Setting in The Crying of Lot of 49
I'm sure others have realized how the setting seems to jump from one location to the next within this text. This along with the fact that Oedipa just seems to wind up at various locations completely on a whim lends a hand making the various settings in this text a bit confusing. California is a fairly large state. The way one which she just travels between the various cities at ease in almost no time at all makes the text seem more unrealistic.
At first Ibelieved that the various locations within the text would prove to be of some type of relevance especially because of the connection between "San Narcisso" and "Echo Courts", but beside this one connection you do not really see this prominence anywhere else in the text and they actually do use the real names of the cities in California. Still confused about how setting ultimately impacts the story development on a whole besides this one instance.
At first Ibelieved that the various locations within the text would prove to be of some type of relevance especially because of the connection between "San Narcisso" and "Echo Courts", but beside this one connection you do not really see this prominence anywhere else in the text and they actually do use the real names of the cities in California. Still confused about how setting ultimately impacts the story development on a whole besides this one instance.
It's possible that her constant travel is supposed to show the reader how committed she is to solving the mystery. Her decisions to drive back and forth across what is, like you said, a very large state seem very easy. There is no hesitation or considerations made for how much time and money her travels will cost. She is so set on finding information that even long, arduous, expensive trips are of no consequence to her.
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