Chapter 1: Section 7: Page 64: Line 158 (1140)

 "Hold this a minute."

* * * * * * * * * *

Okay, this is it. The final corn grower of a short sentence because Merle transitions from a person learning a new thing at this moment to simply Roswell's assistant (as Roswell promised him, to be fair). "Here's the darkroom. Here's the ruby light. Here's the dry plate. Now focus your attention on holding this dry plate while I do a whole bunch of other shit that will make your head spin." Okay, maybe I've gotten a little too far ahead of the one line at a time context but remember Pynchon explained during the fire at Newburgh that the context of some lines together must be ascertained to appreciate what Pynchon's saying. It might seem a weird thing for Pynchon to clarify thousands of blog posts later but you need to remember: I'm still only on page 64! Pynchon's taking his time training me to read his book to the best of my ability! And by "Pynchon", I mean "the Pynchon that I made up in my mind to allow me to read his book as closely as possible and to get the most I can out of it." And while, overall, I think it's working, like understanding how all the displays at the Chicago World Fair weren't just appropriated cultures and people put up to gawk at but the natives taking agency over how they'd be presented by acting out and showcasing the moments in their peoples' lives where they defeated or humiliated the imperialists. That's just the one example that's at the forefront of my brain but I've noticed a lot more with the close reading. Other times, I'm just rambling. Like now where I'm taking a minute, standing here with a dry plate in my hands, to think through what the hell I'm doing here.
    I should probably just sit down and read this book already!

Chapter 1: Section 7: Page 64: Line 157 (1139)

 Took a dry plate from a carrying case.

* * * * * * * * * *

Don't worry! Pynchon's getting to the point of these short sentences! Here's the third in a row as Merle begins to learn the process of developing a photograph. The short sentences indicate it's all easy enough for Merle to keep up and process. Door shut. Ruby light on. Dry plate out. The magic is happening! Or, as Merle's finding out, the magic doesn't actually exist and it's all just boring, drawn-out explication.

"dry"
Boring. Dull. Oh, and literally, not wet.

"plate"
Loads of non-literal definitions for this but following on "dry" as "boring", we have an object on which nourishment is served.

"carrying case"
Where Roswell keeps his secrets. He has thus taken them out into the open to give them to Merle as he currently discovers the process of learning how to develop a photograph strips away the easy magic of snapping a photo.

I know I basically said all of that in the first paragraph but I'm making corn grow too!

Chapter 1: Section 7: Page 64: Line 156 (1138)

 Roswell lit a ruby darkroom lamp.

* * * * * * * * * *

"lit"
First and foremost, the beginning of the process. The creation of the light needed in the dark, a light that somehow retains darkness. But second and hindmost, the journey has begun; they have lit out for the territories.

Once again, a short sentence. Perhaps because Merle's learning something new, we're taking it nice and slow. Or, as I mentioned in the previous post, Pynchon's continuing the slow as corn growing metaphor.

"darkroom"
According to Merriam-Webster, the first use of darkroom was in 1841, just thirty-six years prior to this scene. More words coined in 1841: "self-care", "hanky-panky", and, just because it's interesting to me as I'm currently reading Danielewski's Tom's Crossing, "clop-clop".
    The darkroom probably has deep and symbolic meanings in the context of this book which begins with the Monk quote, "It's always night, or we wouldn't need light." Perhaps the darkroom is the antithesis of the quote, even. The idea that it's always light or we wouldn't need a darkroom. We couldn't process photographs, caused by light, without shutting out that same light but seeking to obliterate now instead of create.