My big gripe with postmodern literature is that its authors tend towards simple stories told in a complex way (the worst quadrant of the Punnett square), big ole stories about nothing much at all. Explorations of form and fine and fun (some of my fav novels are arguably postmodern, if not post-post-modern-modern but I digress), but this novel has so much stuff going on and so little substance. To some extent, that is the point (“Keep cool, but care” is the resounding note of the post-modern distress), but I don’t know if that’s how I care to spend my reading hours. Well worth the read, and I can see how this novel helped establish Pynchon as an American great, but it was missing the substantive spice that I seek for novels that present themselves as ambitious works such as this. It’s funny, dark, and vulgar, but lacking in coherence.

I: “In which Benny Profane, a schlemihl and human yo-yo, gets to an apocheir”: 6.75

whoa whoa whoa – overwhelming onslaught of characters and movement, and euphemisms. It’s funny, and well-written. Having to google some of the words (made up) and some of the foreign language. Kind of seems like “Catcher in the Rye” if it wasn’t ass (horny imbecile aimlessly wandering around NYC) but it doesn’t take itself, nor its characters nearly as seriously and that makes all the difference.

II: "The Whole Sick Crew”: 8

In which we get more POV from Rachel Owlglass, briefly mentioned as the romantic foil to Benny Profane in the first chapter who uses her relationship with him as an rebellious outlet against her otherwise conservative lifestyle. In this chapter, she visits a plastic surgeon and engages in a cynical debate about profiting off of antisemitism –since most of the surgeon’s clients are jewish women. He rebuts by pointing out that until radiological gene therapy becomes available (to obliterate or duplicate jewish hook noses entirely), his work in fact proliferates Jewish noses by aiding the women in becoming more desirable so they can mother more Jewish babies. This kind of debate is similarly humorous to those that take place in VALIS.

We’re also introduced to Herbert Stencil and his life long investigation of the eponymous woman V. He openly recognizes that upon finding her, his life will lose its purpose, so his quest for her is self-important.

III: “In which Stencil, a quick-change artist, does eight impersonations”: 7.75

Stencil reads his father’s journal (his father a British spy) to learn about and compare the murder of another British spy (Porpentine) to his father’s own murder. These names are so goofy man, and there’s so many of them.

The chapter then consist of 8 vignettes from different POVs surrounding Porpentine’s murder, set in 19th century Egypt. It’s a montage of people brushing elbows with Porpentine, giving insight to British-occupied Cairo. Like much of the book, it’s fast and somewhat hard to follow, but if you can juggle the names it’s enjoyable.

IV: “In Which Esther Gets a Nose Job” 7

We learn more about Schoenmaker’s past as an aircraft mechanic in WWI as he saw the planes he loved get weaponized. His career pivot to plastic surgery is motivated by the mutilation and botched repair of the face of an airman he’s fond of: Evan Godolphin.

The second part of the chapter details Esther’s rhinoplasty with weird (especially given the preceding chapter about the antisemitic motions of his line of work) german accents and innuendos… It’s grotesque and teaches us little about the main characters, but much about the anatomy of a nose and the procedures to mold one.

With such chapters dedicated to ~nothing much~ it’s becoming clearer that this is a drama of characters (whomever they may be) far less so than a coherent story. Pynchon is putting his talent on display, and we’re along for the ride. More coherent than Faulkner, a bit less than Bolaño (much more similar to the waxing scenes from 2666, though much less time is spent in any one spot in this story)

V: “In Which Stencil Nearly Goes West with an Alligator”: 8.5

missed opportunity to title this chapter “V.” though I guess all chapters have had the title as a subheading.

The first part of this chapter, describing Profane’s involvement in a task force for eliminating pesky alligators from the sewers and streets of New York. It’s absurd and quite funny. He’s got the job from some of Puerto Ricans he met on the subway in an earlier chapter. Throughout the chapter, Profane likens himself to a famed Great Depression priest who took to the sewers to try to convert the rats which dwelt there. This section makes the whole chapter excellent

We hard cut to an swanky apartment sheltering some of the women mentioned in chapter 2 who cavort with Paola, who is being sought by Rachel Owlglass. Roundabout ass way to tie her into this chapter too. The owner of the apartment grouses around the apartment muttering e i g e n v a l u e

VI: “In which Profane returns to street level” 6.75

temporal home sickness for the decade we were born in. Benny loathes the above ground. He likes to coach the gators into the closest thing they can attain in the form of escape from their consumer ends as wallets, shoes, and other knick-knacks to adorn Macy’s shelves. He pumps their guts full of lead and then performs benedictions over them.

