Pynchonian Rorschach

[Jules Siegel]

At 09:27 AM 07/6/97 -0800, millison at online-journalist.com (Doug Millison) wrote:

>Perhaps "we" (a.k.a. me) could also claim "consensus" for the idea that
>Jules' personal experiences with Pynchon make it impossible for Jules to
>judge Pynchon's works with critical detachment or objectivity, and that
>Jules is still working out -- publicly on this list and in Lineland (which
>I have just finished reading) -- his 30+ year-old grievance against
>Pynchon. But that would be armchair psychologizing, and I'm sure "we"
>wouldn't stoop to that...

You can try, but you wouldn't get very far, as it's not true. As I pointed
out on another occasion, I have no reason for long-lasting resentment
against Thomas Pynchon. I got the girl, didn't I?

I really wish that people here wouldn't project their small-minded prejuices
on Chrissie and me, who are still friends and still love each other despite
all that has gone down in those 30 years. *Because* of all that has gone
down. Thomas Pynchon was annoying for a while. In the context of the thirty
years he was a minor personality in our lives, as we were in his, I'm sure.

I'm not writing about his work in anger or to get even or anything like
that. I am doing it because I enjoy seeing these responses, which as I
pointed out in April, I am studying for a new book, The Human Robot: Essays
on the Emotional Effects of Industrialism. This is not a joke. It's a real
project, perhaps the most important work I will ever publish. Pynchon-l, to
me, is a perfect example of a cult, with a cult hero, gurus, followers and
spectators. In this case, the medallions and collections of sacred mantras
can be purchased in any well-stocked book store.

>Still, it's fun to watch Jules swap ends of the telescope and add his own
>subtly savage spin as he searches for ways to diminish Pynchon's artistic
>accomplishments.

I'm not searching for ways to diminish his accomplishments. I am reacting to
his work and the list's attitudes. I like a lot of what he writes, but I am
more interested in putting him into a less god-like perspective. I think
that if you go along with me on some of this you may actually find yourself
understanding his work better and therefore enjoying it all the more.


--Jules Siegel Apdo 1764 Cancun QR 77501
http://www.yucatanweb.com/siegel/jsiegel.htm