TRP-GR/ECO-FP

[Roman Kiess]

Hello there!

I'm a new member on the pynchon-l group from Germany (so forgive my 
lousy english). I followed the discussion initalized by David Nevin
Friedman's remark about Eco/FP.

I think it difficult to compare TRP with ECO. But the comparison of Eco's 
FP and TRP's GR occurred to me two weeks ago, when I started to follow 
the GR discussion. For both use in their novel a basis of true historic 
events:
GR with WWII,V2 etc.
FP with Rosenkreuzer,Katerer(sorry, know only german expressions)
and other "sects",
and mix them with fictious historic items, that are possible but not 
proven, like the Schwarzkommando in GR or the continued struggle of the 
Rosenkreuzer inside the freemasons in FP.
Both books give the impression of a faceless, dark and lurking paranoid 
danger somewhere out there (They / Them). And those halftrue historic 
items fascinate me in both books. Although I have to agree (sorry for not 
quoting, but it's late and I had 110 pynchon-mails today) that TRP is 
full of fiction and phantasy, whereas Eco is and will ever be the 
somewhat dry historian and scientist.

Tschuess (bye), hope it wasn't too long.
Roman Kiess