Benny has some runs in with various gangs and Italian “playboy” mobs all the while exerting a (step-?) brotherly protective affection towards Angel’s sister, Fine. She loosely finds herself in a ganbang, much to the dismay of Angel (who beats her) and Benny.

VII: “She hangs on the western wall”: 6.75

A flashback to Florence, after Porpentine’s assassination. We get more character vignette’s this time from the perspective of Evan Godolphin. Evan is summoned by his father to discuss one of many possible V.’s: ‘Vheissu’. Vheissu might be a place, a codename, or an overheard german phrase translating to “Who are you.” A couple Venezuelans plot to steal Boticelli’s Birth of Venus. Evan goes to his father who is definitely a spy – he’s missing but left clues for Evan to find him. The Venezualan’s plot is thwarted, one of them is interrogated by Sidney Stencil (Hubert Stencil’s father) – the captive Venezuelan discloses information about Vheissu (supplanting ideas about V. which trickle through time back to Hubert).

this chapter is a lot of convoluted backstory – the convolution, comedy of errors of Shakespearean magnitude is the point, but it’s somewhat tiresome… Venus, Vheissu, and Venezuela.

VIII: “In which Rachel gets her yo-yo back, Roony sings a song, and Stencil calls on Bloody Chiclitz”: 6.5

A very… tumescent chapter. In which nothing much happens. Benny gets a job, Pig Bodine (pornographer custodian and aspiring actor) is boarding at Winsome’s place which has become a halfway house for the Sick Crew, Winsome and Mafia FREAK. Stencil continues to confuse himself with the web of V. and is introduced to a german engineer, Mandaugen, who worked on the V missiles. GG for Stencil, down the rabbit hole he goes.

IX: “Mondaugen's story”: 8

Mondaugen is tasked with studying radio disturbances in South Africa. Mondaugen is advised to take shelter at the villa of a German soldier named Foppl in advance of rising tension between the colonial presence and local Bondelswaartz peoples. Mondaugen parties with the other expats, including one Vera Meroving (“V” mentioned). Hugh Godolphin (Evan’s father) is also present, discussing Vheissu with Merova.

Dr. Eigenvalue interrupts Stencil’s retelling of Mondaugen’s story to inquire why Mondaugen would remember such an inconsequential conversation that would mean nothing to him but mean everything to Stencil.

Mondaugen’s scurvy-ridden delirium leads him to a malleable state where Merova is able to convince both he and Hugh Godolphin that Mondaugen is Evan, Hugh’s son. He also dream hops into Foppl’s past and relives some pre-Nazi Nazi shit.

This dream sequence exceeds 2666’s “Part about Amalphitano” in terms of both vile german soldiers, rape, violence

X: “In which various sets of young people get together” 6.5

relationships between the main characters are developed. Schoenmaker tries to force Esther to undergo more surgery so he can reveal her most beautiful form. Winsome, Mafia, Paola, and Pig Bodine are wrapped up in various affairs with one another.

Yet another character is introduced, a musician who muses of T-flip flops in the throws of post coital rumination, while the young prostitute he lies with thinks about her father.

Benny continues to bop around his job as a night watchman, and finally at a party with the Sick Crew, Paola gives Hubert Stencil an autobiographical document about his life in Malta during WWII where they were getting bombed several times a day.

XI: “Confessions of Fausto Maijstral”: 6

Stencil’s account of the aforementioned document.

Here I make an overarching observation about my enjoyment or lack thereof of this story. Neither plot nor character matter really, mainly form - which is just not my fav. It’s not bad, I just don’t particularly care especially in light of the “main” story line or existing subplot. This chapter just seems like a story Pynchon wanted to tell (along with the other Stencil accounts). The juicy bit is the revelation that the “bad priest” who encouraged Fausto’s wife (Paola’s mother) to have an abortion was in fact V. (glass eye, amongst other things). Fausto forgives her and administers last rites.

XII: “In which things are not so amusing”: 7.75

kicking inanimate tires, knowing they’d take revenge when he needed it least.

