Thomas Pynchon Wiki - User contributions [en]

Pages 71-72

2008-09-26T18:00:00Z

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==Page 71==
'''"... von Bayros or Beardsley."''' 
Marquis Franz von Bayros and Aubrey Beardsley were renowned for their erotic sketches in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Learn more about [http://beardsley.artpassions.net/ Beardsley] and [http://www.all-art.org/er_in_art/07.html von Bayros]

'''"... a De Mille set really..."''' 
This is open to skepticism, but I believe he's referring to Cecil B. DeMille, who was famous for his construction of grandiose sets, particularly "The City of the Pharaoh," the largest set in film history.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_B._DeMille Cecil B. Demille] at Wikipedia.

==Page 72==
'''Wuotan''' 
Wuotan is the Old High German spelling of Odin.

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Pages 71-72

2008-09-26T17:46:26Z

Koenigcochran: /* Page 71 */

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==Page 71==
'''"... von Bayros or Beardsley."''' 
Marquis Franz von Bayros and Aubrey Beardsley were renowned for their erotic sketches in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Learn more about [http://beardsley.artpassions.net/ Beardsley] and [http://www.all-art.org/er_in_art/07.html von Bayros]

'''... a De Mille set really...''' 
This is open to skepticism, but I believe he's referring to Cecil B. DeMille, who was famous for his construction of grandiose sets, particularly "The City of the Pharaoh," the largest set in film history.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_B._DeMille Cecil B. Demille] at Wikipedia.

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Pages 71-72

2008-09-26T17:35:30Z

Koenigcochran: /* Page xx */

Pages 83-92

2008-09-22T20:31:33Z

Koenigcochran: /* Page 85 */

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==Page 83==
'''83.34-37 meddling with another man's mind...Harvard University''' 
During WWII [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_A._Murray Dr Henry A. Murray], then assistant director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic, joined the OSS in Europe and assisted James Miller in developing psychological profiles of prospective special agents -- so called stress tests. He also analyzed Hitler for the Allies, predicting that if Germany lost the war, Hitler would commit suicide; that Hitler was impotent as far as heterosexual relations were concerned; and that Hitler had possibly participated in a homosexual relationship -- all suggestive of Blicero.

After 1947 and the Cold War it seemed every self-respecting psychologist was doing side jobs for the CIA in "persuasion technologies" including LSD, various other drugs, sleep deprivation, isolation tanks, hypnosis, etc. even, allegedly, unto the death of the "patient". Perhaps best well known was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MKULTRA MK Ultra]under the direction of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Gottlieb Dr. Sidney Gottlieb].

Murray himself returned to Harvard where he continued his meddling with the minds of others. One of the minds he meddled with from 1958 to 1962 belong to Theodore Kaczynski. Alston Chase's book ''Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist'' tells of the psychological experiments which Kaczynski is reported to have undergone at Harvard, under the direction of Murray. Chase connects these experiences in a controversial thesis to Kaczynski's later career as the Unabomber. As is generally well known in Pynchon circles, TRP himself was suspected of being the Unabomber.

And then of course there was the Leary-Alpert led [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Psilocybin_Project Harvard Psilocybin Project] between 1960 and 1962 ...

==Page 85==
'''85.25 Edwin Treacle''' 
Although derived from a word meaning an antidote to poison, "treacle" is the British term for molasses and is often used to describe something excessively sweet and sticky.

'''85.37 Poisson Distribution/Equation'''

See entry on page [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_53-60 54]

==Page 88==
'''88.10 the submontane Venus''' 
That is, the goddess of the Tannhauser legend and opera.
'''
88.34 yang-yin rubbish''' 
Note that Pointsman here rejects the concept only to become entranced by it later.

Venus is also the goddess of love, of course.

==Page 91==
'''91.27 Dr. Bleagh''' 
An expression of disgust. (Try saying it!)

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Pages 83-92

2008-09-22T20:30:15Z

Koenigcochran: /* Page 85 */

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==Page 83==
'''83.34-37 meddling with another man's mind...Harvard University''' 
During WWII [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_A._Murray Dr Henry A. Murray], then assistant director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic, joined the OSS in Europe and assisted James Miller in developing psychological profiles of prospective special agents -- so called stress tests. He also analyzed Hitler for the Allies, predicting that if Germany lost the war, Hitler would commit suicide; that Hitler was impotent as far as heterosexual relations were concerned; and that Hitler had possibly participated in a homosexual relationship -- all suggestive of Blicero.

