Pynchon and Delany

[LARSSON at VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.EDU]

jm notes:
"Also, I saw one place in another of          
Delany's little-known non-fiction/critical books where Delany comes right out an
d
compares the sales history of _Dhalgren_ with that of _Gravity's Rainbow_.   It'
s not
quite clear to me what motivated him to draw that particular comparison."


I believe that was in THE JEWEL-HINGED JAW, one of his books of criticism,
though he's also mentioned the comparison in some interviews.  I believe
what motivated the comparison was the relative serious inattention being
given to SF (at the time, at least), in comparison to "serious" writers
like TP.  I've been a fan of Delany's for a long time, even though he compares
Pynchon to work that "smacks of the library."  Delany, it is clear, *has*
lived on the street (and under it), but I don't think he needs to bring down
Pynchon to let his own work shine.

Of course, Delany is sometimes described as the Ulitmate Marginal Writer.
Not only does he write SF (which everybody who *doesn't* read SF insists on
calling "sci fi"), but he is black, gay, and a post-structuralist critic!
Of course, he's taught from time to time at various universities, unlike (I
think!) our own Ultimate Lurker.

Last I knew, Delany was at U. Mass.-Amherst.


Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN)