Foucault's Pendulum, pages 1 - 45
synopsis: The yet unnamed protagonist recollects how, in a museum, he marveled at a magnificent pendulum. He planned to hide in the museum that night and wait for his friends to somehow sneak in and join him. After considering his hidey-hole options, he feared of being enveloped in any of the engined and motored vehicles on display: "How could I endure in the midst of that foul concatenation of diesel genitals and turbine-driven vaginas, the inorganic throats that once had flamed, steamed, and hissed, and might again that very night?"
Next, an earlier recollection of the now named protagonist Casaubon. His friend Bello calls and pleads for help--he's being pursued by the Powers That Be for want of "The Plan" Causaubon and his circle of friends created. Causaubon arrives at Bello's apartment and attempts to guess the computer password.
Next, a recalled rant about mind-bogglingly big anagrams (in the context of guessing the password). But turned out Casaubon didn't need the password after all (kind of...).
reaction: The prose is heavy with rarely-used and obscure words, which ties in with the protagonist OCD-describing his stay in the museum, including references to historical notabilities which only the curators of the museum would grok. And in his friend's apartment, he again OCDs on accoutremental observations.
