pynchon's misogyny

[Kyburz at asu.edu]

Actually, V. materializes in many forms--Vera Meroving one not 
particularly "feminine" by traditional definitions.  LIkewise, Goddess 
cultures (studies of them) account for great EVIL from the goddess--it's 
a wholeness, yin/yang business.






On Wed, 30 Oct 1996, The Dark Lord Matt wrote:

> 
> 
> I'd completely agree with you here.  V. definitely does attempt to deal
> with "misogyny across the centuries", but, the question is does Pynchon
> reinscribe the misogyny he critiques, or does he succesfully impress on
> the reader the fact that misogyny is not natural, but a learned
> phenomenon.  (cf. Linda Hutcheon's comments on postmodernism and
> historiographic metafiction in _The Politics of Postmodernism_, _Irony's
> Edge_, _The Poetics of Postmodernism_.)  I'd argue that Pynchon fails
> somewhat in his attempt: not only does the novel seem to reinforce a 
> "maleness" or a "masculinized" perspective towards V. (madonna/whore),
> he also seems to essentialize certain qualities towards women (i.e. women
> as goddesses, women as loving, nurturing v. men as cruel, cold,
> emotionally unattached).  Again, whether this is a "bad" thing depends 
> on your perspective: I'd argue that it is (For does this then imply that
> women who are not "nurturing" are "bad" or "emotionless" [i.e. like Rachel
> at the beginning of the novel] but many others - Camille Paglia, for
> example, would argue that this is somehow empowering.  You might try and
> argue that French feminism would find _V._ powerful, too (I think lots
> of people misread Cixious, Irigaray Kristeva, and argue that they
> "essentialize" the same way as Paglia) but I don't think this works as
> well.  You certainly don't see Pynchon subverting gender roles as a
> construct (a la, Genet, for example): he seems to buy into them wholesale
> within _V._.

Actually, I completely disagree on this last point.  What P. does is to 
satirize fixed gender roles in the novel (as in most) by creating not 
merely *characters* who exemplify certain traits, but *character 
dynamics*, contexts for viewing sexism, etc., as nearly farcical--Hedwig 
and Kurt and the whole "driving all men mad" bit (excuse the extremely 
poor misquote).  RAchel--a real Jessica Rabbit (as was the later Jessica) 
and Profane's inability to get close to the "animated," which is "life," 
good and bad, as represented by the goddess-V.  Notice that what give 
life in the novel is the V.--as is theorized again and again, in 
Stencil-Profane.  Then there is just the simple fact that stereotypical 
"female" behavior is up for spoof as much as is "typical male" behavior. 
And so, Esther's vanity, Mafia's sad situation, etc.  Are these behaviors 
functions of these roles?  How does V. intercede?  How does Stencil 
"create" V. in the "novel"?  Pynchon?  REpresentation has a lot to do 
with sexism, perhaps more than just the writing of a plot where certain 
things happen to that character or are enacted because of her/him.  How 
is V. represented?  by BOTH authors?  by Fausto?  No, Pynchon approaches 
sexism and gender roles in highly problematic mode--Hutcheon's 
historiographic metafiction for certain.

 > 
> - Matt
> 
>  On Tue, 29 Oct 1996, Craig Clark wrote:
> 
> > Bonnie Kyburz wrote:
> > 
> > > I'm not so sure that it's *Pynchon's* misogyny you're responding to.  I 
> > > have always maintained that V. A NOVEL deals with misogyny, patriarchy, 
> > > and power--across the centuries, that PYnchon reveals something of a plot 
> > > to suppress information on the Goddess and cultures that worshipped her.  
> > > There's apaper on the matter imbedded in Tim Ware's web page.  Also, one 
> > > link to that paper on my page at 
> > > http://www.cas.usf.edu/english/surfus/lenore.html.  It's called "She 
> > > Lives in a Time of Her Own" (yes, based upon the Erikson song).
> > 
> > I think Ms Kyburz has hit the nail on the head here. That characters 
> > in TRP novels are sexist doesn't necessarily suggest that TRP is 
> > sexist, even when the characters are otherwise portrayed with 
> > sympathy: I think TRP's moral sensibilities run deeper than "white 
> > hats vs black hats". Similarly, if characters in TRP novels act out 
> > or embody sexist mythic archetypes, this might have more to do with 
> > TRP's fascination with how these archetypes shape the world than with 
> > the suggestion that they represent a Given Unconstructed Truth.
> > 
> >  
> > Craig Clark
> > 
> > "Living inside the system is like driving across
> > the countryside in a bus driven by a maniac bent
> > on suicide."
> >    - Thomas Pynchon, "Gravity's Rainbow"
> > 
> 
> 

Bonnie L. Kyburz, Instructor
Department of English			(602) 965-7756 (office)
Arizona State University		kyburz at asu.edu
Tempe, AZ  85287-0302			*or* surfus at chuma.cas.usf.edu