After 1947 and the Cold War it seemed every self-respecting psychologist was doing side jobs for the CIA in "persuasion technologies" including LSD, various other drugs, sleep deprivation, isolation tanks, hypnosis, etc. even, allegedly, unto the death of the "patient". Perhaps best well known was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MKULTRA MK Ultra]under the direction of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Gottlieb Dr. Sidney Gottlieb].

Murray himself returned to Harvard where he continued his meddling with the minds of others. One of the minds he meddled with from 1958 to 1962 belong to Theodore Kaczynski. Alston Chase's book ''Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist'' tells of the psychological experiments which Kaczynski is reported to have undergone at Harvard, under the direction of Murray. Chase connects these experiences in a controversial thesis to Kaczynski's later career as the Unabomber. As is generally well known in Pynchon circles, TRP himself was suspected of being the Unabomber.

And then of course there was the Leary-Alpert led [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Psilocybin_Project Harvard Psilocybin Project] between 1960 and 1962 ...

==Page 85==
'''85.25 Edwin Treacle''' 
Although derived from a word meaning an antidote to poison, "treacle" is the British term for molasses and is often used to describe something excessively sweet and sticky.

'''Poisson Distribution/Equation'''

See entry on page [http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Pages_53-60 54]

==Page 88==
'''88.10 the submontane Venus''' 
That is, the goddess of the Tannhauser legend and opera.
'''
88.34 yang-yin rubbish''' 
Note that Pointsman here rejects the concept only to become entranced by it later.

Venus is also the goddess of love, of course.

==Page 91==
'''91.27 Dr. Bleagh''' 
An expression of disgust. (Try saying it!)

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Pages 53-60

2008-09-22T20:14:18Z

Koenigcochran: /* Page 54 */

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==Page 54==

54.25 '''Poisson Distribution/Equation''' 
"In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability distribution that expresses the probability of a number of events occurring in a fixed period of time if these events occur with a known average rate and independently of the time since the last event."

For the purpose of comprehension, all that needs to be understood of this distribution is that, given a mean success rate, one can use the distribution to predict the probability of a number of successes other than the mean (here the rocket strikes), when success is very unlikely, but inevitable given a large number of events. (This concept recurs on pp. 55, 56, 85, 140, 171, 270.) To learn more, check out the Wikipedia article quoted above: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_distribution Poisson Distribution at Wikipedia]

Poisson distribution. (2008, September 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:45, September 22, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poisson_distribution&oldid=237707448

==Page 59==

59.01-02 '''Frank Bridge Variations''' 
The "Frank Bridge Variations" is a composition ("Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge," Opus 10, 1937) by Benjamin Britten, named after one of his teachers. It was one of Britten's first works to win international notice.

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Pages 53-60

2008-09-22T20:13:31Z

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==Page 54==

54.25 '''Poisson Distribution/Equation''' 
"In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability distribution that expresses the probability of a number of events occurring in a fixed period of time if these events occur with a known average rate and independently of the time since the last event."

For the purpose of comprehension, all that needs to be understood of this distribution is that, given a mean success rate, one can use the distribution to predict the probability of a number of successes other than the mean (here the rocket strikes), when success is very unlikely, but inevitable given a large number of events. (This concept recurs on pp. 55, 56, 85, 140, 171, 270.) To read more, check out the Wikipedia article quoted above: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_distribution Poisson Distribution at Wikipedia]

Poisson distribution. (2008, September 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:45, September 22, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poisson_distribution&oldid=237707448

==Page 59==

59.01-02 '''Frank Bridge Variations''' 
The "Frank Bridge Variations" is a composition ("Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge," Opus 10, 1937) by Benjamin Britten, named after one of his teachers. It was one of Britten's first works to win international notice.

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Pages 53-60

2008-09-22T19:42:46Z

Koenigcochran:

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==Page 54==

54.25 '''Poisson Distribution/Equation''' 
"In probability theory and statistics, the Poisson distribution is a discrete probability distribution that expresses the probability of a number of events occurring in a fixed period of time if these events occur with a known average rate and independently of the time since the last event."

For the purpose of comprehension, all that needs to be understood of this distribution is that, given a mean success rate, one can use the distribution to predict the probability of a number of successes other than the mean (here the rocket strikes), when success is very unlikely, but inevitable given a large number of events.
To read more, check out the Wikipedia article quoted above: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_distribution Poisson Distribution at Wikipedia]

Poisson distribution. (2008, September 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:45, September 22, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poisson_distribution&oldid=237707448

==Page 59==

59.01-02 '''Frank Bridge Variations''' 
The "Frank Bridge Variations" is a composition ("Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge," Opus 10, 1937) by Benjamin Britten, named after one of his teachers. It was one of Britten's first works to win international notice.

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