Flatness?

[Civ Toby Levy]

I agree with Bonnie:  to me V. is a wonderfully descriptive piece of
literature.

I am no academic, just an old English Major from the 60s/70s who is
old enough to have read all of Pynchon's work in their year of publication
except for V. which I read maybe three years after publication.  I read
Gaddis' The Recognitions in college (on my own of course, who would
dare teach it back then!) before GR appeared.  I was really and truly
transported by Gaddis' prose, and I was very excited when news arrived
that he was finnaly going to publish another book.  I tore into JR with
religious fervor, and was REPELLED by the style, not to mention the 
content.  How anyone could claim to love both The Recognitions and the
rest of Gaddis' work is beyond the scope of my understanding.  The 
fact that Gaddis continues to be acclaimed (his latest work nominated
for a National Book Award) just affirms to me the "dumming" of America.

Pynchon wrote beautiful evocative prose in 62 and his prose is still
wonderful through Vineland.

Toby Levy