pynchon's misogyny

[Chris Stolz]

        I would like to agree with the criticism of Kaeppler's work
regarding Pynchon's misogyny.  Pynchon's use of pronography(and depictions
of sex in general) have a lot more to do with illustrations of perversions
of power (Blicero and Katja), with dehumanisation (V. in Paris and South
Africa) and with parody of Hollywood-stupid ideas about romance (Roger and
Jess).

        This brings up an interesting point about "issue" books of literary
(or film) criticism:  when a writer decides to look at an issue, such as
representation of women or deconstruction-theory, in several works, what
usually happens is that the writer simply uses the texts in question to say
what s/he wants to say.  This is what disfigures Kaeppler's book, and also
ruins Mchoul and Wills' book on Pynchon/Derrida.  

        Most academic writers who do this kind of thing ignore the detailed,
historically contextual criticism which reall;y gets iunto what a work is.
Regarding Pynchon, close readings-- the dirty work of looking at allusions,
context and detail-- reveals texts which are extraordinarily critical of
almost everything that the author's cultural origins stand for (oppression
of various non-white, non-male "others," mechanisation of non-mechanical
things and ideas, narcissism of Americans and colonial powers, etc). 


chris stolz

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