Saved?

[Paul Mackin]

Gosh, you live and learn. Never knew Pynch had a Catholic background of
any sort. Don't know much about our subject I guess.

So often I get that echo. Just the other day reading Weissmann's farewell 
to Gottfried in connection with the American Death discussion. A zillion 
other places as well.

At the least, P, unlike Joyce, has never voiced a 'non serviam' in
any explicit way to my knowledge. Maybe even au contraire, as Don and
Craig seem almost to be saying.

Craig's promotion of abortion to the eigth sacrament is quite wicked.

Doubt either Rachel or Benny would approve. :-) :-)

					P.




On Mon, 29 Jul 1996, Mr Craig Clark wrote:

> Don Larsson writes:
> 
> > About Pynchon & Redemption--
> > While I agree with hg that TRP's notion of redemption is not "religious" in
> > any Christian-right sense, it *is* deeply informed by his Catholic and
> > Puritan backgrounds.  Just look at the terminology he uses all the way
> > from "Mortality and Mercy in Vienna" to COL49.
> > 
> > In GR, in particular, one "religious" allusion that strikes again and again
> > is the Old Testament notion of the Saving Remnant.  From Lot in Sodom
> > through the Babylonian exile and on, the OT prophets continue to prophesy
> > that even if Israel is destroyed, a small remnant will remain that will
> > allow a new beginning.  
> > 
> > That theme is exemplified in GR by the Herero manta, "M'ba kyere" ("
> > I am passed over") which--in a typical paradox--exemplifies Preterition
> > (as in being "passed over" for election, promotion or whatever) but also
> > Salvation from destruction (as in the Feast of Passover).
> > 
> > Little pockets of salvation spring up throughout GR, though their victories
> > are often by chance and rarely more than provisional--the One Lemming is found
> > and saved, Geli stops Tchitcherine's death urge, u.s.w.
> 
> I have to agree whole-heartedly with Don here, and I'll go further. IMHO, there 
> is nothing in Pynchon to suggest that he repudiates Christianity (or 
> any other religious faith) in its entirety, and rather a lot to suggest otherwise.
> Think for example of some of the sympathetic Catholic figures in _V._: Fathers 
> Fairing and Avalanche, Fina, etc. 
> 
> I suspect that Pynchon has little sympathy for the bigoted Christianity of a
> Pat Buchanan, and he is strong in his condemnation of V's fetishistic, thanatic
> Catholicism (as the Bad Priest), as well as of the arrogance of the Puritan belief
> that They are the Elect (strongly evidenced in _GR_). A sincere and 
> humble and tolerant Christianity - rather like that advocated by 
> Jesus Christ - would appear to be another matter.
> 
> I'm showing my own bias here, I admit, as one of those liberal 
> Catholics who believes that abortion should be made a sacrament of 
> the Catholic Church. Interested to hear what others on this list have 
> to say - about TRP's beliefs, not my own... ;-)
> 
> Craig Clark
> 
> "Living inside the system is like driving across
> the countryside in a bus driven by a maniac bent
> on suicide."
>    - Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"
> 
>