Roger, Jessica and all things Queer.

[Andrew Dinn]

Tom Stanton writes:

> I think it was Diana York who pointed out Pynchon would have written
> within the prejudices of his time. Given the gestation (1963-71), the
> themes of oppressed blacks (Enzian) against a military/industrial com-
> plex (Them), supported by a perverse society (Blicero/Pointsman), and 
> countered only by scattered resistance (Slothrop/Roger), it should be
> no surprise that Pynchon's homosexual characters are alternately bitchy
> and/or perverse, even when one of them is the Lamb himself.

This is damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't doublespeak. Diana
*pointed out* no such thing. She suggested (or maybe even presumed)
that this might be the case. The current discussion is attempting to
*point out* prejudice if and where it exists by locating suitable
looking bits of text and considering what they signified both now and
at the time of reading. If `pointing out' were such a straightforward
thing to do we could all give up reading and thinking and merely
pander to our current prejudices and taboos.

Frankly, I find the phrase `it should be no surprise' singularly
inappropriate in a discussion of `Gravity's Rainbow'. Most of the time
not only should it be, it actually is very surprising what lies under
the covers of the book. And the more carefully you study the text the
more surprises emerge. So, let's stop judging Pynchon by the times he
was brought up in and start judging Gravity's Rainbow by the words on
the page (possibly qualified, interpreted, coloured by the time in
which they were penned, but that's secondary, not primary).


Andrew Dinn
-----------
And though Earthliness forget you,
To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
To the rushing water speak:  I am.