Dear Cyndy,

Please excuse a second salvo dispatched so soon
after yesterday's missive; but as I reread my letter
and the translated fragment of Chapter 50, it becomes
apparent that I did not complete what I had set out to
tell you. Joachim's recapitulation of Katenus' theory
about the self-validation of language is interrupted
by Charlotte's knocking on the door. She demands access
not only to Joachim's room but also to his experiences
on the Island. She wants to be told about Katenus and
his theories. Her infatuation with Joachim makes her
jealous of "philosophy" which she has hitherto spurned.
Like any feminist worth her salt, she is confident of
her ability to conquer and rule the world without the 
help of men.  Instinctively, as if she were shopping for
a new dress, she tries on the gown of Diotima, the beautiful
goddess of wisdom who with her consort Socrates reigns over
Plato's Symposion, (with whose namesake a.k.a. Susette Gontard
Hoelderlin maintained the adulterous relationship that enshrined 
him in literature.) Joachim is enchanted. He now untertakes
to tutor Charlotte in Katenuses' ideas, in repetitions that
provide me with many opportunities to explore the literary
analogies of fugue, sonata, symphony, theme and variations.
(All this leaves me no time for the dentist.) Jonathan, of
course, who had ardently and eagerly anticipated Joachim's
cooperation with the publication of Katenus' work, feels
neglected and abandoned. Jonathan's ultimate desolation,
which is the overarching theme of Die Freunde, may, in the end,
prove to be a topic beyond my reach.

Jochen