Esther’s abortion in Cuba (by way of Schoenmaker) is funded by the Sick crew. Winsome tries to kill himself for getting cucked by Bodine by throwing himself out the window, but lands on a fire escape. He tries again but Bodine saves him. They homoerotically wrestle about the fire escape as onlookers watch (“Nothing ever happens in NYC”) but by the time Winsome is able to successfully defenestrate, the police catch him in a net. The whole Sick Crew is arrested for disturbing the peace. During the disturbance, Esther escapes, Benny bumps into Fina at the airway who is also making her way south to San Juan.

“Keep cool, but care” is the resounding note of the post-modern distress uttered by the Jazz musician introduced earlier: McClintic Sphere.

XIII: “In which the yo-yo string is revealed as a state of mind” 8

This chapter contains a very Holden Caulfield-esque dialog between Rachel (who loves Benny and wants him to let her love him), and Benny, the man child who believes he is unlovable. This dialog accomplishes everything that Salinger failed at, everything that makes Catcher in the Rye insufferable and offers the eagerest sliver of profundity that I found the rest of the book to be (intentionally) lacking.

"I don’t change. Schlemihls don’t change"

…

“You’re not a Schlemihl. You’re nobody special. Everybody is some kind of Schlemihl. Only come out of that scungilli shell and you’d see”.

The dialog ends with Rachel accusing Benny of using all the women (he views as dependents) in his life, sexually or otherwise due to his refusal to have relationships with them.

The chapter ends with Profane being put up to a heist of Dr. Eigenvalue’s coveted denture artifact by Stencil who believes them to be tied to V.

XIV: “V. in love”: 8

This chapter’s main story interlude consists of a Parisian ballerina who is seduced by an older woman (V. obviously). The ballet performance is about a Rape of china (the historical Nanjing massacre occurred in 1937, the year Pynchon was born). Other character’s are played by automata, and as the ballerina Mélanie develops increasingly deviant sexual desires with/for V. – Stencil (we’re again receiving all this side plot from him) fantasizes about constructing an automata of Mélanie with Eigenvalue’s dentures as the crown jewel. In a grotesque conclusion to the vignette, Mélanie is IRL impaled on a prop during the climactic scene where her character is supposed to be “play” impaled.

We also get a lengthy anecdote about how Bodine lost all of his condoms and was going to temporarily sterilize himself on a radioactive antenna, only to be saved by Profane who inadvertently tipped him off to the questionability of the idea by a hamburger he had left adjacent in order to microwave it. This whole horny anecdote serves to explain why Bodine owes Profane, a favor which Profane phones in to keep Pig from molesting Paola. While comforting Paola after pulling Piggy off of her, Rachel enters the scene to see Benny hugging her, which sates her suspicions that Benny has been cheating on her. She vengefully sleeps with Winsome for awhile to get back at him. Benny doesn’t care, he doesn’t care about anything.

Benny Profane isn’t quite an author stand-in, but he’s close. The main plot takes revolves about characters who Pynchon likely tangled with during his time in the Navy, and who are all about the same age he would’ve been in ’55 - ’57.

XV: “Sahha”: 6

The purpose of this chapter is lost on me other than to tidy things up before chapter 16.

XVI: “Valletta” 7

Profane’s theft of the dentures at the behest of Stencil is not sufficient reason for him to join Stencil and Paola on their adventure to Malta to continue investigation (and for Paola to return home), but the ironic timing of Rachel walking in and blowing up that whole situation seemingly is. So Benny tags along to live out his days carousing the streets with an easy replacement for Rachel. Stencil interrogates the priest, who confirms that the V. from Majistal’s confession/letter to Paola did indeed perish, which doesn’t add up for Stencil. He continues the hunt.

Epilogue: 7.75

Majistal Sr. delivers an intelligence report to Stencil Sr. (because of course). Stencil is approached by Mrs. Majistal, pregnant with the Fausto V. Majistal who’s report is a point of obsessive fixation by Stencil Jr. – she implores Stencil Sr. to discharge Marjistal Sr. as a Maltese informant, but he’s hesitant because his only other intelligence asset there is NONE OTHER THAN THE RAT PRIEST FATHER FAIRING. Stencil Sr. has an affair with one Veronica, which is hilarious – that V. might be Stencil Jr.’s mother. Evan Godolphin is present at Stencil Sr.’s departure from the island, and witnesses the ship promptly being struck by a waterspout and sinking

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