Gore's rosebud

[Paul Mackin]

Have to agree with Rodney, Vidal is a fine critic (not only of novels but of a wide variety of things). He has acknowledged his own limitations as a novelist. One reason he writes those historic fictionalizations (for want of a better word) is he can't think up orignal stories. Wish I could tell you where he actually recorded this latter point, even that he did. Certain he would agree in with the general sense of it.
				P.

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From: 	Rodney Welch[SMTP:RWelch at scjob.sces.org]
Sent: 	Friday, February 28, 1997 2:04 PM
To: 	pynchon-l at waste.org
Subject: 	Re: Gore's rosebud

Is there a difference between admiring a writer like Thomas 
Pynchon and licking his boots? When I read the posts from this list, 
I'm not so sure. Steven Maas (Oedipa's brother, presumably) tells us that 
Gore Vidal -- who is only the greatest literary essayist alive, fer 
Chrissakes -- doesn't really have a right to an opinion on Pynchon. Why? 
Because Vidal is an "also-ran (as a novelist at least, I haven't read
his essays)" -- in other words, Mr. Maas is fully prepared to launch an 
idiot attack on a writer whose work he barely knows. And then we get this 
juvenile comment: "Excuse me, Mr. Vidal, but others of us value genius 
when we stumble upon it on our own." JEE-zus! "Excuse me, Mr. Vidal"! Oh 
my! Gore's just going to run behind the bookcase in fear of Mr. Maas's 
brutal tongue now isn't he?!!? Oh, the savagery! Oh the humanity!!

Not to be outdone, a Mr. Craig Clark chimes in with his opionion, based 
on reading one book and browsing another, that Gore Vidal isn't up to 
Pynchon's level, either.

Let's get some intelligence on the table, shall we? The fact that Mr. 
Vidal has not written a Gravity's Rainbow doesn't keep him out of the 
debate -- he's a practicing novelist and a brilliant essayist who has 
delevered more lasting commentary about the United States in the 20th 
Century than anyone who subscribes to this list likely ever will. And, as 
at least some people have noted herein, he has a lot to say about Pynchon 
that is worthy of attention. Vidal is a superb writer and an 
exceptionally close reader; all of his opinions on literary matters 
deserve close attention.