' 
A fairly sophisticated pun, if F.F.'s English is so rudimentary.

'''''...'st los, Hund?''''' 
German for "'s up, dog?"

'''All Pimps Look Alike to Me''' 
An early rag by Ernest Hogan was entitled All Coons Look Alike to Me; "Hogan was evidently not the originator of the song's lyrics, having appropriated them after hearing a pianist in a Chicago salon playing a song titled "All Pimps Look Alike to Me"". [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hogan See this article.] 
For more "coon" references see text and annotations: [[#Page_33|page 33]], [[ATD_336-357#Page_344|page 344]], [[ATD_358-373#Page_369|page 369]] and especially [[ATD_397-428#Page 424|page 424]].

'''scapegrace''' 
Scoundrel.

'''And when Franz Ferdinand pays, everybody pays!''' 
A remarkably concise and prophetic summary of the subsequent 20th century.

'''keester''' 
Buttocks.
<ref><references/></ref>

==Page 49==

'''Kinsley's''' 
A famous steakhouse at 105-107 Adams St. in downtown Chicago. The building was erected in 1885.

'''At first Lew took it for a church''' 
This could be an allusion to the film, ''On The Waterfront'', and a similar scene when Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) is sent by Johnny Friendly and Co. to eavesdrop on a meeting being held in a church by local priest Father Barry (Karl Malden) along with workers from the docks who are fed up with Friendly and the Mob, especially in light of a recent death. Social themes of film seem apt as well. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_waterfront].

Karl Malden (Mladen Sekulovich)incidentally was a product of this milieu, born in Chicago in 1912 to a Serb steelworker father and Czech seamstress mother. The Sekulovich family hails from Herzegovina.

'''Welsbach mantles''' 
One of the most important advances in the history of lighting, the Welsbach mantle (for a period so ubiquitous it became more commonly known simply as 'gas mantle') was first sold commercially in 1892 and quickly spread throughout Europe. It remained an important part of street lighting until the widespread introduction of electric lighting in the early 1900s. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_mantle Wikipedia entry].

'''Reverend Moss Gatlin''' 
A fictional character. Is he connected to Rev. Cherrycoke? They are both Reverends with strong political opinions and you can hear Pynchon's voice here very strong.

Possible allusion to Reverend Fr. John M. Corridan, the real-life counterpart of Father Barry in ''On The Waterfront''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Corridan Wikipedia]

Some real, or anyway nonfictional, anarchist preachers:
*[http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/rothbard107.html Thomas Olney,] 17th-century Baptist anarchist who was influential in Rhode Island
*[http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/hol055/96047023.html Rudolf Rocker] (1873-1958), nicknamed the "anarchist rabbi"
*[http://recollectionbooks.com/bleed/gallery/galleryindex.htm Ferdinand Domela Nieuwenhuis,] Dutch minister who came to anarchism in 1897
*[http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_archives/critics/mckinley/chap4.html Albert Dahlquist and Joseph A. Wildman,] caught up in persecutions after the McKinley assassination (Dahlquist was nearly lynched; Wildman was tarred and feathered)
*[http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2004/10/301208.shtml Father Frank Morales,] participant in Portland anti-globalization demonstrations
*[http://www.deadanarchists.org/anton.html Hugh O. Pentecost,] who in 1889 was slated to address a meeting in commemoration of the Haymarket; Philadelphia authorities suppressed the gathering

'''fascinators''' 
Hair adornments. [http://www.ribbonsandpearls.co.uk/catalogue/fascinators/fascinator_hair_accessories_intro.htm [pix]]

'''bearing the insults of the day''' 
See notes on [[ATD_26-56#Page_43|pages 43 and 44]] above.

'''Blake's Jerusalem''' 
The original lines From William Blake's poem are:

I will not cease from mental fight, 
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand 
Till we have built Jerusalem 
In England's green and pleasant land.

'''Fierce as the winter's tempest . . . Death's for the bought and sold!''' 
This lyric does not come up in a Google search. It doesn't flow like any other lyric in Pynchon but reads like a rather good hymn text. No variations in the meter, no words broken for the sake of rhyme, no punctuation to show lengthened or chopped syllables. And yet thematically it is a seamless fit with the text around it. Are the lines original in ''AtD,'' or can their source be identified?

==Page 50==

'''Picardy third''' 
The use of a major chord at the end of a musical section in a minor key. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picardy_third Wikipedia entry]

==Page 51==

'''deadfalls''' 
Low points where refuse collects? Cf. Pynchon's story, Low-Lands?[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/deadfalls [def]]

'''prophesiers who had seen America as it might be in visions America's wardens could not tolerate''' 
Coupled with the cover blurb Pynchon wrote: "If it is not the world, it is what the world might be with a minor adjustment or two. According to some, this is one of the main purposes of fiction." Could ''Against the Day'' be Pynchon's prophecy of a future America?

[[image:we_never_sleep.jpg|thumb|175px|right]]'''The Unsleeping Eye''' 
Reference to Pinkerton's competing PI agency. Pinkerton's National Detective Agency had a logo with an eye in the center, and below it read, "We Never Sleep." See also [[ATD_1-25#Page_13|page 13]].

'''bay rum''' 
A type of cologne or after-shave. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_rum Wikipedia article]

==Page 52==

'''''Inconvenience''''' 
Lew Basnight's temporary presence on the airship may be the first clue as to why it's called ''Inconvenience''. Perhaps his growing sympathy for the anarchists will lead to greater involvement by him, the Chums, or at least the book in portraying the anarchist movement, which is viewed as an inconvenience to the ruling classes. Pynchon may consider his novel's message, similarly, as an inconvenient truth about America's past, present or both.

:I thought it was just a polysyllable that sounds stately but means the opposite.--[[User:Robot|Robot]] 13:18, 5 December 2006 (PST)

In ''Mason & Dixon'', the willful reality of other people are referred to as inconveniences more than once.

'''the whiteness of the place nearly unbearable''' 
Causing an effect something like snow blindness.

'''some weeks till the fair closes''' 
30 October 1893.

'''our future's all a blank''' 
Whoever the Chums get their orders from, they have not received any new ones yet. They look ahead and see a blank page.

'''Freddie Turner''' 
Frederick Jackson Turner (1861 - 1932) was, with Charles A. Beard, the most influential American historian of the early 20th century. He is best known for ''The Significance of the Frontier in American History'', an essay which describes his views on how the idea of the frontier shaped the American character, and how the frontier drove American history and America's westward expansion. Excerpt: "In this advance, the frontier is the outer edge of the wave the meeting point between savagery and civilization."
[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1893turner.html eText here...]; [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Jackson_Turner Wikipedia]

==Page 53==

'''Here's where the Trail comes to an end at last''' 
With the advent of the railroad, the West changed dramatically. Chicago became the stockyards and slaughterhouse of America, and cowboys only funneled their cattle in that direction, no longer simply following them on the range or leading them to more local places of slaughter. The cowboy had become a cog in the wheel of a mechanism of death.

'''Blitz Instruments and Wackett Punches''' 
Mentioned in 1911 Britannica article 'Slaughter-house' [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Slaughter-house [etext]]

'''charabanc''' 
An open-topped bus for tourists.

'''"The frontier ends and disconnection begins"''' 
Here, the free cowboy myth of Buffalo Bill's show is replaced by the grim reality of the stockyard worker.

'''Cause and effect''' 
A major theme in ''Gravity's Rainbow''.

'''How the dickens do I know?''' 
A possible reference to the novels of Charles Dickens, who critiques in such works as ''Hard Times'' (1854) the onset of urban decay, and the choked living and working conditions of the proletariat as the Industrial Revolution steams onward. 
Or it may just be a standard euphemism; polite speakers were enjoined not to name the Devil.

'''hob-raising years''' 
Hell-raising years; his early years. [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hob Definition of "hob".]

==Page 54==

'''where you knew you could stand and piss would flow two ways at once.''' 
The Professor is talking about growing up in Colorado, where the Continental Divide passes. It would be logical to suggest that, at the precise location of this divide, piss would indeed flow both east and west.
:For Easterners at least, it's a well-known tourist ritual to pee right on the line.

The best place to do this, for tourists, is at Cache La Poudre Lake, headwaters of the Colorado River on Trail Ridge Road (US 34) in Rocky Mountain National Park—it is exactly on the Divide, and water exits to East and West, Atlantic and Pacific.

'''into the control of potent operatives who did not wish him well''' 
Describing Lew's movement now, but a few pages previously that of the stock at the slaughterhouse.

'''Cheerfulness . . . a precarious commodity''' 
The original narrator of the Chums passages has definitely been pushed aside now. They seem to be in a totally different book.

==Page 55==

'''. . . they continued in a fragmented reverie which, . . . often announced some change in the works''' 
Good to notice when the Chums get like this again: i.e. unfocused, depressed, without direction, it may lead to patterns in the plot.
:No Fair, no orders, no adventures: The Chums are between books!

'''Speculation began to fill the day.''' 
See note on [[ATD_26-56#Page_43|pages 43 and 44]] above.

'''the ill-famed Hawk''' 
In deepening autumn it is ''rehearsing'' "swift descent, merciless assault, rapture of souls"; at the end of the passage "the temperature head[s] down." The Hawk appears to be a metaphor for winter or its storms. ([http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/the_hawk/ possible definition?]) 
:That is pretty conclusive. ''Hawk'' an established and documented metaphor for the winter wind.
The Hawk is also one of the ubiquitous birds of prey in ATD. The words showing its lethal effect and the drop in temperature are Pynchon themes
for evil. Evil comes from the lands of low temperatures. See GR.

In addition to these meanings, TRP also demonstrates local knowledge here, as the Hawk is the name of a specific wind in Chicago. The Hawk is the name of a northeast wind, one that comes off Lake Michigan usually in the spring. A meteorologist will tell you that a northeast wind is somewhat unusual, contrary to (or against) the prevailing winds that generally come from the west. The effects of the Hawk can be seen at Wrigley Field in Chicago, where centerfield is on the northeast corner of Sheffield and Waveland. When the Hawk is blowing hits that, given a usual southwest wind, have a chance at being home runs will die in the outfield and are easily caught. The Hawk is a reminder that, though winter has left town, it will be back. The wind has a very particular resonance for a Chicagoan, and it's very impressive that Pynchon, not a native, should make use of it, especially in such an offhand manner.

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 374-396

2009-08-06T23:19:11Z

Cortinas: /* Page 390 */ Tweaked hasta lueguito

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 374==

'''a dime novel . . . suffering in its name''' 
The novel is, presumably, ''The Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'', as described on [[ATD 1-25#Page 7|p. 7]].

Cf. also the following excerpt from Cormac McCarthy's novel (albeit not a dime one!) ''Blood Meridian'' (1985), where the captain of a "gringo evildoers" gang speaks: 
:There is no government in Mexico. Hell, there's no God in Mexico. Never will be. We are dealing with a people manifestly incapable of governing themselves. And do you know what happens with people who cannot govern themselves? That's right. Others come in to govern for them. [...] We are to be the instruments of liberation in a dark and troubled land. (Modern Library Edition 2001, p. 34) (See [[ATD 81-96#Page_92|here]] for more on AtD and ''Blood Meridian'')

'''Ewball Oust''' 
Oust is a [http://www.oust.com odor eliminator] the container of which has a quite phallic shape. And there's that phallic "U" again (See [[ATD_119-148#Page_130|p.130]]), conjoined with "ball" which the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html] So Ewball Oust plays into [[The Sexual Angle]] in ''AtD'', where sexual names proliferate.

:Interestingly, there's a game called U-Ball (aka Ubuntu Ball) that pits two ball-throwing teams, separated by a center line, against each other. The object of the game is to get all of your opponents “out” of the game by either 1) Hitting them with a ball you throw, or 2) Catching a ball they throw at you while trying to get you out.

:When someone is “out” of the game [o-or ousted!], they leave the main playing area and join other “out” teammates on the other side of their opponent’s team, also separated by a line (like the end line on a volleyball court). While “out,” players act as a backstop to catch balls thrown by their teammates that go through their opponents’ side. “Out” people also can throw at their opponents to get their opponents “out.” Once you are “out” you stay out, so you can’t come back in when you hit someone from your “out” position.

:The game ends when the last person on one side is hit or throws a ball that is caught. [http://www.elca.org/hunger/facts/uball.html]

The game is also known as dodgeball.

:''Ubuntu'' is a traditional sub-Saharan African concept, which roughly translated means “I am because we are”.

:...and he may just turn out to be a bit of a [scr]ewball. [[User:Thew|Thew]] 19:28, 21 June 2007 (PDT)
'''

Ewball sounds like "übel" (german for ''noxious, nauseous'').

'''''charro''''' 
Spanish: Mexican cowboy.

'''Veta Madre''' 
It is not a mine, but rather the original saying ''Mother Lode''. Many silver mines in Guanajuato city are on the Veta Madre. See [http://www.mindat.org/loc-7776.html Veta Madre].

'''Toplady Oust''' 
Toplady Oust was conceived "in a choir loft during a rendition of 'Rock of Ages'" written by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Montague_Toplady Reverend Toplady], and thus named! And what would be so, er, stimulating about "Rock of Ages," (cleft for me...)...?

Rev'd Toplady, in ''A Short Essay on Original Sin'', likened the soul at death to a [[Birds|bird]] leaving a cage:
:Conformably to this view of things, Plato chose to derive ''soma'' the Greek word for body; from ''sayma'' which signifies a tomb or sepulchre: on supposition that the body is that to a soul which a grave is to the body; and that souls emerge from the body by death as a bird flies from a broken cage, or as a captive escapes from a place of painful and dishonourable confinement. [http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/atoriginalsin.htm]

''''Rock of Ages'''' 
'Rock of Ages' is one of the world's best-loved Christian hymns with the original lyrics by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady and music by Thomas Hastings. The lyrics were first published in ''The Gospel Magazine'' in 1775 with the music added in around 1830. Of course, there are now several modernised vresions. For the lyrics and more information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages Rock of Ages] and [http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/rockofages.html RofA].

'''Patio method''' 
The Spaniards in Mexico used the "patio" method to extract silver from its ore. The process takes its name from shallow circular pits, 15 yards across, in which the ore was worked. Silver ore was ground up with water to make mud, and this mud was spread 10 inches deep over the patio. Miners then added salt and mercury and mixed everything by having mules pull stone blocks over it repeatedly. This process forced the silver to combine chemically with the mercury. The mud was rinsed away, and the silver-mercury compound was heated to force off the mercury. Miners in Tegucigalpa imported large amounts of salt from the southern coast and mercury, from Seville to produce their silver. [http://www.marrder.com/htw/2001mar/cultural.htm From HondurasThisWeek website]

==Page 375==

'''Washoe process''' 
The Washoe Process
In the Washoe Process (named for Indians that inhabited the area around Lake Tahoe, and thus the name for the area around Virginia City, the name now preserved in the name of the neighboring county, Washoe County), the improvement to the process of heating the ore during extraction in an iron pan increased the recovery and decreased the processing time. The iron from the pan acted as the reducing agent for the silver:

2AgCl + Fe = 2Ag + FeCl2

The drive for this reaction is nearly 0.6 volts greater than the drive for the reaction for reducing silver using copper (at standard conditions as above), so this reaction is highly favored.

