Discussion opener for GRGR(4) (church and hospital)

[Kyburz at asu.edu]

On Tue, 5 Nov 1996, Bill Burns wrote:

> 
> >The point (I gather) is to try to think our way out of binarisms, such that
> >chaos can be perceived as potentially constructive ... transformation
> >rather than extinction...?

Exactly.  But I'm not sure that we can always "think our way out of 
binarisms," and I think PYnchon wonders, as well.  Sometimes, too many 
variables beyond our conscious thought, create effects that can 
ultimately sway us to one side or the other of the either/or spectrum (or 
the life/death, We/They spectrums).  Transformation?  Yes.  I think 
that's partly what's interesting about the Von Braun quote that opens the 
text, especially if we consider Slothrop's disintegration as not simply, 
an ending, but a dispersion of energies, which recycle (hence the 
FW/Joycean quality to the ending/beggining of GR, which I've talked about 
too often to repeat here).
Thus, extinction is not forever.  New energies take new forms (good or 
bad), usw.


Bonnie L. Kyburz, Instructor
Department of English			(602) 965-7756 (office)
Arizona State University		kyburz at asu.edu
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