Yep! Basically “brenschluss” is when the rocket reaches the peak of the parabola and the engine thrusters and control mechanisms shut off. Then the rocket has to fall without any control. So while the launchers of the rocket can control it up to a point, once it reaches “brenschluss,” there is no more ability to control it. Obviously with modern technology we can control it past that, but the technology at the time of the V2 could only be controlled up to that point.
I love the point you made about the color violet being the end of the rainbow. This made me think that green is the middle of the rainbow, and the green part focused on love,life, rebirth, etc. so perhaps it’s saying that amidst the parabola there is the launch (birth), then the middle point of life and love (where a life peaks), before then descending down to the end of the rainbow in death.
Yes, and the other resonance with violet is the first artificial dye, aniline purple, that founded the whole lineage of chemists as priests that runs throughout the novel -- the first artificial color arising from the substance of death, coal tar -- science picking up the color spectrum where nature leaves it off
So a wickerware suit, that would be like a suit of armor made out of baskets? Cast aside on the printshop's floor, I don't know whether to imagine a pile of clothes or a weird and rigidly 3-dimensional basket humanoid?
I don't see anything about "As B/4" was John Dillinger's old signoff. Think Pynchon made that up but it makes sense, as association with Dillinger would indicate how you feel about certain things...that you're taking a gangster capitalist approach to life in the Zone, but in the most romantic way possible...
I love that Slothrop's always the star of his own movie, how he protagonizes himself as Rocketman...
"It is gone where the woodbine twineth" exactly what Jubilee Jim Fisk told the Congressional committee investigating his and Jay Gould's scheme to corner gold in 1869." --> another important lapse into nonfiction here. I can't quickly verify that this is what Jubilee Jim said to the congressional committee, but it very easily could have been, as the phrase "Where the Woodbine Twineth" is a deeply rooted cultural meme, and there's a poem and all that. probably did say it, I'm not going to look it up right now. https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/gone-where-woodbine-twineth
Noticed when it's not involving pedophilia, Pynchon writes super gross sex scenes, very funny and "on the nose" as they say. Trudi climbs inside his nostril.
...ah there's a lot of german here, fun stoney conversation about the herb itself...*pretty, stahlig *steely" bodengeschmack -- having the taste of the soil or earth? behind its *body which is admittedly *tasty. I would rather have said *sparkling. Generally more *bouquet ... Oued Nfis region and Jebel Saghro are different parts of morocco where this grass was grown, it was speculated.
...I had notes here that got deleted, if anyone needs to know about Tägliche Rundschau or the Locrian mode, you'll have to go look them up...
the smooth-faced Custodian of the Night seems to be a serpent, according to PynchonWiki but I can't tell if that's just an assumption based off the word "coiled."
George Raft was an American actor, as far as I can tell from google image search his suits had wide lapels -- ... don't mind me I'm just doing a page here and there. could you bring back the archive tab on the substack site? thx.
By the way, is the height of the parabola the brenschluss point? I haven’t been able to figure that out
Yep! Basically “brenschluss” is when the rocket reaches the peak of the parabola and the engine thrusters and control mechanisms shut off. Then the rocket has to fall without any control. So while the launchers of the rocket can control it up to a point, once it reaches “brenschluss,” there is no more ability to control it. Obviously with modern technology we can control it past that, but the technology at the time of the V2 could only be controlled up to that point.
I love the point you made about the color violet being the end of the rainbow. This made me think that green is the middle of the rainbow, and the green part focused on love,life, rebirth, etc. so perhaps it’s saying that amidst the parabola there is the launch (birth), then the middle point of life and love (where a life peaks), before then descending down to the end of the rainbow in death.
I think this is further supported through the line in part 3 of the poem saying “in the height of the afternoon”
Yes, and the other resonance with violet is the first artificial dye, aniline purple, that founded the whole lineage of chemists as priests that runs throughout the novel -- the first artificial color arising from the substance of death, coal tar -- science picking up the color spectrum where nature leaves it off
So a wickerware suit, that would be like a suit of armor made out of baskets? Cast aside on the printshop's floor, I don't know whether to imagine a pile of clothes or a weird and rigidly 3-dimensional basket humanoid?
I don't see anything about "As B/4" was John Dillinger's old signoff. Think Pynchon made that up but it makes sense, as association with Dillinger would indicate how you feel about certain things...that you're taking a gangster capitalist approach to life in the Zone, but in the most romantic way possible...
the destruction of the Brandenburg Gate: https://www.cvce.eu/en/obj/destruction_in_berlin_the_brandenburg_gate_1945-en-c608894a-e49a-40a7-8914-125e182da732.html. Incredible how Pynchon does the atmosphere here.
I love that Slothrop's always the star of his own movie, how he protagonizes himself as Rocketman...
"It is gone where the woodbine twineth" exactly what Jubilee Jim Fisk told the Congressional committee investigating his and Jay Gould's scheme to corner gold in 1869." --> another important lapse into nonfiction here. I can't quickly verify that this is what Jubilee Jim said to the congressional committee, but it very easily could have been, as the phrase "Where the Woodbine Twineth" is a deeply rooted cultural meme, and there's a poem and all that. probably did say it, I'm not going to look it up right now. https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/gone-where-woodbine-twineth
Noticed when it's not involving pedophilia, Pynchon writes super gross sex scenes, very funny and "on the nose" as they say. Trudi climbs inside his nostril.
Please do spotify Rossini: La gazza ladra
Anton Webern was a Nazi classical music composer, and his death, is described well by Gustav in the book, the Americans shot him in a "police action" while they were raiding his brother in law's house: https://www.classical-music.com/features/composers/how-did-anton-webern-die
...ah there's a lot of german here, fun stoney conversation about the herb itself...*pretty, stahlig *steely" bodengeschmack -- having the taste of the soil or earth? behind its *body which is admittedly *tasty. I would rather have said *sparkling. Generally more *bouquet ... Oued Nfis region and Jebel Saghro are different parts of morocco where this grass was grown, it was speculated.
...I had notes here that got deleted, if anyone needs to know about Tägliche Rundschau or the Locrian mode, you'll have to go look them up...
the smooth-faced Custodian of the Night seems to be a serpent, according to PynchonWiki but I can't tell if that's just an assumption based off the word "coiled."
George Raft was an American actor, as far as I can tell from google image search his suits had wide lapels -- ... don't mind me I'm just doing a page here and there. could you bring back the archive tab on the substack site? thx.
I can! Is that easier to use than the Novels section?
yeah maybe not for others but i keep my place by liking the articles as i read and the novels index doesnt show likes. not a big deal
Ah ok makes sense! It’s back up.