In addition, heating the reaction mixture helped the formation of the amalgam of silver with mercury. In this reaction, the mercury was not changed into mercurous chloride (calomel), so mercury was not used up in the process. The iron pans and iron mixers (mullers) would be consumed in the process, but these could be replaced readily. <ref>Dennis, W.H., A Hundred Years of Metallurgy, Gerals Duckworth & Co., Ltd., London, 1963, p. 282-287</ref>

'''Guanajuato''' 
The capital city, northwest of Mexico City, of the state of the same name in Mexico's central highland. It is located at an elevation of 6,550 ft and in one of the richest silver mining area of Mexico.
:Guanajuato is also mentioned as an important secondary source of [[I|Iceland spar.]]

'''ores tend to be free-milling''' 
The fragments remain separate (thus accessible to the leaching process) rather than reagglomerating.

'''''Espato''''' 
Spanish: Spar. Iceland Spar is 'espato de Islandia'.

'''''espanto''''' 
Spanish: something strange, ugly or shocking. Also a haunt or ghost.

'''''Espantoso''''' 
Spanish: Horrible or shocking

''''La Cucaracha'''' 
'The Cockroach', a popular folk song during the Mexican revolution. There were many versions of different lyrics. One of them was said to mock General Huerta. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_cucaracha Wikipedia].

'''hoosegow''' 
jail.

'''''grifa''''' 
marihuana

==Page 376==

'''General Huerta''' 
Gen. Victoriano Huerta (1854-1916) was on the make in the period of the action. He was an Army general, but also a villain, a drunkard, a drug addict and, for a brief time, the President of Mexico between October 1913 and July 1914. [http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/vhuerta1.html Here] is a précis of his career.

'''Bajío''' 
Bajío is a region in Mexico in the central highland state of Guanajuato.

'''the eve of a turn in history''' 
Pynchon's own spoiler. The Mexican Revolution is brewing.

'''Torreón... Zacatecas... León... Silao''' 
Torreón is a desert city to the north, in Coahuila. Zacatecas is both a state and city in Central Mexico, situated between Torreón and León. León and Silao are cities in Guanajuato. León is the fifth largest city in Mexico (by population).

Zacatecas was the site of a major revolt against Porfirio Díaz's government during the Mexican Revolution of 1910, in which Pancho Villa attempted to capture the city of Zacatecas and the state's lucrative silver mines. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacatecas see here].

'''mesquite''' 
A leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in Northern Mexico and Southwestern U.S. Mesquite trees are also found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.

'''ore tailing''' 
residue separated in the preparation of ore.

'''''tlachiqueros''''' 
The workers who make ''pulque'' - a traditional navtive beverage of Mesoamerica.

'''maguey juice''' 
Juice from the maguey, an agave, ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguey maguey]), or century plant, from which ''pulque'' is made.

'''campesino''' 
A simple farmer or farmworker is referred to as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campesino campesino] in Spanish.

'''Vera Cruz puros''' 
Spanish: Vera Cruz cigars.

'''zinc''' 
It is a moderately reactive bluish-white metal that tarnishes in moist air and burns in air with a bright greenish flame. Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use, trailing only iron, aluminium and copper in annual production.

'''Empresas Oustianas, S.A.''' 
Oustian Enterprises, Anonymous Society (S.A. just points to a form of incorporation, nothing sinister).

==Page 377==

'''pulque''' 
A Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of various agaves. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulque pulque].

'''''callejon''''' 
Spanish: callejon: narrow street, alley.

'''''subida''''' 
Spanish: subida: a street going uphill.

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

'''Judas Iscariot''' 
According to the New Testament, Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus and the one who betrayed him. He was paid thirty pieces of silver for his betrayal.

'''''rurales''''' 
Mexican Rural Guard, a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that became famous during the period of President Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911). For further information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurales rurales].

==Page 378==

'''''juzgado''''' 
Spanish: court, likely orgin of hoosegow.

'''Calle Juarez''' 
Spanish: Juarez Street.

'''''Mordida''''' 
Spanish: bribe.

'''Broomhandle''' 
Cf German self-loader.

'''''pistoles''''' 
The word ''pistoles'' does not exist in Spanish, although ''pistolas'' would mean guns, specifically, handguns, pistols. Probably the -''E'' in ''pistoles'' was a phonetical adaptation to ease pronunciation for non-Spanish speakers in the U.S.

'''''esposas''''' 
Spanish: Handcuffs. (Interestingly, ''esposa'' is also "wife" in spanish.

'''Pantéon''' 
Spanish: cemetery.

'''Cerro del trozado''' 
A hill in Guanajuato, where the cemetery of St. Paula is located. The place where the famous 'Momias de Guanajuato' (Mummies of Guanajuato, [http://poetry.rotten.com/momias/ momias]) were found (cf p.383).

'''''¿Donde estamos?''''' 
Spanish: Where are we? (?)

'''''El Palacio de Cristal''''' 
Spanish (ironic): the Crystal Palace.

The real Crystal Palace is known from [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Crystal_Palace ''Gravity's Rainbow''], of course. "One of the glories of the Victorian era. It was designed entirely of glass and iron by Joseph Paxton, a former head gardener at Chatsworth, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, or to give it its full name, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. It was originally erected in Hyde Park but moved to Sydenham in 1854 with some alterations, including the addition of two towers, and used as an exhibition, entertainment, and recreational centre. It became national property in 1911 and was destroyed by fire in 1936." From the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=C ''GR'' wiki].

:There ''is'' one Palacio de Cristal, in Madrid's Parque del Retiro. [http://spain.archiseek.com/madrid/madrid/Palacio_de_Cristal.html Pictures and text.]

'''''La politica''''' 
Spanish: politics, the political.

'''''Felicitaciones''''' 
Spanish: Congratulations.

==Page 379==

'''Porfirio Díaz''' 
Mexican President from 1876 to 1880 (with exception of months) and from 1884 to 1911. Cf p.7 and also see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_D%C3%Adaz Díaz].

'''''chinches''''' 
Spanish: Bedbugs

'''Dwayne Provecho''' 
In Mexico, and other Latin American cultures, "Buen Provecho" is a phrase spoken to one's companions before a meal. Used like the French "Bon appétit", it means "Enjoy your meal." This makes Dwayne's comment on page 381 that much more humorous: "You boys sure eat good,"
"Buen provecho" is also said before drinking (Dwayne is drunk) and sometimes ironically when somebody belchs.
But also "Provecho" is "profit", meaning that fits with Dwayne's actions.

'''Nogales''' 
City of Nogales, AZ. Just across the border: Nogales, Mexico.

'''''frontera''''' 
Spanish: border.

'''As time passed''' 
It could be a considerable time; folklore characters who get penned up underground can't tell if a night and a day, seven years or even a century has passed up above.

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

==Page 380==

'''''cientificos''''' 
Spanish: scientists.

'''Amparo''' 
??? A feminine Spanish name, means "protection, shelter."

'''hidalgo''' 
A member of the lower nobility of Spain. (Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary) 
Here it's referencing the money Ewball is throwing around. (which is one of the things people would expect ''un hidalgo'' to do ...) Similar slang to calling US currency "George Washingtons" and "Ben Franklins".

==Page 381==

'''''lisonjeros''''' 
Spanish: Flatterers

'''"They say it was something one of you did a long time ago, back on the Other Side." 
Cf. Page 37, Lew Basnight's unknowable transgression: "...by way of a sin he was supposed to have once committed." Also interesting to note the capitalization of Other Side, which sounds the other-dimension motif.

'''bolillos''' 
Mexican rolls.

'''El Chinganáriz''' 
The nosefucker (approximately). The salsa described here would be so potent it would cause your nose to turn red, get runny, irritated and perhaps even bleed.

'''in the shadow of the ''paredón''''' 
Delicate reference to his being stood against the big wall (''paredón'') and shot.

'''P.L.M.''' 
Partido Liberal Mexicano, Mexican Liberal Party, reformist organization prominent in the 1910 Revolution.

'''Flores Magón brothers''' 
Ricardo Flores Magón, founder of P.L.M., and his brothers Jesús and Enrique. Considered heroes of the Mexican Revolution. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Flores_Mag%C3%B3n Wikipedia entry]

'''''¿verdad?''''' 
Isn't it? Right?

'''Camilo Arriaga''' 
Mexican journalist, politician and writer from San Luis Potosí. Founder, along with the Flores Magon brothers, of the P.L.M.

'''''potosino''''' 
i.e. person from San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

==Page 382==

'''''muñeca''''' 
Spanish: Doll. Often used as a term of endearment or compliment.

'''''caldereros y sus macheteros''''' 
Tequila and beer, and ''calderero'' derived from ''caldera'' = boiler. So: [[ATD_358-373#Page_360|boilermakers and their helpers.]] 
A reference to the makers of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa barbacoa] has been suggested. It has a very strong odor, traditionally associated also with its makers. But the context supports the first definition instead.

==Page 383==
'''"Nobody ever looks like their 'mug,'..."''' 
And when Pynchon says that, you better believe it!

'''"Brother Disco"''' 
Since Ellmore Disco sounds exactly as El Mordisco ("The Bite") and Dwayne Provecho as Buen Provecho ("Good Appetite"), it doesn't sound so weird that they know each other and that they are on the same "brotherhood."

Also, there's a song by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who The Who] called "Sister Disco" on their 1978 album [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Are_You "Who Are You"]. It is a critique of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco disco].

''''"everybody here thinks you're the Kierselguhr 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?
:Cf. the "legend" of the Kieselguhr Kid, [[ATD_171-198#Page_172|p. 172 and annotations.]] There has to be one.

'''''cuchillo''''' 
Spanish: knife.

'''''momias''''' 
Spanish: mummies. More about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummies_of_Guanajuato Guanajuato's famous Mummies] at Wikipedia.
Also cf [[#Page 378|p.378]].

==Page 384==

'''Marfil''' 
Spanish: Ivory.

'''''compinche''''' 
Spanish: Pal, buddy, (chum?)

'''''vaquero''''' 
Spanish: cowboy.

'''Ay, Jalisco''' 
''Ay, Jalisco! No te rajes'', is a common Mexican idiom. It means that you shouldn't back out of any situation, even when the odds are against you. Jalisco itselft is a state in West-central Mexico whose capital city is Guadalajara.

'''El Ñato''' 
Also a character in ''Gravity's Rainbow'', where he was the leader of the Argentinians trying to emigrate to Germany.
Literaly, somebody with a snub nose. Is a very common nickname in rural Argentina.

==Page 385==

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

'''''m'hijo''''' 
Spanish: my son. Apocopation of 'mi hijo'. Used as a term of endearment, not necessarily indicating blood relation.

'''''pendejo''''' 
Spanish: A pubic hair. Usually, used in Mexico as an obscenity that roughly translates to "dick" or "asshole" depending on context.
In Argentina it also translates as "kid", but in a derogatory way.

'''''sin embargo''''' 
Spanish: Nevertheless

'''''¡Vámonos!''''' 
Spanish: Lets go!

'''''guerrilleros''''' 
Spanish: guerilla fighters.

'''''el Famoso Chavalito del Quiselgur''''' 
Mexican Spanish: The famous Kieselguhr Kid.
:Although with "chaval" or "chavo" would have been more accurate, since "chavalito" is a diminutive ("little kid").

==Page 386==

'''''copa''''' 
Spanish: A glass (of a spirited drink).

'''''pues''''' 
Spanish: Well

'''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."

'''Maxim gun''' 
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born Briton Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_gun wikipedia entry]

'''''Que guapa, que tetas fantasticas, verdad?''''' 
Spanish: "How beautiful, what fantastic tits, eh?" (right?)

==Page 387==

'''Cuban claro''' 
A kind of Cuban cigar or ''habanos'' made with a light-colored (''claro'') wrapper.

'''Partidos wrapper''' 
A region of Cuba, where some of the finest ''habanos'' are made.

'''''tropa''''' 
Spanish: A group of soldiers, a troop

'''Parrot Joaquin''' 
Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi was the first novelist in Latin America. His most famous work is ''El periquillo sarniento'', translated to English as ''The Mangy Parrot''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Joaqu%C3%ADn_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Lizardi Wikipedia entry]

'''''pendejo''''' 
Spanish (slang): [[Idiots and Idiocy in Against the Day|idiot]], stupid.

'''''huevon''''' 
A Mexican obscenity, meaning literally 'to have big testicles'; roughly translates as 'lazy'.

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

'''psitticide''' 
Parrot-murder.

'''''Caray''''' 
Spanish: Damn!

'''Palacio del Gobierno''' 
Spanish: Government Palace.

'''''loco''''' 
Spanish: Crazy.

'''''lucas''''' 
One of the writers of the gospels; a common name in Mexico. Used as an euphemism for 'crazy'.

==Page 388==

'''jack''' 
Jackass, burro.

'''Monte el Refugio''' 
Mount Refuge.

'''''mierda''''' 
shit.

'''Huertistas''' 
Huerta's troops.

'''Sombrerete''' 
A small town in Zacatecas.

'''Tarahumares''' 
Indigenous people of northern Mexico, renowned for their long-distance running ability. [[Tarahumare Indians of Mexico|Article + pics]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara Wikipedia Entry].

First mentioned as among the "exhibits" at the White City on P.23.

==Page 389==

'''Yaquis''' 
Central American Indian tribe that inhabit the Mexican state of Sonora. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqui Wikipedia entry].

'''Mayas''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_people Mayos] are an Indian tribe that inhabit the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. For an Anglo it might be a natural mistake to say "Maya," but the context points to "Mayo" because in history, geography and language the Mayo and the Yaqui have a close association. Maya peoples live far to the south.

'''Mausers''' 
Someone holding a Mauser bolt action rifle, commonly known as ''palotruenos'' during the Mexican Revolution. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser Wikipedia entry on Mauser]

'''fandango saloon''' 
Saloon featuring a style of flamenco music and dance. These are especially popular in the southwest United States.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fandango Wikipedia entry].

'''''Es mi destino, Pancho.''''' 
That is my destiny, Pancho. "Pancho" is a common short name for Francisco, as "Frank" is in English.

==Page 390==

'''''vaya con Dios''''' 
Spanish: go with God.

'''''Hasta lueguito''''' 
Spanish: See you a little later. ''Hasta luego:'' See you later

'''''anarquistas''''' 
Spanish: anarchists.

'''El Espinero''' 
Spanish: The thorn-man

'''''shabotshi''''' 
This is a Tarahumare word meaning "bearded one" and is most often used to refer, with derision, to Mexicans. Among the Tarahumare men, beards are rare. [http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/16426/99.html Carl Lumholtz' ''Unknown Mexico'' Ebook]

'''''brujo''''' 
Spanish: sorcerer, shaman.

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

==Page 391==

'''nopales''' 
Prickly pear cacti.

'''Nicol prism''' 
optical device that produces plane-polarized light.

'''scalenohedral habit''' 
Habit means the characteristic crystalline form of a mineral. Scalenohedral means the form is of a scalenohedron, a solid body the faces of which are all scalene triangles. Therefore, the calcit crystal Frank was looking at had the characteristic crystalline form of a scalenohedron.

==Page 392==

'''a sun-bleached stick with an elegant warp''' 
Carl Lumholtz, in ''Unknown Mexico'' ([http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16426 text available in Project Gutenberg]), Vol. 1, Chap. IV, reports: "[A]n interesting find [in an ancient pueblo dwelling] was a 'boomerang' similar to that used to this day by the Moqui Indians for killing rabbits."

'''''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. [[ATD 219-242#renfrew|Renfrew p. 226]]). 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. 
This is also, perhaps, a statement about non-violent anarchism, enough for all in nature, if no one 'gets greedy".

==Page 394==

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

==Page 395==

'''out-of-scale plain...mineral condition''' 
recalls Genesis 19:25,26, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: "He overthrew those cities and destroyed all the Plain, with everyone living there and everything growing in the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt".

See also p.391: (talking about a piece of spar) "as if there were a soul harbored within". And so the end of GR: "and a Soul in ev'ry stone..."

'''Bolsón de Mapimí''' 
Spanish: ''Mapimi Basin'' - An enclosed depression in northern Mexico, that comprises parts of the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. Situated in the arid northern plateau region and averaging 3,000 ft (900 m) in elevation, it is structurally similar to the Basin and Range region of Arizona and New Mexico, in the United States. One ''very'' interesting thing about the Mapimi Basin is the "[[Zone of Silence]]"...

'''Budweiser Little Big Horn panorama''' [[image:Custers-Last-Fight.jpg|thumb|Custer's Last Fight|right]]
The painting "Custer's Last Fight" by Cassily Adams, widely reproduced by Anheuser-Busch for advertising.

'''blood . . . ''Fin''''' 
Cinematic imagery.

'''''¿Y el otro?''''' 
Spanish: And the other one?

'''''El se fue''''' 
Spanish: He left.

'''''jarrito''''' 
Spanish: A small jug, usually made of clay.

'''''¿Y cuándo vuelva?''''' 
Spanish: And when does he come back?

'''''Nunca me dijo nada, mi jefe.''''' 
Spanish: He never told me anything, boss.

==Page 396==

'''''Si el caballero quisiera algún recuerdo ...''''' 
Spanish: If the gentleman would like any souvenir...

'''''pistoleros''''' 
Spanish: gunslingers

==References==
<references/>
==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

File talk:Custers-Last-Fight.jpg

2009-08-06T23:10:44Z

Cortinas: Looking for a free image of Budweiser poster

I've seen images of the actual Budweiser poster, but there are rights involved. [http://ed-resources.net/guide/exhibit/2.39.htm Budweiser Custer poster]

ATD 374-396

2009-08-06T22:58:15Z

Cortinas: /* Page 395 */ capitalization fix

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 374==

'''a dime novel . . . suffering in its name''' 
The novel is, presumably, ''The Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'', as described on [[ATD 1-25#Page 7|p. 7]].

Cf. also the following excerpt from Cormac McCarthy's novel (albeit not a dime one!) ''Blood Meridian'' (1985), where the captain of a "gringo evildoers" gang speaks: 
:There is no government in Mexico. Hell, there's no God in Mexico. Never will be. We are dealing with a people manifestly incapable of governing themselves. And do you know what happens with people who cannot govern themselves? That's right. Others come in to govern for them. [...] We are to be the instruments of liberation in a dark and troubled land. (Modern Library Edition 2001, p. 34) (See [[ATD 81-96#Page_92|here]] for more on AtD and ''Blood Meridian'')

'''Ewball Oust''' 
Oust is a [http://www.oust.com odor eliminator] the container of which has a quite phallic shape. And there's that phallic "U" again (See [[ATD_119-148#Page_130|p.130]]), conjoined with "ball" which the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html] So Ewball Oust plays into [[The Sexual Angle]] in ''AtD'', where sexual names proliferate.

:Interestingly, there's a game called U-Ball (aka Ubuntu Ball) that pits two ball-throwing teams, separated by a center line, against each other. The object of the game is to get all of your opponents “out” of the game by either 1) Hitting them with a ball you throw, or 2) Catching a ball they throw at you while trying to get you out.

:When someone is “out” of the game [o-or ousted!], they leave the main playing area and join other “out” teammates on the other side of their opponent’s team, also separated by a line (like the end line on a volleyball court). While “out,” players act as a backstop to catch balls thrown by their teammates that go through their opponents’ side. “Out” people also can throw at their opponents to get their opponents “out.” Once you are “out” you stay out, so you can’t come back in when you hit someone from your “out” position.

:The game ends when the last person on one side is hit or throws a ball that is caught. [http://www.elca.org/hunger/facts/uball.html]

The game is also known as dodgeball.

:''Ubuntu'' is a traditional sub-Saharan African concept, which roughly translated means “I am because we are”.

:...and he may just turn out to be a bit of a [scr]ewball. [[User:Thew|Thew]] 19:28, 21 June 2007 (PDT)
'''

Ewball sounds like "übel" (german for ''noxious, nauseous'').

'''''charro''''' 
Spanish: Mexican cowboy.

'''Veta Madre''' 
It is not a mine, but rather the original saying ''Mother Lode''. Many silver mines in Guanajuato city are on the Veta Madre. See [http://www.mindat.org/loc-7776.html Veta Madre].

'''Toplady Oust''' 
Toplady Oust was conceived "in a choir loft during a rendition of 'Rock of Ages'" written by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Montague_Toplady Reverend Toplady], and thus named! And what would be so, er, stimulating about "Rock of Ages," (cleft for me...)...?

Rev'd Toplady, in ''A Short Essay on Original Sin'', likened the soul at death to a [[Birds|bird]] leaving a cage:
:Conformably to this view of things, Plato chose to derive ''soma'' the Greek word for body; from ''sayma'' which signifies a tomb or sepulchre: on supposition that the body is that to a soul which a grave is to the body; and that souls emerge from the body by death as a bird flies from a broken cage, or as a captive escapes from a place of painful and dishonourable confinement. [http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/atoriginalsin.htm]

''''Rock of Ages'''' 
'Rock of Ages' is one of the world's best-loved Christian hymns with the original lyrics by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady and music by Thomas Hastings. The lyrics were first published in ''The Gospel Magazine'' in 1775 with the music added in around 1830. Of course, there are now several modernised vresions. For the lyrics and more information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages Rock of Ages] and [http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/rockofages.html RofA].

'''Patio method''' 
The Spaniards in Mexico used the "patio" method to extract silver from its ore. The process takes its name from shallow circular pits, 15 yards across, in which the ore was worked. Silver ore was ground up with water to make mud, and this mud was spread 10 inches deep over the patio. Miners then added salt and mercury and mixed everything by having mules pull stone blocks over it repeatedly. This process forced the silver to combine chemically with the mercury. The mud was rinsed away, and the silver-mercury compound was heated to force off the mercury. Miners in Tegucigalpa imported large amounts of salt from the southern coast and mercury, from Seville to produce their silver. [http://www.marrder.com/htw/2001mar/cultural.htm From HondurasThisWeek website]

==Page 375==

'''Washoe process''' 
The Washoe Process
In the Washoe Process (named for Indians that inhabited the area around Lake Tahoe, and thus the name for the area around Virginia City, the name now preserved in the name of the neighboring county, Washoe County), the improvement to the process of heating the ore during extraction in an iron pan increased the recovery and decreased the processing time. The iron from the pan acted as the reducing agent for the silver:

2AgCl + Fe = 2Ag + FeCl2

The drive for this reaction is nearly 0.6 volts greater than the drive for the reaction for reducing silver using copper (at standard conditions as above), so this reaction is highly favored.

In addition, heating the reaction mixture helped the formation of the amalgam of silver with mercury. In this reaction, the mercury was not changed into mercurous chloride (calomel), so mercury was not used up in the process. The iron pans and iron mixers (mullers) would be consumed in the process, but these could be replaced readily. <ref>Dennis, W.H., A Hundred Years of Metallurgy, Gerals Duckworth & Co., Ltd., London, 1963, p. 282-287</ref>

'''Guanajuato''' 
The capital city, northwest of Mexico City, of the state of the same name in Mexico's central highland. It is located at an elevation of 6,550 ft and in one of the richest silver mining area of Mexico.
:Guanajuato is also mentioned as an important secondary source of [[I|Iceland spar.]]

'''ores tend to be free-milling''' 
The fragments remain separate (thus accessible to the leaching process) rather than reagglomerating.

'''''Espato''''' 
Spanish: Spar. Iceland Spar is 'espato de Islandia'.

'''''espanto''''' 
Spanish: something strange, ugly or shocking. Also a haunt or ghost.

'''''Espantoso''''' 
Spanish: Horrible or shocking

''''La Cucaracha'''' 
'The Cockroach', a popular folk song during the Mexican revolution. There were many versions of different lyrics. One of them was said to mock General Huerta. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_cucaracha Wikipedia].

'''hoosegow''' 
jail.

'''''grifa''''' 
marihuana

==Page 376==

'''General Huerta''' 
Gen. Victoriano Huerta (1854-1916) was on the make in the period of the action. He was an Army general, but also a villain, a drunkard, a drug addict and, for a brief time, the President of Mexico between October 1913 and July 1914. [http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/vhuerta1.html Here] is a précis of his career.

'''Bajío''' 
Bajío is a region in Mexico in the central highland state of Guanajuato.

'''the eve of a turn in history''' 
Pynchon's own spoiler. The Mexican Revolution is brewing.

'''Torreón... Zacatecas... León... Silao''' 
Torreón is a desert city to the north, in Coahuila. Zacatecas is both a state and city in Central Mexico, situated between Torreón and León. León and Silao are cities in Guanajuato. León is the fifth largest city in Mexico (by population).

Zacatecas was the site of a major revolt against Porfirio Díaz's government during the Mexican Revolution of 1910, in which Pancho Villa attempted to capture the city of Zacatecas and the state's lucrative silver mines. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacatecas see here].

'''mesquite''' 
A leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in Northern Mexico and Southwestern U.S. Mesquite trees are also found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.

'''ore tailing''' 
residue separated in the preparation of ore.

'''''tlachiqueros''''' 
The workers who make ''pulque'' - a traditional navtive beverage of Mesoamerica.

'''maguey juice''' 
Juice from the maguey, an agave, ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguey maguey]), or century plant, from which ''pulque'' is made.

'''campesino''' 
A simple farmer or farmworker is referred to as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campesino campesino] in Spanish.

'''Vera Cruz puros''' 
Spanish: Vera Cruz cigars.

'''zinc''' 
It is a moderately reactive bluish-white metal that tarnishes in moist air and burns in air with a bright greenish flame. Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use, trailing only iron, aluminium and copper in annual production.

'''Empresas Oustianas, S.A.''' 
Oustian Enterprises, Anonymous Society (S.A. just points to a form of incorporation, nothing sinister).

==Page 377==

'''pulque''' 
A Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of various agaves. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulque pulque].

'''''callejon''''' 
Spanish: callejon: narrow street, alley.

'''''subida''''' 
Spanish: subida: a street going uphill.

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

'''Judas Iscariot''' 
According to the New Testament, Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus and the one who betrayed him. He was paid thirty pieces of silver for his betrayal.

'''''rurales''''' 
Mexican Rural Guard, a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that became famous during the period of President Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911). For further information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurales rurales].

==Page 378==

'''''juzgado''''' 
Spanish: court, likely orgin of hoosegow.

'''Calle Juarez''' 
Spanish: Juarez Street.

'''''Mordida''''' 
Spanish: bribe.

'''Broomhandle''' 
Cf German self-loader.

'''''pistoles''''' 
The word ''pistoles'' does not exist in Spanish, although ''pistolas'' would mean guns, specifically, handguns, pistols. Probably the -''E'' in ''pistoles'' was a phonetical adaptation to ease pronunciation for non-Spanish speakers in the U.S.

'''''esposas''''' 
Spanish: Handcuffs. (Interestingly, ''esposa'' is also "wife" in spanish.

'''Pantéon''' 
Spanish: cemetery.

'''Cerro del trozado''' 
A hill in Guanajuato, where the cemetery of St. Paula is located. The place where the famous 'Momias de Guanajuato' (Mummies of Guanajuato, [http://poetry.rotten.com/momias/ momias]) were found (cf p.383).

'''''¿Donde estamos?''''' 
Spanish: Where are we? (?)

'''''El Palacio de Cristal''''' 
Spanish (ironic): the Crystal Palace.

The real Crystal Palace is known from [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Crystal_Palace ''Gravity's Rainbow''], of course. "One of the glories of the Victorian era. It was designed entirely of glass and iron by Joseph Paxton, a former head gardener at Chatsworth, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, or to give it its full name, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. It was originally erected in Hyde Park but moved to Sydenham in 1854 with some alterations, including the addition of two towers, and used as an exhibition, entertainment, and recreational centre. It became national property in 1911 and was destroyed by fire in 1936." From the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=C ''GR'' wiki].

:There ''is'' one Palacio de Cristal, in Madrid's Parque del Retiro. [http://spain.archiseek.com/madrid/madrid/Palacio_de_Cristal.html Pictures and text.]

'''''La politica''''' 
Spanish: politics, the political.

'''''Felicitaciones''''' 
Spanish: Congratulations.

==Page 379==

'''Porfirio Díaz''' 
Mexican President from 1876 to 1880 (with exception of months) and from 1884 to 1911. Cf p.7 and also see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_D%C3%Adaz Díaz].

'''''chinches''''' 
Spanish: Bedbugs

'''Dwayne Provecho''' 
In Mexico, and other Latin American cultures, "Buen Provecho" is a phrase spoken to one's companions before a meal. Used like the French "Bon appétit", it means "Enjoy your meal." This makes Dwayne's comment on page 381 that much more humorous: "You boys sure eat good,"
"Buen provecho" is also said before drinking (Dwayne is drunk) and sometimes ironically when somebody belchs.
But also "Provecho" is "profit", meaning that fits with Dwayne's actions.

