Notes from The Jest: pages 17 - 31

Note: The page numbers jump in and out of order because I'm noting the end notes as I encounter them.

Page 17: Introducing Erdedy
· A woman who is bringing him a fifth of a kilogram of unusually good marijuana for $1250.
o From a guy in a trailer in Allston, who has a harelip and keeps snakes and has no phone.

Page 20: Erdedy realizes how he is like the insect in the girder of his shelving unit. 15 lines up from the bottom of this page.

Page 21: Another comparison of Erdedy to the insect, 10 lines down from the top.

Page 22: pleurisy, inflammation of pleura: inflammation of the membrane ( pleura ) surrounding the lungs, usually involving painful breathing, coughing, and the buildup of fluid in the pleural cavity

pastiche,
1. mixture: a piece of creative work, for example, in literature, drama, or art, that is a mixture of things borrowed from other works
2. use of pastiche: the creation or use of a pastiche
3. imitative work: a piece of creative work, for example, in literature, drama, or art, that imitates and often satirizes another work or style

majisculed: maybe a variation in spelling from this:
majuscule, large printed letter: a large letter used in writing or printing, for example, a capital letter or any of the large rounded letters ( uncials ) used in ancient manuscripts

Page 27: 1 APRIL – YEAR OF THE TUCKS MEDICATED PAD
Hal is 10, will be 11 in June.
Note the day.
Low saliva output; anything to do with that mold he ate when he was five? (see pages 10-11.)

Page 30: amanuensis
1. scribe: somebody employed by an individual to write from his or her dictation or to copy manuscripts
2. writer’s assistant: a writer’s assistant with research and secretarial duties

Noticed on this page that the Moms was dosing Hal’s morning cereal with “esoteric mnemonic steroids”.

Page 31: mise en scène
1. CINEMA THEATER arrangement of actors, scenery, etc: the positioning of actors, scenery, and properties on a stage or movie set for a particular scene or particular production
2. setting for something: the physical environment in which an event takes place
[From French, literally “putting on stage”]

anaplastic, having lost distinctive cell features: relating to or characterized by the loss of distinctive cell features ( anaplasia )

gastrectomy, operation to remove somebody’s stomach: surgical removal of all or part of the stomach. It is usually performed in the treatment of stomach cancer or severe stomach ulcers.

prostatectomy, surgical removal of prostate gland: surgical removal of the whole or part of the prostate gland.

pancreatectomy, surgical removal of pancreas: whole or partial removal of the pancreas by surgery.

phalluctomy: variation on (?) phallectomy, Surgical removal of the penis.

Yeesh! No wonder Himself killed himself!