literary exhaustion

[fuhrel at ccmail.ccsn.nevada.edu]

          One influential work on the topic is John Stark's The
          Literature of Exhaustion, covering primarily if not
          exlusively (I cannot recall for sure) Barth, Beckett and
          Nabokov.  Essentially it refers to highly self-conscious,
          relexive writing that takes as its subject the act of
          writing, since all other themes are presumed to have been
          "exhausted."  I haven't seen Pynchon in this category before
          and don't see how he fits it, really.  Nabokov is a better
          candidate than Beckett also.
          Regarding your two (really five) questions:  No, it is not a
          "critical blow-off as you assume; it is in no way used
          pejoratively, at least by Stark.  Second, fans don't bother
          about this kind of generalization, nor, I suspect, do the
          authors.  Three, I see Pyncon gradually gaining in
          acceptance, assuming the next generation learns to read.
          Fourth, no one's place in literary history is secure beyond
          doubt and about a hundred years, but Pynchon has certainly a
          better chance than many of remaining known for his
          remarkable achievements, sheer eloquence, and
          transcendentally beautiful prose.  Finally, we MAY see Lot
          49 on high school reading lists, but I doubt if it will be
          required.
          Hope this helps.

          Bob Fuhrel