'''Nogales''' 
City of Nogales, AZ. Just across the border: Nogales, Mexico.

'''''frontera''''' 
Spanish: border.

'''As time passed''' 
It could be a considerable time; folklore characters who get penned up underground can't tell if a night and a day, seven years or even a century has passed up above.

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

==Page 380==

'''''cientificos''''' 
Spanish: scientists.

'''Amparo''' 
??? A feminine Spanish name, means "protection, shelter."

'''hidalgo''' 
A member of the lower nobility of Spain. (Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary) 
Here it's referencing the money Ewball is throwing around. (which is one of the things people would expect ''un hidalgo'' to do ...) Similar slang to calling US currency "George Washingtons" and "Ben Franklins".

==Page 381==

'''''lisonjeros''''' 
Spanish: Flatterers

'''"They say it was something one of you did a long time ago, back on the Other Side." 
Cf. Page 37, Lew Basnight's unknowable transgression: "...by way of a sin he was supposed to have once committed." Also interesting to note the capitalization of Other Side, which sounds the other-dimension motif.

'''bolillos''' 
Mexican rolls.

'''El Chinganáriz''' 
The nosefucker (approximately). The salsa described here would be so potent it would cause your nose to turn red, get runny, irritated and perhaps even bleed.

'''in the shadow of the ''paredón''''' 
Delicate reference to his being stood against the big wall (''paredón'') and shot.

'''P.L.M.''' 
Partido Liberal Mexicano, Mexican Liberal Party, reformist organization prominent in the 1910 Revolution.

'''Flores Magón brothers''' 
Ricardo Flores Magón, founder of P.L.M., and his brothers Jesús and Enrique. Considered heroes of the Mexican Revolution. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Flores_Mag%C3%B3n Wikipedia entry]

'''''¿verdad?''''' 
Isn't it? Right?

'''Camilo Arriaga''' 
Mexican journalist, politician and writer from San Luis Potosí. Founder, along with the Flores Magon brothers, of the P.L.M.

'''''potosino''''' 
i.e. person from San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

==Page 382==

'''''muñeca''''' 
Spanish: Doll. Often used as a term of endearment or compliment.

'''''caldereros y sus macheteros''''' 
Tequila and beer, and ''calderero'' derived from ''caldera'' = boiler. So: [[ATD_358-373#Page_360|boilermakers and their helpers.]] 
A reference to the makers of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa barbacoa] has been suggested. It has a very strong odor, traditionally associated also with its makers. But the context supports the first definition instead.

==Page 383==
'''"Nobody ever looks like their 'mug,'..."''' 
And when Pynchon says that, you better believe it!

'''"Brother Disco"''' 
Since Ellmore Disco sounds exactly as El Mordisco ("The Bite") and Dwayne Provecho as Buen Provecho ("Good Appetite"), it doesn't sound so weird that they know each other and that they are on the same "brotherhood."

Also, there's a song by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who The Who] called "Sister Disco" on their 1978 album [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Are_You "Who Are You"]. It is a critique of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco disco].

''''"everybody here thinks you're the Kierselguhr 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?
:Cf. the "legend" of the Kieselguhr Kid, [[ATD_171-198#Page_172|p. 172 and annotations.]] There has to be one.

'''''cuchillo''''' 
Spanish: knife.

'''''momias''''' 
Spanish: mummies. More about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummies_of_Guanajuato Guanajuato's famous Mummies] at Wikipedia.
Also cf [[#Page 378|p.378]].

==Page 384==

'''Marfil''' 
Spanish: Ivory.

'''''compinche''''' 
Spanish: Pal, buddy, (chum?)

'''''vaquero''''' 
Spanish: cowboy.

'''Ay, Jalisco''' 
''Ay, Jalisco! No te rajes'', is a common Mexican idiom. It means that you shouldn't back out of any situation, even when the odds are against you. Jalisco itselft is a state in West-central Mexico whose capital city is Guadalajara.

'''El Ñato''' 
Also a character in ''Gravity's Rainbow'', where he was the leader of the Argentinians trying to emigrate to Germany.
Literaly, somebody with a snub nose. Is a very common nickname in rural Argentina.

==Page 385==

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

'''''m'hijo''''' 
Spanish: my son. Apocopation of 'mi hijo'. Used as a term of endearment, not necessarily indicating blood relation.

'''''pendejo''''' 
Spanish: A pubic hair. Usually, used in Mexico as an obscenity that roughly translates to "dick" or "asshole" depending on context.
In Argentina it also translates as "kid", but in a derogatory way.

'''''sin embargo''''' 
Spanish: Nevertheless

'''''¡Vámonos!''''' 
Spanish: Lets go!

'''''guerrilleros''''' 
Spanish: guerilla fighters.

'''''el Famoso Chavalito del Quiselgur''''' 
Mexican Spanish: The famous Kieselguhr Kid.
:Although with "chaval" or "chavo" would have been more accurate, since "chavalito" is a diminutive ("little kid").

==Page 386==

'''''copa''''' 
Spanish: A glass (of a spirited drink).

'''''pues''''' 
Spanish: Well

'''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."

'''Maxim gun''' 
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born Briton Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_gun wikipedia entry]

'''''Que guapa, que tetas fantasticas, verdad?''''' 
Spanish: "How beautiful, what fantastic tits, eh?" (right?)

==Page 387==

'''Cuban claro''' 
A kind of Cuban cigar or ''habanos'' made with a light-colored (''claro'') wrapper.

'''Partidos wrapper''' 
A region of Cuba, where some of the finest ''habanos'' are made.

'''''tropa''''' 
Spanish: A group of soldiers, a troop

'''Parrot Joaquin''' 
Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi was the first novelist in Latin America. His most famous work is ''El periquillo sarniento'', translated to English as ''The Mangy Parrot''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Joaqu%C3%ADn_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Lizardi Wikipedia entry]

'''''pendejo''''' 
Spanish (slang): [[Idiots and Idiocy in Against the Day|idiot]], stupid.

'''''huevon''''' 
A Mexican obscenity, meaning literally 'to have big testicles'; roughly translates as 'lazy'.

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

'''psitticide''' 
Parrot-murder.

'''''Caray''''' 
Spanish: Damn!

'''Palacio del Gobierno''' 
Spanish: Government Palace.

'''''loco''''' 
Spanish: Crazy.

'''''lucas''''' 
One of the writers of the gospels; a common name in Mexico. Used as an euphemism for 'crazy'.

==Page 388==

'''jack''' 
Jackass, burro.

'''Monte el Refugio''' 
Mount Refuge.

'''''mierda''''' 
shit.

'''Huertistas''' 
Huerta's troops.

'''Sombrerete''' 
A small town in Zacatecas.

'''Tarahumares''' 
Indigenous people of northern Mexico, renowned for their long-distance running ability. [[Tarahumare Indians of Mexico|Article + pics]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara Wikipedia Entry].

First mentioned as among the "exhibits" at the White City on P.23.

==Page 389==

'''Yaquis''' 
Central American Indian tribe that inhabit the Mexican state of Sonora. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqui Wikipedia entry].

'''Mayas''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_people Mayos] are an Indian tribe that inhabit the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. For an Anglo it might be a natural mistake to say "Maya," but the context points to "Mayo" because in history, geography and language the Mayo and the Yaqui have a close association. Maya peoples live far to the south.

'''Mausers''' 
Someone holding a Mauser bolt action rifle, commonly known as ''palotruenos'' during the Mexican Revolution. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser Wikipedia entry on Mauser]

'''fandango saloon''' 
Saloon featuring a style of flamenco music and dance. These are especially popular in the southwest United States.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fandango Wikipedia entry].

'''''Es mi destino, Pancho.''''' 
That is my destiny, Pancho. "Pancho" is a common short name for Francisco, as "Frank" is in English.

==Page 390==

'''''vaya con Dios''''' 
Spanish: go with God.

'''''Hasta lueguito''''' 
Spanish: See you later.

'''''anarquistas''''' 
Spanish: anarchists.

'''El Espinero''' 
Spanish: The thorn-man

'''''shabotshi''''' 
This is a Tarahumare word meaning "bearded one" and is most often used to refer, with derision, to Mexicans. Among the Tarahumare men, beards are rare. [http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/16426/99.html Carl Lumholtz' ''Unknown Mexico'' Ebook]

'''''brujo''''' 
Spanish: sorcerer, shaman.

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

==Page 391==

'''nopales''' 
Prickly pear cacti.

'''Nicol prism''' 
optical device that produces plane-polarized light.

'''scalenohedral habit''' 
Habit means the characteristic crystalline form of a mineral. Scalenohedral means the form is of a scalenohedron, a solid body the faces of which are all scalene triangles. Therefore, the calcit crystal Frank was looking at had the characteristic crystalline form of a scalenohedron.

==Page 392==

'''a sun-bleached stick with an elegant warp''' 
Carl Lumholtz, in ''Unknown Mexico'' ([http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16426 text available in Project Gutenberg]), Vol. 1, Chap. IV, reports: "[A]n interesting find [in an ancient pueblo dwelling] was a 'boomerang' similar to that used to this day by the Moqui Indians for killing rabbits."

'''''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. [[ATD 219-242#renfrew|Renfrew p. 226]]). 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. 
This is also, perhaps, a statement about non-violent anarchism, enough for all in nature, if no one 'gets greedy".

==Page 394==

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

==Page 395==

'''out-of-scale plain...mineral condition''' 
recalls Genesis 19:25,26, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: "He overthrew those cities and destroyed all the Plain, with everyone living there and everything growing in the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt".

See also p.391: (talking about a piece of spar) "as if there were a soul harbored within". And so the end of GR: "and a Soul in ev'ry stone..."

'''Bolsón de Mapimí''' 
Spanish: ''Mapimi Basin'' - An enclosed depression in northern Mexico, that comprises parts of the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. Situated in the arid northern plateau region and averaging 3,000 ft (900 m) in elevation, it is structurally similar to the Basin and Range region of Arizona and New Mexico, in the United States. One ''very'' interesting thing about the Mapimi Basin is the "[[Zone of Silence]]"...

'''Budweiser Little Big Horn panorama''' [[image:Custers-Last-Fight.jpg|thumb|Custer's Last Fight|right]]
The painting "Custer's Last Fight" by Cassily Adams, widely reproduced by Anheuser-Busch for advertising.

'''blood . . . ''Fin''''' 
Cinematic imagery.

'''''¿Y el otro?''''' 
Spanish: And the other one?

'''''El se fue''''' 
Spanish: He left.

'''''jarrito''''' 
Spanish: A small jug, usually made of clay.

'''''¿Y cuándo vuelva?''''' 
Spanish: And when does he come back?

'''''Nunca me dijo nada, mi jefe.''''' 
Spanish: He never told me anything, boss.

==Page 396==

'''''Si el caballero quisiera algún recuerdo ...''''' 
Spanish: If the gentleman would like any souvenir...

'''''pistoleros''''' 
Spanish: gunslingers

==References==
<references/>
==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 374-396

2009-08-06T22:57:26Z

Cortinas: /* Page 395 */ Added Custer's Last Fight Image

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 374==

'''a dime novel . . . suffering in its name''' 
The novel is, presumably, ''The Chums of Chance in Old Mexico'', as described on [[ATD 1-25#Page 7|p. 7]].

Cf. also the following excerpt from Cormac McCarthy's novel (albeit not a dime one!) ''Blood Meridian'' (1985), where the captain of a "gringo evildoers" gang speaks: 
:There is no government in Mexico. Hell, there's no God in Mexico. Never will be. We are dealing with a people manifestly incapable of governing themselves. And do you know what happens with people who cannot govern themselves? That's right. Others come in to govern for them. [...] We are to be the instruments of liberation in a dark and troubled land. (Modern Library Edition 2001, p. 34) (See [[ATD 81-96#Page_92|here]] for more on AtD and ''Blood Meridian'')

'''Ewball Oust''' 
Oust is a [http://www.oust.com odor eliminator] the container of which has a quite phallic shape. And there's that phallic "U" again (See [[ATD_119-148#Page_130|p.130]]), conjoined with "ball" which the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines as "5. Any rounded protuberant part of the body." It is thought that "ball" is derived from the Indo-European word ''bhel'', meaning to blow, swell; with derivatives referring to various round objects and to the notion of tumescent masculinity. Derivatives include ''boulevard'', ''boulder'', ''phallus'', ''balloon'', ''ballot'', and ''fool''. [http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/roots/zzb01800.html] So Ewball Oust plays into [[The Sexual Angle]] in ''AtD'', where sexual names proliferate.

:Interestingly, there's a game called U-Ball (aka Ubuntu Ball) that pits two ball-throwing teams, separated by a center line, against each other. The object of the game is to get all of your opponents “out” of the game by either 1) Hitting them with a ball you throw, or 2) Catching a ball they throw at you while trying to get you out.

:When someone is “out” of the game [o-or ousted!], they leave the main playing area and join other “out” teammates on the other side of their opponent’s team, also separated by a line (like the end line on a volleyball court). While “out,” players act as a backstop to catch balls thrown by their teammates that go through their opponents’ side. “Out” people also can throw at their opponents to get their opponents “out.” Once you are “out” you stay out, so you can’t come back in when you hit someone from your “out” position.

:The game ends when the last person on one side is hit or throws a ball that is caught. [http://www.elca.org/hunger/facts/uball.html]

The game is also known as dodgeball.

:''Ubuntu'' is a traditional sub-Saharan African concept, which roughly translated means “I am because we are”.

:...and he may just turn out to be a bit of a [scr]ewball. [[User:Thew|Thew]] 19:28, 21 June 2007 (PDT)
'''

Ewball sounds like "übel" (german for ''noxious, nauseous'').

'''''charro''''' 
Spanish: Mexican cowboy.

'''Veta Madre''' 
It is not a mine, but rather the original saying ''Mother Lode''. Many silver mines in Guanajuato city are on the Veta Madre. See [http://www.mindat.org/loc-7776.html Veta Madre].

'''Toplady Oust''' 
Toplady Oust was conceived "in a choir loft during a rendition of 'Rock of Ages'" written by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus_Montague_Toplady Reverend Toplady], and thus named! And what would be so, er, stimulating about "Rock of Ages," (cleft for me...)...?

