How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
It is at about this point in the play, in fact, that things really get peculiar, and a gentle chill, an ambiguity, begins to creep in among the words. Heretofore the naming of names has gone on either literally or as metaphor. But now, as the Duke gives his fatal command, a new mode of expression takes over. It can only be called a ritual reluctance. (3.125)
Does Oedipa's ability to detect the "ambiguity" in the play suggest that she is becoming a better literary critic? How does the "reluctance" to say the word Tristero give it power in Oedipa's mind?
Quote #5
"The words, who cares? They're rote noises to hold line bashes with, to get past the bone barriers around an actor's memory, right? But the reality is in this head. Mine." (3.167)
Is Driblette telling Oedipa something significant about the relationship between playwrights, directors, and their audience? How much is his opinion shaped by his ego, and how much is it shaped by honest observation?
Quote #6
"Entropy is a figure of speech, then, a metaphor. It connects the world of thermodynamics to the world of information flow. The Machine uses both. The Demon makes the metaphor not only verbally graceful, but also objectively true." (5.18)
Check out our "Symbols, Images, Allegory" section and read up on entropy in thermodynamics and in communication theory. Is Nefastis actually on to something, or is he just nutso? How does the metaphor allow the two concepts to at least seem to fit together? How does this apply to Oedipa's quest to discover the Tristero?