Vineland

[Kevin Crosby]

I read Vineland rather quickly soon after it came out, and I haven't
gone back over it lately, but one thing the book does
exceptionally well is portray Reagan-era America, esp.
California, in all its weirdness.  There certainly were lots of goofy
(to use a technical term) things being said & done by public
figures as if they made sense.  I don't think I want to try to make a
case for the possible importance of the era as far as a turning
point between the 60s and the 90s and compare it with
post-WW2 Europe, but the book does a great job describing the
time.

Also, the integration of "high" and "low" art/culture found in
Vineland is the best (maybe only) example that makes sense to
me of the post-modern cultural theories (esp. Barthes, but I've
only read a little bit).  The usually abstract critical essays talk
about the theory, but in Vineland we see it first hand..and you
have to love a book with so many TV theme songs in it.

Kevin