Rev'd Toplady, in ''A Short Essay on Original Sin'', likened the soul at death to a [[Birds|bird]] leaving a cage:
:Conformably to this view of things, Plato chose to derive ''soma'' the Greek word for body; from ''sayma'' which signifies a tomb or sepulchre: on supposition that the body is that to a soul which a grave is to the body; and that souls emerge from the body by death as a bird flies from a broken cage, or as a captive escapes from a place of painful and dishonourable confinement. [http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/atoriginalsin.htm]

''''Rock of Ages'''' 
'Rock of Ages' is one of the world's best-loved Christian hymns with the original lyrics by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady and music by Thomas Hastings. The lyrics were first published in ''The Gospel Magazine'' in 1775 with the music added in around 1830. Of course, there are now several modernised vresions. For the lyrics and more information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages Rock of Ages] and [http://www.ensignmessage.com/archives/rockofages.html RofA].

'''Patio method''' 
The Spaniards in Mexico used the "patio" method to extract silver from its ore. The process takes its name from shallow circular pits, 15 yards across, in which the ore was worked. Silver ore was ground up with water to make mud, and this mud was spread 10 inches deep over the patio. Miners then added salt and mercury and mixed everything by having mules pull stone blocks over it repeatedly. This process forced the silver to combine chemically with the mercury. The mud was rinsed away, and the silver-mercury compound was heated to force off the mercury. Miners in Tegucigalpa imported large amounts of salt from the southern coast and mercury, from Seville to produce their silver. [http://www.marrder.com/htw/2001mar/cultural.htm From HondurasThisWeek website]

==Page 375==

'''Washoe process''' 
The Washoe Process
In the Washoe Process (named for Indians that inhabited the area around Lake Tahoe, and thus the name for the area around Virginia City, the name now preserved in the name of the neighboring county, Washoe County), the improvement to the process of heating the ore during extraction in an iron pan increased the recovery and decreased the processing time. The iron from the pan acted as the reducing agent for the silver:

2AgCl + Fe = 2Ag + FeCl2

The drive for this reaction is nearly 0.6 volts greater than the drive for the reaction for reducing silver using copper (at standard conditions as above), so this reaction is highly favored.

In addition, heating the reaction mixture helped the formation of the amalgam of silver with mercury. In this reaction, the mercury was not changed into mercurous chloride (calomel), so mercury was not used up in the process. The iron pans and iron mixers (mullers) would be consumed in the process, but these could be replaced readily. <ref>Dennis, W.H., A Hundred Years of Metallurgy, Gerals Duckworth & Co., Ltd., London, 1963, p. 282-287</ref>

'''Guanajuato''' 
The capital city, northwest of Mexico City, of the state of the same name in Mexico's central highland. It is located at an elevation of 6,550 ft and in one of the richest silver mining area of Mexico.
:Guanajuato is also mentioned as an important secondary source of [[I|Iceland spar.]]

'''ores tend to be free-milling''' 
The fragments remain separate (thus accessible to the leaching process) rather than reagglomerating.

'''''Espato''''' 
Spanish: Spar. Iceland Spar is 'espato de Islandia'.

'''''espanto''''' 
Spanish: something strange, ugly or shocking. Also a haunt or ghost.

'''''Espantoso''''' 
Spanish: Horrible or shocking

''''La Cucaracha'''' 
'The Cockroach', a popular folk song during the Mexican revolution. There were many versions of different lyrics. One of them was said to mock General Huerta. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_cucaracha Wikipedia].

'''hoosegow''' 
jail.

'''''grifa''''' 
marihuana

==Page 376==

'''General Huerta''' 
Gen. Victoriano Huerta (1854-1916) was on the make in the period of the action. He was an Army general, but also a villain, a drunkard, a drug addict and, for a brief time, the President of Mexico between October 1913 and July 1914. [http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/vhuerta1.html Here] is a précis of his career.

'''Bajío''' 
Bajío is a region in Mexico in the central highland state of Guanajuato.

'''the eve of a turn in history''' 
Pynchon's own spoiler. The Mexican Revolution is brewing.

'''Torreón... Zacatecas... León... Silao''' 
Torreón is a desert city to the north, in Coahuila. Zacatecas is both a state and city in Central Mexico, situated between Torreón and León. León and Silao are cities in Guanajuato. León is the fifth largest city in Mexico (by population).

Zacatecas was the site of a major revolt against Porfirio Díaz's government during the Mexican Revolution of 1910, in which Pancho Villa attempted to capture the city of Zacatecas and the state's lucrative silver mines. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zacatecas see here].

'''mesquite''' 
A leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in Northern Mexico and Southwestern U.S. Mesquite trees are also found in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.

'''ore tailing''' 
residue separated in the preparation of ore.

'''''tlachiqueros''''' 
The workers who make ''pulque'' - a traditional navtive beverage of Mesoamerica.

'''maguey juice''' 
Juice from the maguey, an agave, ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maguey maguey]), or century plant, from which ''pulque'' is made.

'''campesino''' 
A simple farmer or farmworker is referred to as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campesino campesino] in Spanish.

'''Vera Cruz puros''' 
Spanish: Vera Cruz cigars.

'''zinc''' 
It is a moderately reactive bluish-white metal that tarnishes in moist air and burns in air with a bright greenish flame. Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use, trailing only iron, aluminium and copper in annual production.

'''Empresas Oustianas, S.A.''' 
Oustian Enterprises, Anonymous Society (S.A. just points to a form of incorporation, nothing sinister).

==Page 377==

'''pulque''' 
A Mexican alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of various agaves. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulque pulque].

'''''callejon''''' 
Spanish: callejon: narrow street, alley.

'''''subida''''' 
Spanish: subida: a street going uphill.

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

'''Judas Iscariot''' 
According to the New Testament, Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve original apostles of Jesus and the one who betrayed him. He was paid thirty pieces of silver for his betrayal.

'''''rurales''''' 
Mexican Rural Guard, a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that became famous during the period of President Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911). For further information see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rurales rurales].

==Page 378==

'''''juzgado''''' 
Spanish: court, likely orgin of hoosegow.

'''Calle Juarez''' 
Spanish: Juarez Street.

'''''Mordida''''' 
Spanish: bribe.

'''Broomhandle''' 
Cf German self-loader.

'''''pistoles''''' 
The word ''pistoles'' does not exist in Spanish, although ''pistolas'' would mean guns, specifically, handguns, pistols. Probably the -''E'' in ''pistoles'' was a phonetical adaptation to ease pronunciation for non-Spanish speakers in the U.S.

'''''esposas''''' 
Spanish: Handcuffs. (Interestingly, ''esposa'' is also "wife" in spanish.

'''Pantéon''' 
Spanish: cemetery.

'''Cerro del trozado''' 
A hill in Guanajuato, where the cemetery of St. Paula is located. The place where the famous 'Momias de Guanajuato' (Mummies of Guanajuato, [http://poetry.rotten.com/momias/ momias]) were found (cf p.383).

'''''¿Donde estamos?''''' 
Spanish: Where are we? (?)

'''''El Palacio de Cristal''''' 
Spanish (ironic): the Crystal Palace.

The real Crystal Palace is known from [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Crystal_Palace ''Gravity's Rainbow''], of course. "One of the glories of the Victorian era. It was designed entirely of glass and iron by Joseph Paxton, a former head gardener at Chatsworth, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, or to give it its full name, the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. It was originally erected in Hyde Park but moved to Sydenham in 1854 with some alterations, including the addition of two towers, and used as an exhibition, entertainment, and recreational centre. It became national property in 1911 and was destroyed by fire in 1936." From the [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=C ''GR'' wiki].

:There ''is'' one Palacio de Cristal, in Madrid's Parque del Retiro. [http://spain.archiseek.com/madrid/madrid/Palacio_de_Cristal.html Pictures and text.]

'''''La politica''''' 
Spanish: politics, the political.

'''''Felicitaciones''''' 
Spanish: Congratulations.

==Page 379==

'''Porfirio Díaz''' 
Mexican President from 1876 to 1880 (with exception of months) and from 1884 to 1911. Cf p.7 and also see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_D%C3%Adaz Díaz].

'''''chinches''''' 
Spanish: Bedbugs

'''Dwayne Provecho''' 
In Mexico, and other Latin American cultures, "Buen Provecho" is a phrase spoken to one's companions before a meal. Used like the French "Bon appétit", it means "Enjoy your meal." This makes Dwayne's comment on page 381 that much more humorous: "You boys sure eat good,"
"Buen provecho" is also said before drinking (Dwayne is drunk) and sometimes ironically when somebody belchs.
But also "Provecho" is "profit", meaning that fits with Dwayne's actions.

'''Nogales''' 
City of Nogales, AZ. Just across the border: Nogales, Mexico.

'''''frontera''''' 
Spanish: border.

'''As time passed''' 
It could be a considerable time; folklore characters who get penned up underground can't tell if a night and a day, seven years or even a century has passed up above.

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

==Page 380==

'''''cientificos''''' 
Spanish: scientists.

'''Amparo''' 
??? A feminine Spanish name, means "protection, shelter."

'''hidalgo''' 
A member of the lower nobility of Spain. (Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary) 
Here it's referencing the money Ewball is throwing around. (which is one of the things people would expect ''un hidalgo'' to do ...) Similar slang to calling US currency "George Washingtons" and "Ben Franklins".

==Page 381==

'''''lisonjeros''''' 
Spanish: Flatterers

'''"They say it was something one of you did a long time ago, back on the Other Side." 
Cf. Page 37, Lew Basnight's unknowable transgression: "...by way of a sin he was supposed to have once committed." Also interesting to note the capitalization of Other Side, which sounds the other-dimension motif.

'''bolillos''' 
Mexican rolls.

'''El Chinganáriz''' 
The nosefucker (approximately). The salsa described here would be so potent it would cause your nose to turn red, get runny, irritated and perhaps even bleed.

'''in the shadow of the ''paredón''''' 
Delicate reference to his being stood against the big wall (''paredón'') and shot.

'''P.L.M.''' 
Partido Liberal Mexicano, Mexican Liberal Party, reformist organization prominent in the 1910 Revolution.

'''Flores Magón brothers''' 
Ricardo Flores Magón, founder of P.L.M., and his brothers Jesús and Enrique. Considered heroes of the Mexican Revolution. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Flores_Mag%C3%B3n Wikipedia entry]

'''''¿verdad?''''' 
Isn't it? Right?

'''Camilo Arriaga''' 
Mexican journalist, politician and writer from San Luis Potosí. Founder, along with the Flores Magon brothers, of the P.L.M.

'''''potosino''''' 
i.e. person from San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

==Page 382==

'''''muñeca''''' 
Spanish: Doll. Often used as a term of endearment or compliment.

'''''caldereros y sus macheteros''''' 
Tequila and beer, and ''calderero'' derived from ''caldera'' = boiler. So: [[ATD_358-373#Page_360|boilermakers and their helpers.]] 
A reference to the makers of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa barbacoa] has been suggested. It has a very strong odor, traditionally associated also with its makers. But the context supports the first definition instead.

==Page 383==
'''"Nobody ever looks like their 'mug,'..."''' 
And when Pynchon says that, you better believe it!

'''"Brother Disco"''' 
Since Ellmore Disco sounds exactly as El Mordisco ("The Bite") and Dwayne Provecho as Buen Provecho ("Good Appetite"), it doesn't sound so weird that they know each other and that they are on the same "brotherhood."

Also, there's a song by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who The Who] called "Sister Disco" on their 1978 album [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Are_You "Who Are You"]. It is a critique of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco disco].

''''"everybody here thinks you're the Kierselguhr 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?
:Cf. the "legend" of the Kieselguhr Kid, [[ATD_171-198#Page_172|p. 172 and annotations.]] There has to be one.

'''''cuchillo''''' 
Spanish: knife.

'''''momias''''' 
Spanish: mummies. More about [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummies_of_Guanajuato Guanajuato's famous Mummies] at Wikipedia.
Also cf [[#Page 378|p.378]].

==Page 384==

'''Marfil''' 
Spanish: Ivory.

'''''compinche''''' 
Spanish: Pal, buddy, (chum?)

'''''vaquero''''' 
Spanish: cowboy.

'''Ay, Jalisco''' 
''Ay, Jalisco! No te rajes'', is a common Mexican idiom. It means that you shouldn't back out of any situation, even when the odds are against you. Jalisco itselft is a state in West-central Mexico whose capital city is Guadalajara.

'''El Ñato''' 
Also a character in ''Gravity's Rainbow'', where he was the leader of the Argentinians trying to emigrate to Germany.
Literaly, somebody with a snub nose. Is a very common nickname in rural Argentina.

==Page 385==

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

'''''m'hijo''''' 
Spanish: my son. Apocopation of 'mi hijo'. Used as a term of endearment, not necessarily indicating blood relation.

'''''pendejo''''' 
Spanish: A pubic hair. Usually, used in Mexico as an obscenity that roughly translates to "dick" or "asshole" depending on context.
In Argentina it also translates as "kid", but in a derogatory way.

'''''sin embargo''''' 
Spanish: Nevertheless

'''''¡Vámonos!''''' 
Spanish: Lets go!

'''''guerrilleros''''' 
Spanish: guerilla fighters.

'''''el Famoso Chavalito del Quiselgur''''' 
Mexican Spanish: The famous Kieselguhr Kid.
:Although with "chaval" or "chavo" would have been more accurate, since "chavalito" is a diminutive ("little kid").

==Page 386==

'''''copa''''' 
Spanish: A glass (of a spirited drink).

'''''pues''''' 
Spanish: Well

'''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."

'''Maxim gun''' 
The Maxim gun was the first self-powered machine gun, invented by the American-born Briton Sir Hiram Maxim in 1884. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim_gun wikipedia entry]

'''''Que guapa, que tetas fantasticas, verdad?''''' 
Spanish: "How beautiful, what fantastic tits, eh?" (right?)

==Page 387==

'''Cuban claro''' 
A kind of Cuban cigar or ''habanos'' made with a light-colored (''claro'') wrapper.

'''Partidos wrapper''' 
A region of Cuba, where some of the finest ''habanos'' are made.

'''''tropa''''' 
Spanish: A group of soldiers, a troop

'''Parrot Joaquin''' 
Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi was the first novelist in Latin America. His most famous work is ''El periquillo sarniento'', translated to English as ''The Mangy Parrot''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Joaqu%C3%ADn_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Lizardi Wikipedia entry]

'''''pendejo''''' 
Spanish (slang): [[Idiots and Idiocy in Against the Day|idiot]], stupid.

'''''huevon''''' 
A Mexican obscenity, meaning literally 'to have big testicles'; roughly translates as 'lazy'.

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

'''psitticide''' 
Parrot-murder.

'''''Caray''''' 
Spanish: Damn!

'''Palacio del Gobierno''' 
Spanish: Government Palace.

'''''loco''''' 
Spanish: Crazy.

'''''lucas''''' 
One of the writers of the gospels; a common name in Mexico. Used as an euphemism for 'crazy'.

==Page 388==

'''jack''' 
Jackass, burro.

'''Monte el Refugio''' 
Mount Refuge.

