Roger, Jessica and all things Queer.

[Tom Stanton]

> Andrew Dinn wrote:
> > Tom Stanton writes:> 
> > I think it was Diana York who pointed out Pynchon would have written
> > within the prejudices of his time...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.
 
> Diana *pointed out* no such thing. She suggested (or maybe even presumed)
> that this might be the case.

I think I said "I think" so I thought I was covering myself in
sufficient vagueness. Apologies to D.York if I invoked you incorrectly.

> 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.

I'm on vacation & don't have The Book at hand so I cannot cite gospel
& verse. Also, I thought I was allowed to express a broader opinion.
Don't tell me I should have expected "The Spanish Inquisition" here!

> Frankly, I find the phrase `it should be no surprise' singularly
> inappropriate in a discussion of `Gravity's Rainbow'.

Haven't checked the p-list style guide lately so I guess I stand
corrected....

> 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).

My observation that Pynchon would have "writteng within the prejudices 
of his time" does not trivialize his achievement. Having lived through
the period when Pynchon wrote GR, I think the times are very significant 
to the text (IMHO). GR is an anti-establishment, anti-war novel, and
very
politically charged in its message. Pynchon's work survived the changes
in fashion & opinion because it has more depth than most of the pop 
claptrap produced during the same perioid. But IMHO the words on
the page don't exist outside of their historical context. Yes, you
can read GR and understand the message without having lived through
the 60s & 70s in LA, the words carry the day, but if you understand
America during this period, Nixon and Hoover and VonBraun in particular,
the book becomes even more significant.

In my opinion...