Gravity's Rainbow discussion

And here is the obvious companion thread.

OK, Now I have my first really anal obsessive observation and question.

On page 138 (also 3rd paragraph of Episode 17)--refer to this sentence portion:

"....a clue for the living--"Foxes" calls Spectro across astral spaces,...."

What is unusual is that Spectro is printed on the page thusly:

.

Note upper case, smaller font, "sub E"

What's going on? Why does Spectro's name appear in this manner?

..................................................

Background: In my house there are four(4) editions of Gravity's Rainbow":

SBN 670-34832-5 (hardbound) July 1973 Viking
ISBN 0 14 01.0661 8 (paperback) 1987 Penguin (2 identical editions)
ISBN 0 14 01.8859 2 (paperback) 1995 Penguin (1 edition)

All these editions appear to be the 760 page printing of the 1973 original edition. Please forgive all this anal background. But in all of these editions Spectro appears in the same manner. So I do not think it is a typo. It appears intentional.

Verification: In the more recent printings, does it also appear this way?

Additional Background:

In the book, the bottom of the "p" and the bottom of the "E" do line up horizontally, as if intentional.

The poor alignment shown in my post above is my own sloppy Photoshop work, attempting to match what I see in the book.

Mosca wrote: "OK, Now I have my first really anal obsessive observation and question.

On page 138 (also 3rd paragraph of Episode 17)--refer to this sentence portion:

"....a clue for the living--"Foxes" cal..."

Found this by googling! :D

http://books.google.com/books?id=3zHw...

Wow, Thanks, Rose!

Rose, I have now bookmarked that Google Books page.








"Rose speaking through the medium Google Books"

You always make me smile, Mosca. *smooches*

In Episode 14(Pg. 94-116 in my edition), where we are introduced to Captain Blicero, there is a mention of the Oven and the Oven-state. I am wondering what exactly the Oven stands for.
Does it have anything to do the Nazi ovens or gas chambers?

Yes, Megha, as I understand, this is a reference to the ovens of the concentration camps.

This oven metaphor is taken further with the allusions to the Hansel and Gretel story. In the fairy tale Gretel pushes the witch into the oven. Gottfried, Katje, and Blicero each representing Hansel, Gretel, and the Witch.

Mosca wrote: "Yes, Megha, as I understand, this is a reference to the ovens of the concentration camps.

This oven metaphor is taken further with the allusions to the Hansel and Gretel story. In the fairy tale..."

Ok, I didn't know of the Hansel and Gretel story, so hadn't understood that link to the Oven. Thanks, Mosca.

That section (starting with Blicero and moving through the dodos) was incredible. From Blicero-->dodos-->candy-eating episode I went from disturbed-->lump in my throat-->laughing hysterically in a span of 20 pages. This book is amazing.

You're right, Bram.

Every time I think I understand what's going on, there's a shift; and I'm spinning in the opposite direction----again.

Mosca wrote: "OK, Now I have my first really anal obsessive observation and question.

On page 138 (also 3rd paragraph of Episode 17)--refer to this sentence portion:

"....a clue for the living--"Foxes" cal..."


In my 902 page 'Vintage Books' 2000 edition (ISBN 978-0-099-53321-4) there is no subscript 'E'

Daniel wrote:

"In my 902 page 'Vintage Books' 2000 edition (ISBN 978-0-099-53321-4) there is no subscript 'E'"

Daniel, do you mean that you have, indeed, found the referenced sentence, but that the word "Spectro" has no subscript "E" in your printed edition?

yeah that's right I found the right sentence, applied a little maths to get the right page lol (760/902 * 138, it was on the next page) and there was no subscript E