'''''mierda''''' 
shit.

'''Huertistas''' 
Huerta's troops.

'''Sombrerete''' 
A small town in Zacatecas.

'''Tarahumares''' 
Indigenous people of northern Mexico, renowned for their long-distance running ability. [[Tarahumare Indians of Mexico|Article + pics]] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarahumara Wikipedia Entry].

First mentioned as among the "exhibits" at the White City on P.23.

==Page 389==

'''Yaquis''' 
Central American Indian tribe that inhabit the Mexican state of Sonora. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaqui Wikipedia entry].

'''Mayas''' 
The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayo_people Mayos] are an Indian tribe that inhabit the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. For an Anglo it might be a natural mistake to say "Maya," but the context points to "Mayo" because in history, geography and language the Mayo and the Yaqui have a close association. Maya peoples live far to the south.

'''Mausers''' 
Someone holding a Mauser bolt action rifle, commonly known as ''palotruenos'' during the Mexican Revolution. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser Wikipedia entry on Mauser]

'''fandango saloon''' 
Saloon featuring a style of flamenco music and dance. These are especially popular in the southwest United States.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fandango Wikipedia entry].

'''''Es mi destino, Pancho.''''' 
That is my destiny, Pancho. "Pancho" is a common short name for Francisco, as "Frank" is in English.

==Page 390==

'''''vaya con Dios''''' 
Spanish: go with God.

'''''Hasta lueguito''''' 
Spanish: See you later.

'''''anarquistas''''' 
Spanish: anarchists.

'''El Espinero''' 
Spanish: The thorn-man

'''''shabotshi''''' 
This is a Tarahumare word meaning "bearded one" and is most often used to refer, with derision, to Mexicans. Among the Tarahumare men, beards are rare. [http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/16426/99.html Carl Lumholtz' ''Unknown Mexico'' Ebook]

'''''brujo''''' 
Spanish: sorcerer, shaman.

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

==Page 391==

'''nopales''' 
Prickly pear cacti.

'''Nicol prism''' 
optical device that produces plane-polarized light.

'''scalenohedral habit''' 
Habit means the characteristic crystalline form of a mineral. Scalenohedral means the form is of a scalenohedron, a solid body the faces of which are all scalene triangles. Therefore, the calcit crystal Frank was looking at had the characteristic crystalline form of a scalenohedron.

==Page 392==

'''a sun-bleached stick with an elegant warp''' 
Carl Lumholtz, in ''Unknown Mexico'' ([http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16426 text available in Project Gutenberg]), Vol. 1, Chap. IV, reports: "[A]n interesting find [in an ancient pueblo dwelling] was a 'boomerang' similar to that used to this day by the Moqui Indians for killing rabbits."

'''''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. [[ATD 219-242#renfrew|Renfrew p. 226]]). 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. 
This is also, perhaps, a statement about non-violent anarchism, enough for all in nature, if no one 'gets greedy".

==Page 394==

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

==Page 395==

'''out-of-scale plain...mineral condition''' 
recalls Genesis 19:25,26, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: "He overthrew those cities and destroyed all the Plain, with everyone living there and everything growing in the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she turned into a pillar of salt".

See also p.391: (talking about a piece of spar) "as if there were a soul harbored within". And so the end of GR: "and a Soul in ev'ry stone..."

'''Bolsón de Mapimí''' 
Spanish: ''Mapimi Basin'' - An enclosed depression in northern Mexico, that comprises parts of the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. Situated in the arid northern plateau region and averaging 3,000 ft (900 m) in elevation, it is structurally similar to the Basin and Range region of Arizona and New Mexico, in the United States. One ''very'' interesting thing about the Mapimi Basin is the "[[Zone of Silence]]"...

'''Budweiser Little Big Horn panorama''' [[image:Custers-Last-Fight.jpg|thumb|Custer's Last fight|right]]
The painting "Custer's Last Fight" by Cassily Adams, widely reproduced by Anheuser-Busch for advertising.

'''blood . . . ''Fin''''' 
Cinematic imagery.

'''''¿Y el otro?''''' 
Spanish: And the other one?

'''''El se fue''''' 
Spanish: He left.

'''''jarrito''''' 
Spanish: A small jug, usually made of clay.

'''''¿Y cuándo vuelva?''''' 
Spanish: And when does he come back?

'''''Nunca me dijo nada, mi jefe.''''' 
Spanish: He never told me anything, boss.

==Page 396==

'''''Si el caballero quisiera algún recuerdo ...''''' 
Spanish: If the gentleman would like any souvenir...

'''''pistoleros''''' 
Spanish: gunslingers

==References==
<references/>
==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}

ATD 97-118

2009-07-20T21:33:50Z

Cortinas: /* Page 117 */ Removed incoherent entry

:'''<big>Please keep these annotations SPOILER-FREE by not revealing information from later pages in the novel.</big>''' 

==Page 97==

'''the iron of their shoes . . . seeking the magnetic memory of that long-ago visit''' 
Familiar cartoon gag, a ''horseshoe'' magnet attracting all sorts of hardware as it flies through the air.
:But here, TRP suggests, Tesla's activities really do cause electromagnetic upheaval in Colorado.

'''the Rebellion''' 
What the North called the Civil War. ([[ATD_1-25#Page_7|See p.7]])

'''Tesla, Dr. Nikola''' (1856-1943) 
Tesla was a Serb-American inventor, engineer and physicist whose patents and theoretical work form the basis of modern alternating current electric power (AC) systems, radio, and a bunch of other stuff. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla Wikipedia entry] Tesla researched in Colorado Springs from May 1899 - January 1900, a location he chose because of the frequent thunderstorms, the high altitude, and the dryness of the air. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla#Colorado_Springs Wikipedia on Tesla at Colorado Springs].

Much of the the funding for his Colorado Springs laboratory came from Colonel John Jacob Astor. Tesla's friend and patent lawyer, Leonard E. Curtis, persuaded the El Paso Power Company to supply Tesla with all the electricity he wanted, free of charge. The arrangement ended the night Tesla's activities burned out the dynamo and the entire city lost power. [http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_colspr.html PBS: Tesla - Master of Lightning]

"Tesla logged in his diary on July 3, 1899 that a separate resonance transformer tuned to the same high frequency as a larger high-voltage resonance transformer would transceive energy from the larger coil, acting as a transmitter of wireless energy, which was used to confirm Tesla's patent for radio during later disputes in the courts. These air core high-frequency resonate coils were the predecessors of systems from radio to radar and medical magnetic resonance imaging devices." [http://www.crystalinks.com/tesla.html] This information was later used to confirm his patent for radio which he received posthumously in 1946, 3 years after his death. [http://www.resonanceresearch.com/nikola-tesla-coils-picture-colorado-1899-labratory.htm].

Pynchon confuses this 03 July 'vision', during a natural electrical storm, with later experimental generation of high voltages.

[http://www.teslasociety.com The Tesla Society] confusingly describes Tesla as a "Serbian-born American" but states his birthplace as Smiljan, Croatia.

'''Vectorist . . . by way of the Electricity''' 
Vector symbolism offers an economical way to describe electrical processes; electrical engineers still use vector algebra and vector analysis combined with concepts from complex number theory.

==Page 98==

'''a turbine generator located underneath a waterfall''' 
Not sitting there to catch the falling water. A waterfall is a convenient place for a power plant because you can get easy access to two elevations: take in water at the top, install your turbine at the bottom. The mention of penstocks and other plumbing farther down the page confirms that the flow is being captured in pipes at the head of the fall and run through a turbine at the bottom.

'''engineering students... from Cornell, Yale''' 
Cornell is Pynchon's alma mater, where he initially studied engineering. [[Thomas Pynchon|Pynchon bio]]

'''Maxwell''' 
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) was a Scottish mathematical physicist among the pioneers of electromagnetism. Pynchon made use of his theoretical "Maxwell's Demon" in ''The Crying of Lot 49''. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell Wikipedia entry]

'''Maxwell's ''Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism'' of 1873''' 
Full text of [http://www.archive.org/details/electricandmagne01maxwrich Volume 1] and [http://www.archive.org/details/electricandmag02maxwrich Volume 2] at the Internet Archive.

==Page 99==

'''the Invisible''' 
Up to this point there have been many mentions of things invisible, here capitalized. Recalling Blundell's quote from p. 24, suddenly everything connects and makes sense to Kit after his revelation. It is a mystical experience for him as he reaches this knowledge through something like a voice telling him.
:So we have as opposites light/ dark; visible/ invisible. And to this point in the book, Miles, Lew Basnight, and Kit have experienced the Invisible. Note that there are various ways of seeing, and not all of them use light.

'''So is altitude transformed, continuously, to light''' 
The potential energy of water at an altitude is realized when it falls, producing the flow of electricity required for the production of artificial light. 

'''Hamilton had experienced at Brougham Bridge in Ireland''' 
William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) was an Irish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who made important contributions to the development of optics, dynamics, and algebra. His discovery of quaternions is perhaps his best known investigation. The discovery of quaternions reportedly occurred during a walk with his wife by the Royal Canal in Dublin. Upon having the inspiration for the formula, he promptly carved it into the side of the nearby [[Brougham_Bridge |Broom (or Brougham) Bridge]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rowan_Hamilton Wikipedia entry]

'''a jump from one place to another''' 
An allusion to quantum jump (or quantum leap), which would be proposed some years later as a model for the electron's transition between energy states within an atom and as the sole cause of the emission of electromagnetic radiation, including that of ''light'', by atoms. Interestingly enough, the term "quantum leap" would later become a standard vernacular term to describe abrupt advances. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_leap Wikipedia entry]

The phrase also suggests either bilocation (Foley Walker and Scarsdale Vibe, cf. p. 100) or changing dimensions (moving to another parallel world?), which Lew Basnight appears to have done without knowing it (p. 24).

'''with . . . what perilous æther opening between and beneath''' 
The etymology of ''air'' includes ''æther.'' The gap between initial and final states is a region where there's nothing to "support" the particle making the quantum jump.
:Is there any link between this and the earlier discussion of Aetherists at Case Western when Michaelson and Morley are experimenting?

'''the truth he now possessed in his personal interior, certain and unshakable''' 
Kit's belief in Vectorism is solidified. 
Not belief. He's broken through to a state where he doesn't have to write the math down—he sees directly from problem statement to solution.

'''Jack, we're seventeen''' 
Around 1900.

'''Pike's Peak or Bust!''' 
The slogan of miners heading to Colorado during the Gold Rush of 1859.

'''Frank got so nervous about climbing''' 
Is Frank acrophobic?

'''Cañon City alumnus''' 
An ex-convict who has done time in the Colorado pen.

'''swamping''' 
Menial work.

==Page 100==

'''Lieutenants of Industry Scholarship Program''' 
The metaphor "Captain of Industry" gets dusted off; Vibe is the captain, so his minions can't go any higher than lieutenants.

'''Mr. Merriwell, we really need this touchdown''' 
An allusion to the fictional character Frank Merriwell, an adventuresome student at Yale and football hero, he was created by the pulp fiction writer Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pen name Burt L. Standish. The first story, "Frank Merriwell: or, First Days at Fardale" appeared in ''Tip Top Weekly'' on April 18, 1896. Merriwell went on to appear in comic books, radio programs, and dime novels. As the passage suggests, Merriwell constituted an idealized picture of the east coast, old money elite. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Merriwell Wikipedia Entry on Frank Merriwell]

'''Yale''' 
This possible deal with the devil that Kit makes to get into Yale recalls the evil pact made to get Tyrone Slothrop into Harvard in ''Gravity's Rainbow''.

'''Horsefeathers''' 
The title of a 1932 Marx Brothers film ("Horse Feathers"). Another possible indication for the promised Groucho Marx cameo. See also "ducksoup" (p.25)

'''Antietam''' 
The first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil, in 1862. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with almost 23,000 casualties.

'''substitute conscriptee''' 
The Enrollment Act of 1863 allowed draftees to pay $300 to a substitute who would serve for them. (See [http://www.rootsweb.com/~nygenese/purchase.jpg here] for an example substitution form.) J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Jay Gould, James Mellon and future president Grover Cleveland all hired substitutes. Within a year the price had gone up to $1,100, however. [http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1994/winter/civil-war-draft-records.html Civil War Draft Records: Exemptions and Enrollments]

==Page 101==

'''Cold Harbor''' 
There were two battles of Cold Harbor: the first, in 1862, predated Antietam, so this would have been the second in 1864 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cold_Harbor Wikipedia].

'''the Brain and its Mysteries''' 
This is a recurring theme, with suggestions of neurological symptoms already seen, such as Miles Blondell's weird feelings and Lew Basnight's malady. As seen below, the presence of the bullet has some effects on his brain: he receives "communications, from far, far away," which can be symptoms of brain injuries.

For more on auditory hallucinations see the recently published ''Muses, Madmen, and Prophets: Rethinking the History, Science, and Meaning of Auditory Hallucination'' by Daniel B. Smith.

'''Minié ball''' 
Prior to the development of the minie ball, rifles were not used in combat due to the difficulty in loading. The ammunition used by rifles was the same diameter as the barrel in order for the bullet to engage the groves of the rifled barrel. As a result the ball had to be forced into the barrel. The minie ball, originally designed by Captain Claude-Etienne Minie of France and improved on by manufacturers in the United States, changed warfare. Since the minie ball was smaller than the diameter of the barrel, it could be loaded quickly by dropping the bullet down the barrel. This conical lead bullet had two or three grooves and a conical cavity in its base. The gases, formed by the burning of powder once the firearm was fired, expanded the base of the bullet so that it engaged the rifling in the barrel. Thus, rifles could be loaded quickly and yet fired accurately; 620; [http://www.civilwar.si.edu/weapons_minieball.html From the Smithsonian website]

However, Minié balls are relatively large, generally .58 caliber, so that would be a mighty large piece of lead lodged in his brain. [http://www.eclectichistorian.net/RifleMusket/Minies.html Picture]

'''"far, far away"''' 
A nod to the opening lines of ''Star Wars''? “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." 
A similar episode is in Richard Powers' "Three Farmers on their Way to a Dance" (1985), in which a character affirms that he can get military radio communications thanks to a dental filling. Richard Powers has often been compared to Pynchon.

'''physical well-being''' 
The dichotomy of bodily and spiritual well-being appears in the [[The World is at Fault]] letter that Pynchon wrote in the early 60s.

'''"if it exists"''' 
Assuming this is c1882, when the Standard Oil Trust was formed, it was already well-known.

==Page 102==
'''ten gallons of coffee''' 
Major caffeine abuse also figured in to ''Mason & Dixon''.

'''Twin Vibes''' 
Vibe and Walker work together in part because of Walker's "powers". These "vibrations" could be the source of the name Vibe.

