just wondering:

What does anyone make of the fact that PW begins with a "whisper to the
reader" which amounts to a fairly elaborate meditation on the beauty of
Florence, which follows one of the most entertaining long sentences
lampooning Florence?  Additionally, on the first page of the novel itself,
there is a quick comparison of Dawson's Landing with Venice?


Another question:  is Roxy's baby the child of Driscoll?  is there a
critical consensus one way or the other on that?  It does say the baby is 31
parts white, making the father white; I just wonder if we understand the
child to be the slave master?
--

Harold K. Bush
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO