War Before Civilization

[Paul Mackin]

Always an interesting question--is the 20th Century _special_ as far
as horror is concerned?

WW I _did_ shatter some of modern man's hubristic illusions.

Not to be a killjoy, but Pynchon is a novelist is a novelist is a
novelist . . . and was all of 23 when V. hit the boards.

				P.



On Thu, 18 Jul 1996, RICHARD ROMEO wrote:

> Just read a review in the NY Times of a new book called War Before 
> Civilization by Lawrence Keeley (prof. of anthropology at Univ. of 
> Chicago) which basically refutes the notion that warfare before the rise 
> of civilized states was somehow different, gentler, more stylized, a 
> game. (call it the Dances with Wolves syndrome I guess).
> 
> Anyway, doesn't a claim like this undermine Stencil's (and Pynchon's?) 
> view that WW1 or the balance of power shennigans  that led up to it 
> somehow changed the rules of warfare in that  something unique (V.?) was 
> born in this god-foresaken century.
> 
> Is 20th century warfare (or societal deaths ) so unique as Stencil claims 
> it be I guess is what I'm asking...(I don't think GR applies since atomic 
> weapons forever changed the rules)
> 
> 
> 
> By the way, I'm really enjoying Norfolk's L'E. Dictionary.... 
> 
> 
> 
> Richard Romeo
> 
> Coordinator of Cooperating Collections
> 
> The Foundation Center-NYC
> 
> 212-807-2417
> 
> rromeo at fdncenter.org
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>