This is the first mention of the Doppelgaenger theme of the book, which Wikipedia calls "a sinister form of bilocation."[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelg%C3%A4nger]

'''With that kind of personal faith . . . handling snakes''' 
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_handling Wikipedia] says snake-handling did not become a movement until the 1920s but was a sensational practice before the end of the 19th century. The requisite "personal faith" is defined in Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name . . . [t]hey shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." Southern Appalachia is now the epicenter of snake-handling.

'''''"Izvinite... Hvala"''''' 
'Excuse me'... 'Thank you' in Croatian. [http://www.bugeurope.com/essentials/croatian.html [cite]] Also in Serbian, though written in a different alphabet.

==Page 103==

'''por vida''' 
For life.

'''a message from perhaps farther beyond...''' 
Kit may think it another message from the Invisible. Due to his belief in Vectorism?

'''how Mr. Vibe . . . had been left free to behave''' 
The mission given to Walker is to constrain Vibe, who in some sense shares a "karma" with him.

==Page 104==

'''"Tithing," Tesla said, "giving back to the day."''' 
Tesla's contempt for this tithing positions him as—wait for it—against the day.

==Page 105==

'''Jake with me''' 
Fine with me.

'''"not here on the desolate lee shore whose back country is death"''' 
Wonderful, just wonderful...

==Page 107==

Since this is 1899, the Chums should be six years older than they were in Chicago. But they seem to age at a slower rate than folks on earth below.

'''this era of desuetude''' 
Time when usual rules and customs are not being practiced.

'''midwatch''' 
The time between midnight and 4 a.m. Another naval practice observed by the Chums.

'''A boy . . . under a baggy cap with its bill turned sidewise''' 
I can't identify this as to title or date, but the subject appeared in lithographs that hung in many homes in the first half of the 20th century. It was also famous via Charlie Chaplin's work w/ the child Jackie Coogan. See an image at[http://www.crimelibrary.com/graphics/photos/notorious_murders/classics/brooke_hart/8-1-Jackie-Coogan.jpg]

'''Tesla device''' 
A radio. He received a patent for the radio after his death. The transmissions of July 3, 1899 (see Page 97, above) were used as evidence that he should be granted the patent.

:A member of the wiki has pointed out that Tesla recorded thunderstorm observations on that date but did not carry out transmissions.

'''voices . . . difficult to credit with any origin in the material sphere . . . hoarse whispering''' 
Messages coming from a world the Chums don't inhabit? From outside their novel, I suggest, specifically from their author, who is preparing to take over the narration again. 

I would suggest that in the early days of radio even Tesla himself thought he was receiving messages from [http://www.borderlands.com/archives/arch/marscom.htm Mars], when in fact he was discovering the foundation of radio telescopy. Edison and Marconi also thought radio would allow them to converse with the dead. That the Chums also hear voices is probably to be expected. On the other hand, please see [http://www.strangenation.com.au/Articles/sna_evp_vod.htm Electronic Voice Phenomena] for a paranormal discussion on the phenomena.

I think there is more to this. Above, a reader noted that Merle works with light AND sound. Just as one might "see" via the Invisible (Miles, Lew, and Kit), one might "hear" via the invisible, as Foley Walker does, as well as the Chums here.

'''Indian Ocean islands of Amsterdam and St.Paul''' 
As noted in the text, Indian Ocean Islands. Both are volcanic in origin. Strangely (given the CofC's prior location in Chicago), they are located in the very southern part of the Indian Ocean, in line with South Africa. They remain without permanent residents.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele_Saint-Paul Wikipedia article on St. Paul Island]

'''westerlies''' 
A westerly is a wind that is ''coming from'' the west, not heading toward the west. Given the location of the two islands they flew over, they must have come from south of the equator near the southern parts of South America or Africa or possibly even Australia.

==Page 108==

'''islets vanished from the nautical charts''' 
Do features really vanish from charts? Could it be that their ''names'' were no longer recorded?

It is possible that some small islands collapse or are eroded, and disappear below the sea, to "rejoin the Invisible".

'''St. Masque''' 
This island's name may have been one of the ones to vanish.
:I think TRP created this name, since the island masks the underground installation.

'''huge underground construction''' 
The description calls to mind Boston's "Big Dig," or a bunker such as those built by SAC, NORAD or other military organizations. In particular it brings to mind the Cheyenne Mountain Directorate in Colorado Springs, CO.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_Mountain]

'''''Megaera''''' 
One of the Greek Furies. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megaera [Wikipedia]]

Apparently a real shipwreck as well. [http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/book_excerpt.asp?bookid=1535 [Scroll down to St. Paul Island]]

'''four hundred of us made it''' 
The informative page linked in the preceding entry is pretty clear: 330-odd of them made it.

'''"Curious," Chick said.''' 
His register of speech is very different from what we heard in earlier episodes. And he has somehow now got enough education to have been named "Scientific Officer."

==Page 109==

'''the volcano''' 
''Not'' Krakatoa. The Chums are in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

'''antipodal to Colorado Springs''' 
Amsterdam and St. Paul are, to within a few dozen miles, exactly on the opposite side of the Earth to the Springs. Because Tesla's work there wound up early in 1900, the antipodal point could not have held much interest after that. The 1899 dating holds.

'''Chums of Chance Logistical Services''' 
In the whole series of novels this is probably the only mention of CoCLS. All the other books had instruments, weapons, etc., just appear without explanation. "Never questioned, always on time" simply because it's written (or unwritten) that way.
:I think it is more sinister -- their shadowy organization has the reach and the resources to make things appear, but a) the boys' location away from sources of supply and b) the boys' growing awareness (such as Chick's "scientific knowledge") lead them to notice.

'''mephitically seeping volcano''' 
"Mephitic" means foul-smelling.

'''President McKinley''' 
Since McKinley was assassinated (by an anarchist) in September, 1901, this situates the episode some time between 1899 and 1901.

'''a beach so intensely sunlit as to appear almost colorless''' 
Again an excess of light takes away from the ambience rather than adding to it -- a sun bleached beach.

'''blindness at the heart of a diamond''' 
This enigmatic imagery is reflected (no pun intended) in a few references: [http://books.google.com//books?num=100&q=heart.of.a.diamond&as_brr=0 more] 

"where the light came down sifted through so many emerald screens that it was as flawless as the heart of a diamond. " (''Anne of Green Gables'', Chapt. 15, by Lucy Maud Montgomery) 

"It was a singularly sharp night, and clear as the heart of a diamond."'' A Story that is Untrue'' by Ambrose Bierce 

blindness seems not to be a positive with this metaphor. No light, a heart that cannot see. Diamonds = lightlessness.
:I interpreted it as lots of light = blindness; i.e., again the distinction between seeing, learning, understanding vs. light.

An important diamond with a blindness at its heart is the one in Wilkie Collins's novel ''The Moonstone'' (1868)([http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/155 Project Gutenberg]). The diamond brings misfortune to its possessor; it is stolen twice early in the novel, and various characters try to regain it. It may be worth noting that, in Collins, a big diamond with a blindness at its heart is worth less than its compounds, if it's cut into pieces.

'''Since his''' (Darby's) '''voice had changed''' 
In three-quarters of a century Tom Swift didn't age half a dozen years. The Chums could not have aged much before ''AtD'' opened, because they weren't very old when we met them. Now the mascotte who sang the treble parts has become an adolescent.

==Page 110==

'''The once cheery mascotte... into a distrust of authority''' 
In this section Darby Suckling looks to be the "punk" of the Chums ala Darby Crash. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darby_Crash Wikipedia]

'''Nihilism''' 
Nihilism comes from the Latin ''nihil'', or nothing. It appears in the verb "annihilate", meaning to bring to nothing, to destroy completely. Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy. Nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) who argued that its corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history. Ivan Turgenev's ''Fathers and Sons'' (1862) popularized ''nihilism'' by his character Bazarov who preached a creed of total negation. In Russia, nihilism became identified with a loosely organized revolutionary movement (1860-1917) that rejected the authority of the state, church, and family. The movement advocated a social arrangement based on rationalism and materialism as the sole source of knowledge, and individual freedom as the highest goal. The movement eventually deteriorated into an ethos of subversion, destruction, and anarchy. And by the late 1870s, a nihilist was anyone associated with clandestine political groups advocating terrorism and assassination. ([http://www.iep.utm.edu/n/nihilism.htm Nihilism]).

'''Platonic polyhedra''' 
In the Timaeus of Plato, the eponymous character claims, in what he calls his "likely story," that the cosmos was created by the gathering of triangles into regular solids which coincide with the four elements: the pyramid (fire), cube (earth), octahedron (air), icosahedron (water), and dodecahedron. The dodecahedron becomes associated with Æther.

In his early work Mysterium Cosmographicum, Johannes Kepler used the Platonic polyhedra to model the solar system.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid Wikipedia entry on the Platonic polyhedra, including a picture of Kepler's polyhedra model of the solar system]

'''Clarendons''' 
Clarendon is a serif typeface created in 1845 that was often used for wanted posters in the Old West. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarendon_%28typeface%29 Wikipedia entry, with a sample]

'''FUNDAMENT-SEIZING''' 
Ass-grabbing.

'''"Zumbledy bongbong," [Miles Blundell] called encouragingly, as the food flew. "Vamble, Vamble!"''' 
Miles's odd speech may be an allusion to that of the Muppets' Swedish Chef.

He may also be speaking in tongues, or simply have some sort of apraxia of speech, given these comments and those on the following page.
:Remember that Miles is the Chum who did not see the crockery, was preoccupied, and says that he "sees" at times in a different dimension. Now, like Foley's voices, above, we have Miles with an auditory (as well as his visual) affliction.

==Page 111==

'''unmix a failed sauce''' 
There is a folk belief, however, that mayonnaise and other egg-based sauces will separate during a thunderstorm. You can, however, re-mix sauces of this kind that have de-emulsified.

'''time is intrinsic in every recipe''' 
Not whether you bake the pie for 20 minutes or 40. What's intrinsic is that the recipe always takes you forward in time. Start with ground meat, end with a hamburger, never the other way around.

'''"Of the metawarble of blibfloth zep"''' 
Poor Miles' communication problems continue.

'''dog's dinner''' 
Something that is ostentatiously smart [http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/dogs-dinner.html Definition].
"bone china" takes on new meaning!

'''In the U.S.A., it was almost the Fourth of July''' 
''Inconvenience'' is a day ahead of the U.S., being well west of the International Date Line.

'''noteworthy episodes of military explosion . . . necessary to maintain the integrity of the American homeland''' 
Put the stress on ''military.'' Other explosions achieve different purposes.

'''Explosion without an objective . . . is politics in its purest form''' 
Set this against not only the next entry but also against Drave's aphorism "Remorse without an object is a doorway to deliverance" (p. 39).

'''Haymarket bomb . . . wonders of chemistry''' 
Cf. p. 79, "the widely admired Mexican principle of politics through chemistry."

==Page 112==

'''I wish I knew what they were arguing about''' 
Randolph's consciousness has not been raised, as we used to say in the 1970s.

'''"the nature of the skyrocket's ascent"''' 
Chumps of Choice blog [http://chumpsofchoice.blogspot.com/2007/01/dance-of-anarchy-and-change.html suggests] that this refers to ''Gravity's Rainbow.''

'''about the trajectories of your own lives''' 
Miles has divined that the Chums have adventures (the display) but also intervals when their movement is unsensed from outside: between the end of one of their novels and the beginning of the next one.

'''"Think, bloviators, think!"''' 
To bloviate means to speak or write at length in a pompous or boastful manner. CoC blog [http://chumpsofchoice.blogspot.com/2007/01/dance-of-anarchy-and-change.html suggests] that this, coupled with the verbose allusion to ''Gravity's Rainbow'' above, is Pynchon's message to jargony commentators of his work, presumably in academia.

Presumably, us as well

'''By the time ''Inconvenience'' was ready to take once more to the sky''' 
Another damned anticlimax. They travel halfway around the world, Logistical Services puts on a big push to supply the experimental station, and we get ''not one single word'' about any data collected or knowledge gained as a result of Tesla's experiments.

Although . . . recall that the night of the experiment was introduced as "the amazing, world-reversing night of Fourth of July eve" - I think we are to read the amazing reversal in the internal affairs of the ''Inconvenience'' as the most noteworthy result.

'''President McKinley . . . naked woman . . . National Bird . . . something to eat . . . one of the Platonic polyhedra . . . draped female personage''' 
It is hard to see how the final figurehead choice is a "compromise" among these candidates.

==Page 113==

'''X.O.''' 
In many militaries' units, the executive officer (XO) is the second-in-command, reporting to the commanding officer (CO).

'''"contamination by the secular"''' 
Secular can be defined as "denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis." As the Chums have so far not been overtly religious, perhaps they mean secular in the spiritual sense?

Secular also means "worldly", as in, that which the Chums of Chance are literally above: 113: "That sort of bickering may be for ground people, but it is not for us."

'''Gloymbroognitz thidfusp''' 
Odd. Sounds like something from Adams' ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'', but isn't. Anyone?
Famous, surreal Polish writer of the 20th Century, Gombrowicz, Witold ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Gombrowicz Wikipedia entry]). 
Miles is having trouble communicating in words. See p. 110 and 111
:When language fails him (an auditory communication), perhaps he is away among the Invisible.

'''Surabaya''' 
Today in Indonesia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surabaya Wikipedia entry]

'''"Special Japanese Oyster"''' 
The pearl that comes from this oyster that facilitates communications from the Chums' Upper Hierarchy is a result of Japanese experimentation "a pearl of quite uncommon size and iridescence, seeming indeed to glow
from within" that connects with the red calcite that powers the Q-weapon, as well as Merle's and Bounce's device later in the novel. [[Q-weapon and Photography|Read on...]]

This seems to be a standard mode of communication as the Chums get out the equipment, pull the blinds, etc., as if per usual.

The pearl as means of communication from the "Upper Hierarchy" bears some similarity to the Gnostic/Manichean/Eastern Orthodox passage from the apocryphal ''Acts of Thomas.'' called [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_of_the_Pearl ''The Hymn of the Pearl'']. The gnostic gloss on the story is that we (here The Chums) are spirits lost in the world of matter who forget our true origin, until a divine being, i.e. "The Upper Hierarchy", sends a message by way of a revealer (usually Jesus, here the pearl) to help us remember our mission. 

In the hymn the son of the king of kings is sent to retrieve a pearl from a serpent. There is no obvious serpent at this point in AtD, but the Chums get the pearl in Surabaya, whose name derives from ''suro'' (shark) and ''baya'' (crocodile), in this case both white, which together bear a mytho-poetic parallel to, a "paramorphic encryption" of a serpent. 

