Pynchon and the web

[Brett Coley]

Hello Everyone,

I was answering Litza Stark's note, and I thought this might be
an interesting topic.  I apologize if it's old news or been
"beat to death" before.

Litza asks:
> How did you encounter the mailing list?  What are your habits regarding
> the list-- do you read all the messages or just some?  Do you post
> regularly?  I've read arguments that Pynchon's writing, GR in
> particular, incorporates characteristics of the Internet.  How do you
> think the book relates to the Internet, if at all?

I found the list shortly after I obtained web access.  I haven't met
anyone hardly in real life who has read Pynchon or knows who he is,
so I was delighted to make some connections, tenuous though they may
be, to other "fans."  I post sporadically, but mostly lurk.  If the
volume is too high, or my time too scarce, I skip it.  The list is
archived somewhere on the web, so I don't feel like I miss anything.

Don't know that GR realates to the internet.  I've seen the article
(essay?) by someone on the web that postulates this, but thought it was
sort of contrived.  There are some comments in GR that seem to predict
the widespread video-cam craze (don't have a ref, but could probably
dig it up), where he talks about newsreel cameramen etc.

I'm not sure how Pynchon would react to the web, it seems like he would
be interested, but might have some very negative reactions to it.  After
all, it is a technology.  It has a dark side.

For the most part, I suspect he would be negative.  After all, the time
spent e-mailing and web-surfing seems to make us more isolated, more
emotionally disconnected (see any news group for flames).  What do you
all think?

Best,
Brett