Mutations?

[John Roca]

Other than their encyclopedic and epic nature do the literary types on
this list see any other natural progression from "Moby Dick" to "Ulysses"
to "The Recognitions" to "Gravity's Rainbow" to "Infinite Jest"?  Yeah,
Ulysses and Gravity's Rainbow seem to almost be cut from the same cloth in
terms of style and technique, but intuitively one seems to mutate from the
proceeding one.  Does the natural evolution of the great novel mutate from
Moby Dick to Infinite Jest, the last begin unable to exist without what
came before?

And for you smart asses who will flame for even including Infinite Jest
with such heady company keep in mind that I'm only a reader who just don't
know no better.

I was tempted to include "JR" instead of The Recognitions, but it was too
in close in time of publication with Gravity's Rainbow to stand out
significatnly enough, and besides, The Recognitions seems to be more
seminal (although JR is the better book--who said I had to be
consistent?).

And if these things are a progression of sorts, is there anything that
fills the gap between Moby Dick and Ulysses?

Ignorant in Toledo.

JOhn

PS--Go Tribe!!!!