And like the calcite that powers the Q-weapon, in Biblical studies there is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_document Q] document which when mixed with the book of Mark yields Matthew and Luke. Prominent Biblical scholars theorize that such a book consisting of the saying of Jesus must exist based on textual analysis, but a copy has never been found. Certain texts are, as one of the Librarians says, "outside of time" but may be inferred from the evidence. (p.133)

The oysters are sold to Miles with "unusual persuasiveness" at "what did seem a remarkably attractive price." This might be an inversion, a "parable parody," a parody of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Pearl ''Parable of the Pearl.''] wherein Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a pearl of great price; whereas here, at first glance, Miles gets his pearl at discount. In re-reading it though, we are not actually told the pearl is cheap, but that whatever price it came at was remarkably attractive and unusually persuasive, in other words, the Kingdom of Heaven is an attractive bargain and persuasive at any rate of exchange with worldly goods.

It is of note that MILES gets the pearl, since he is the Chum able to enter the dimension of Invisibility (vs. visible). And it occurs after he fails to successfully master the auditory as well (language, above).

==Page 114==

'''Nernst lamps''' An early incandescent lamp invented by Hermann Nernst (1864-1941), which made use of a heated ceramic rod to produce light in ambient air (in contrast to Edison's incandescent, which required a vacuum to operate). [http://www.nernst.de/lamp/nernstlamp.htm Link]

'''Dr. Mikimoto (Kokichi)''' Produced the first cultured pearl in 1893 in Toba, Japan. As he left school at 13 to help support his family, any Doctorate he may have obtained must have been honorary.

And the Japanese:

:Through a highly secret technical process, developed in Japan at around the same time Dr. Mikimoto was producing his first cultured pearls, portions of the original aragonite which made up the nacreous layers of the pearl had, through “induced paramorphism,” as it was known to the artful sons of Nippon, been selectively changed here and there to a different form of calcium carbonate namely, to microscopic crystals of the doubly-refracting calcite known as Iceland spar.

'''Iceland Spar''' 
"Spar," in mineralogy: a transparent or translucent light-colored crystalline mineral, usually readily cleaved and somewhat lustrous; e.g. Iceland spar (calcite) . . . . (paraphrased from Bates & Jackson, ''Glossary of Geology,'' 2nd ed.)

See this handy "About Geology" page [http://geology.about.com/library/bl/images/blcalcite.htm], with an illustration demonstrating a spar's double-refraction effect on printed letters--remarkably like that on the cover of ATD! This kind of calcite has rhombohedral cleavage, because each of its faces is a rhombus, a warped rectangle in which none of the corners are square. Is each of the rectangular pages of ATD then a warped cleavage from some sort of crystalline whole, refracting its text in several directions at once? Of course, to the Chums the text message they receive from Upper Hierarchy has but one simple meaning. "Paramorphism" = the structural alteration of a mineral without any change in its external form or chemical composition.

And look at this too, how to make Iceland Spar animations:
[http://images.google.it/imgres?imgurl=http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/imgmay04/dwd/dwf1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artmay04/dwjpegcyc.html&h=300&w=400&sz=15&hl=it&start=12&tbnid=NQMhCqiW1apqNM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diceland%2Bspar%26gbv%3D2%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Dit]

Doubling / Advertisements / Stereo Lamps / Lounge / Beach Citadel / Restaurants / Brooklyn-Manhattan-Queens / Windows / Electromagnetic sun / Art Galleries / New Front / New Media / Doubling: New York 2000 (Summer) even in the multi-colored food. Talk about scent, high-end music and multifaceted sensorial experience. The reflection of candlelights in every television set.

'''divided into two separate rays, termed "ordinary" and "extraordinary" 
In the optics lab, physics students split a laser beam into two rays, which impinge on an object and are reflected onto a photographic plate, generating a hologram. The Japanese here anticipate the process, using the differently polarized rays (split by the Iceland spar) instead of laser light and replacing the plate with minute crystals in the pearl. The idea of three-dimensional holography and data storage in solid crystals would not resurface until the 1950s or 60s.

This parallels the doubling of people in AtD. So far we have seen Foley Walker as a double of Scarsdale Vibe.

'''the limitless mischief of pearls''' 
A book's worth of superstitions exist around pearls. Pearls bring tears. The bride must wear pearls. The bride who wears pearls will be unhappy. If your pearl loses its luster, you are about to die. A pearl dissolved in wine is a poison. A pearl dissolved in wine is a love potion.

'''get up buoyancy''' 
A surface ship "gets up steam" in preparation for departure. Another naval or nautical analog.

'''Etienne-Louis Malus''' 
1775-1812, a French officer and mathematician whose work was predominantly concerned with light. He studied ray systems, and his theory on polarisation was published in 1809. His theory of the double refraction of light in crystals was published in 1810. Malus is best known for his law describing intensity of light as it passes through polarized materials. There are delicious metaphorical implications for any reader of a Pynchon novel.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etienne-Louis_Malus Wikipedia] 

Malus is also the genus of the apple. And in Latin, ''malus'' means "bad," "evil," or "wicked." Note that in the narrative to come, the ship is frequently referred to simply as the Malus.

'''pearls''' 
Probably meant to contrast the "blindness at the heart of a diamond" referred to on p. 109. Pynchon may want to call to mind ''The Scarlet Letter'', in which Pearl, the child produced by the union of the protagonist, Hester Prynne, and the Rev. Dimsdale, becomes a symbol of beauty derived from sin (there, and likely here, represented by the grain of sand around which the pearl forms). This also serves to link the pearl to the ship Malus (above).

'''Dr. Alden Vormance''' "
Vormance's surname may be meant to combine "Romance" and "worm," calling to mind the Romantic exuberance that motivated 19th century exploratory expeditions as well as the serpent of the Biblical expulsion story. 
Another Pynchonian "V" name and we know what Pynchon thinks of "Romantic exuberance". See GR, at least. And a remark in ATD [to find]. 
Alternatively, Vormance may be a conflation of the German prefix ''vor-'' (meaning "forward" or "before") with the -mancy combining form (e.g. necromancy) meaning prophecy--[[User:Gobbag|Gobbag]] 12:38, 11 February 2007 (PST)

'''a strong presumption of Bad Taste''' 
The Chums seek to avoid this accusation just as Peter Pan tries to avert Captain Hook's taunt, "Bad form." The phrase occurs in J.M. Barrie's novel ''Peter Pan'' (''Peter and Wendy''), possibly also in the stage version, and again in the movie ''Hook.''

==Page 115==
'''(Johannes) Kepler''' 
(1571-1630), mathematician best known for his laws of planetary motion, one of the foundations of Isaac Newton's theory of gravity. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Kepler Wikipedia] Kepler was a Platonist who believed that mathematics and music were instrinsically linked[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_spheres] and that both were signs of God, as the physical and spiritual were linked. We have already seen many examples in AtD of mysterious singing, humming, and other noises coming out of the atmosphere.

'''Edmond Halley''' 
1656-1742, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Halley Halley] was an English physical scientist most remembered for the comet he which he predicted would return. In 1692 he proposed that the earth was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_Earth hollow]. In 1698 he departed on a two year voyage as captain of the HMS Paramore in order to measure variations in the Earth's magnetic field. In 1716 he suggested timing the transit of Venus to determine the distance between the earth and the sun.

'''(Leonhard) Euler''' 
The method of traverse (pun ignored) by which the Chums proceed became known as a Symmes' Hole after John Cleeves Symmes who, in 1818 circulated a pamphlet arguing for the existence of such holes in the polar regions and further volunteered to lead an expedition to said regions.

Symmes' following lecture tours were further carried forth by one J.N. Reynolds. "[Edgar Allen] Poe is said to have repeatedly called out the name "Reynolds" on the night before his death, though no one has ever been able to identify the person to whom he referred." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_allen_poe Edgar Allen Poe's] first published short story, "Ms. Found in a Bottle" (1833) took, as its premise, the existence of Symmes' Holes: theoretical holes in the polar areas which led to a hollow interior. And his novel ''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym'' recounts a voyage to the South Pole, where suddenly everything gets warmer and the sailors find themselves approaching the entrance to a hollow earth. For a Wikipedia discussion,[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Narrative_of_Arthur_Gordon_Pym_of_Nantucket]

:Research has its charms, but so does mindless surfing. [http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/03/ This blog] presents a map of the Earth inside the Earth, complete with Shambhala. The layout unfortunately doesn't fit the ''AtD'' account, but it's quite funny.

'''the great portal . . . ''noticeably smaller''''' 
Unrelieved light is unendurable; the entry into the Earth offers shadow, but the region of shelter has shrunk. Unrelieved ultraviolet light is deadly; the "ozone layer" in the atmosphere serves as protection, but the cover has shrunk—particularly in the Antarctic—as the "ozone hole" has grown larger. A small parallel, but it forwards the theme a little.
:Wouldn't additional warmth bring a ''larger'' opening?

'''the airship entered the planet's interior''' 
As did Jeremiah Dixon in [http://masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Chapter_55:_542-553#Page_548 ''Mason & Dixon''], Pynchon's 1997 novel, guided by what seemed to be an extraterrestrial Being. This passage links the two books interestingly, as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow_earth Hollow Earth] is a fairly prominent trope in ''M&D'', although there is no mention of the portal's small size. Has it shrunken because the theory is losing ground?

==Page 116==

'''vatic''' 
Prophetic. [http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2004/10/21.html [def]]

'''this is a self-protective reflex''' 
In his mystical phase Miles proves to be a believer in [http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/ James Lovelock's "Gaia."]

'''the ship's nitro-lycopodium engines''' 
''Inconvenience'' has gone through a major refit, apparently: no more hydrogen power. Lycopodium consists of spores from a club moss, usually ''Lycopodium clavatum.'' It is a highly flammable yellowish powder. Photographers used it for flash illumination. In principle, an internal combustion engine can run on a powdered fuel, though difficulties abound in practice. The "nitro" part is a puzzle; nitromethane (called "nitro" or, in drag racing, simply "fuel") seems the most obvious reference. Do the ship's engines use a slurry of lycopodium in nitromethane? That would be a tricky fuel to handle. 
I don't think "nitro" refers to a particular, separate substance. The prefix nitro- indicates a substance whose molecules have the group NO2 attached to them. The oxygen in this group is easily released, with the result that nitro-compounds usually burn very rapidly and intensely, effectively having their own internal oxygen supply. Strictly the prefix should be applied to well defined molecular species such as nitromethane, nitrobenzene, etc, etc. However it is also used for complex biological substances treated with a nitrating agent such as nitric acid: nitrocotton (gun cotton) is a common example. Pynchon has probably invented nitro-lycopodium as a plausible though non-existent propellant, in the fashion we're accustomed to seeing with him.--[[User:Gobbag|Gobbag]] 06:57, 11 February 2007 (PST)

That is probably right, and a good point. "Plausible though non-existent" in Pynchon works because it is surrounded by the ''existent'' or prospectively existent: A modest collection of real ''AtD'' minerals/rocks/gems (lorandite, jade, Iceland spar) makes a context in which "Special Japanese Pearl" can nestle. Similarly, nitro-lycopodium falls into a class that already contains hydrogen, coal, muscle power (wheelfolk), petroleum derivatives and waterfalls. And Pynchon's fictional history is underpinned by historical events described in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica.''

'''night-glass''' 
Telescopes and binoculars are described by their magnifying power (say 7X) and the diameter of their objective lens or "pupil" (say 35 mm). For many years 7X35 binoculars were a practical compromise for field use (army issue, etc.), but these were useless at night because they could not collect enough light. "Night" binoculars might be 7X50 or even larger. Similarly, a night-glass is a telescope with an oversized lens in front.

'''electrical sound-magnifier''' 
What would come to be called an ''amplifier'' in post-Chums times.

'''human timbres and rhythms, not speech so much as music''' 
Again the "choir" image as on [[ATD_1-25#Page_19|page 19.]] The Music of the Spheres as well.

==Page 117==

'''bolts of intense greenish light''' 
Hmm, the Chums are getting the same view of this war as America got of the "Shock and Awe" campaign in Baghdad.

'''In an emergency, that choice lies at the Commander's discretion''' 
Not the people. Freedom of speech and the President's sole decision to go into war resembles some sort of Catch-22 paradox. Its what maintains a Dynasty in power for years, decades or even centuries. Its about money, power and greed. Not freedom or humanity.

'''the byzantine politics of the region''' 
Byzantine: fiendishly complicated, from ''Byzantium,'' the name of the city that would later become Constantinople and later again Istanbul. The claim indicates that Inner Earth has politics similar to those of Outer Earth.

'''royal court of Chthonica''' 
The adjective ''chthonic'' means "of the earth" or "of the underworld" and is often used to refer to the gods and other entities residing under the surface of the earth. The adjective is used creatively, and most famously, in the fictional works of H.P. Lovecraft ... a chief deity of his ficitional universe being Cthulhu.

'''Plutonia''' 
[http://www.trussel.com/prehist/plutonia.htm ''Plutonia''] is the title of a novel written by Russian geologist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Obruchev Vladimir Obruchev], published in 1915. According to [http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/2000/cur0002.htm this sf site], it's a hollow-earth story.

The "Plutonist" movement, as opposed to the "Neptunist", was quite in vogue in the late 1800s, being a theory of geography which held that the interior heat of the earth was somehow responsible for various geological processes.

'''Tunbridge Wells''' 
[http://www.icons.org.uk/nom/nominations/disgusted-of-tunbridge-wells "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells"] is an archetypal figure of conservative England whose correspondence can be found frequently in newspapers railing at the latest outrages of modernity. Tunbridge Wells briefly features in Gravity's Rainbow.

On whether this and the subterranean adventure may allude to ''Gravity's Rainbow,'' see [[Talk:ATD_97-118|Discussion]].

'''my harmless little intraterrestrial scherzo''' 
Once again, the unseen narrator appears. By inference, the narrator is also the author of the various ''Chums of Chance...'' books referenced in ATD. This episode's also a little ''inter-textual'' scherzo: Poe (''Arthur Gordon Pym''), Jules Verne, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/At_the_Earth%27s_Core_%28novel%29 Edgar Rice Burroughs and Pelucidar], ''Star Trek'', Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth... and Jeremiah Dixon's own underground journey in M&D. Doesn't Chick Counterfly sound rather Spockian here (cf. 115, bottom)?

==Page 118==

'''a tiny circle of brightness far ahead''' 
Literally "the light at the end of the tunnel," a metaphor used repeatedly, and to no good effect, by American political leaders starting some weeks after the beginning of the Vietnam War.

'''a tricky bit of steering''' 
If you emerge at the North Pole, every way you steer is south, so ''which'' south will take you to the rendezvous?

==Annotation Index==
{{ATD PbP}}