Ch. 6: “(Flims are the unconscious expressions of age-old human myths)” Boy meets girl; they fall in love; they live happily every after. Still true.
“There is a crash outside my window– was a crash.” I really enjoyed this acknowledgment of tense change. The form of this novel is presented as ajounral entry, which authenticates Myra’s thoughts as every present and every truthful since she is writing every thought as quickly as it enters her brain. (This of course is impossible because she would have to pause in her conversation with Buck to write everything down, but she gives the allusion here that that is exactly what she’s doing.)
“I have been drawn lately to television commercial, which, though in its rude infancy, shows signs of replacing all the other visual arts.” Could you imagine if we only watched commercials? This was a keen observation to make in the 60s because today television is indeed overrun by commercials, but to me, commercials are strictly tools of capitalism, so however artistic they might be, it is only a veil for their purpose, which Myra acknowledges in chapter 9. “I believe, without false modesty, that I proved conclusively that the relationship between consumer and advertiser is the last demonstration of necessary love in the West, and its principal form of expression is the television commercial.” I love that she, or rather Vidal, italicizes necessary. The advertiser must make the consumer love the product, and I find it fitting that she did not say manufacturer but rather pointed the gaze at the person who promotes capitalism: the advertiser. This relationship is a comparison to religion. (I’m sort of obsessed with television)
Ch. 8: “I would put nothing past a man who traffics so promiscously in love, not knowing that it is hate alone which inspires us to action and makes for civilization.” I’m really loving Myra’s acute cynicism. There is validity to the comments she makes like this one. Hate inspires war, which inspires control, which breeds colonization. However, I do not think it is only hate that inspires action.
Ch. 11: “But envy is the nature of the human beast”… no. Capitalism promotes envy, but I don’t think it is in our nature to be so. I expected Myra to figure that out, so I believe this statement is an unveilment (sp) of herself.
“Without precise notation and interpretation there is only chaos.” Thanks for the credibility to writers, Vidal, you self- promoting bastard. (kidding… about the bastard part.)
Ch. 12: Sometimes I don’t know where she comes up with this stuff… “the hard fact that American women are eager for men to rape them and vice versa; and that in every American there is a Boston Strangler longing to break a neck during orgasm. Ours is a violent race.” Is she talking about race as a whole or the race of Americans? To this day, in American culture, there is stilla suppression of sexuality: could this be the reason for violent outbursts? To generalize that the race as a whole has a violent streak is hefty to say the least. Why does Myra constantly make this large assumptions?
