Pirate's Batman

[Steve Weisenburger]

RE: Jeff Meikle's claims that "established critics" just "couldn't get
it" because they were "born on the wrong side" of the great cultural
divide . . . It seems to me that telling oneself (and others) this
story in which "we" get it and "they" don't not only sets up this
cool cabal of hip critics it also, perhaps, reproduces the paranoia
Pynchon satirizes.  Besides when GR appeared in 1973 there were a
good many over-40 academicians who DID get it.  Roger Sale, for
example, pointed out the "Pirates of Penzance" stuff in GR to me
back in about '74 when he was already a graybearded full professor.
Then he cleared up a few things about "Superman," Marvel Comics,
pinball, Charlie Parker, etcetera.