[PW] Neville, a gentleman's name

[DRPayne at stkate.edu]

Maskelyne's first name is "Nevil" -- the alternate spelling in my original
email was a mis-key, thanks to me relying on poor memory. Sorry for any
confusion that caused.

As for "Gentlemen's (sic) Magazine" -- the reference that I am trying to
track down from Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon" refers to a page "clipp'd from
the Gentlemen's Magazine of the December previous." ("Gentlemen's Magazine"
is italicized and is written as "men" not "man.")

I cannot, however, find a "Gentlemen's Magazine" that was published in the
1760s -- but I have found the "Gentleman's Magazine" which was published
during that time and which seems to have covered the correct subject
matter. It is, of course, possible that Pynchon is referencing a periodical
that I have not found -- but I suspect that the character in the novel is
misspeaking (or lying).

In other words, the "(sic)" was intended to suggest an historical
inaccuracy (wrong title) rather than a grammatical error.

These are all important clues, Sylvia, so thank you for asking!

-----project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org wrote: -----

To: list at project-wombat.org
From: sylvia ryals <sylviaryals at yahoo.com>
Sent by: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
Date: 09/03/2007 03:02PM
Subject: [PW] Neville, a gentleman's name

(DISCLAIMER: Just because I might seem nerded out on
name derivations and historical spelling and
punctuation changes doesn't mean I'm pedantic.)

"I am trying to track down a reference by Thomas
Pynchon on page 438 of
"Mason & Dixon" to a letter in "Gentlemen's (sic?)
Magazine" regarding
 the promotion of Neville Maskelyne to H.M. Astronomer
. . ."

I believe the Norman Conquest was responsible for
bringing the name Neville to the British Isles where
it eventually became (unevenly) Anglicized to Nevil.

A gentleman's gentleman is a valet, of course.  Since
things for children are "children's" and the Ladies'
Home Journal isn't "Lady's" , why would Gentlemen's
Magazine be "Gentlemen's (sic?) Magazine?"

Sylvia, in need of clues