Jules talking trash (WAS Meshugginah posts, and other things sundry)

[Doug Millison]

I'm not "laying down rules" -- I'm responding, thoughtfully I believe, to
your comments and published work about Pynchon.

And, there you go putting words in somebody else's mouth again. I haven't
said anywhere that I believe you are " out to get" Pynchon, although I have
said that I believe that your personal experience with him colors what you
have to say about him and his work, and I've said that your journalistic
technique makes it difficult to judge the accuracy of what you claim. If
that adds up to "out to get you" in your mind, sorry about that.

Nor have I dismissed your statements about Chrissie appearing in GR as
"mere conjecture" to use your phrase -- I've raised the legitimate
question, legitimate certainly in a discussion of Pynchon's fiction,  about
what it means for you to make that claim and what other influences are at
work in the characters Pynchon has created. Based on what you've said
online and in Lineland, and based on what I know of GR and Pynchon's other
novels, I simply don't believe you've had the impact on Pynchon's writing
that you claim. If you're just pissed off at the way Pynchon took this or
that personality or physical trait of yours or Chrissie's and put it in a
character you don't like, join the club. I know from personal experience
that it can be unpleasant to see oneself or parts of oneself portrayed in a
work of art. (see davemarc's recent post for more excellent stuff on this
aspect). Don't you see that you're the one who keeps making the explicit
links between Chrissie and characters in Pynchon's fiction, connections we
wouldn't otherwise be able to make?

I don't presume bad faith, I assume that what you say reflects your
experience and your point of view and I try to understand what that might
be in order to make sense out of the things you say about Pynchon. As in
any discussion or conversation, I raise questions when I don't understand,
and I try to broaden the perspective to see more of what is really going
on.

In fact, that's a thing I love about Pynchon's writing, the way he keeps
looking at the manifold facets of situations and refuses to let things stay
simple and straightforward, he keeps adding layers and connections and
tangents, because life is never like that anyway, certainly not
interpersonal relations.

In the conversational circles I frequent it's not considered "bad faith" to
ask questions or try to look at things another way in an effort to better
understand or even to point out when somebody is being obnoxious or rude or
off the wall.

Your "hero" comment is indefensible. You have no way of knowing my thoughts
about Pynchon; based on what I've posted to this list, you might presume
that I enjoy Pynchon's writing and that I don't care to see him demeaned
gratuitously or falsely, but you can't read my mind. In fact, Pynchon was
the writer who first introduced me to the concept that charismatic heroes
aren't necessarily a good thing, which led me, as a young man when I first
encountered his novels, to systematically question authority and leadership
and to look behind the facades presented to us by media and history for the
behind-the-scenes view. It's a cause without a hero, by the way.

Cordially,
Doug


At 8:16 PM 7/7/97, Jules Siegel wrote:
>It is a little, but not at Thomas Pynchon. You're the one who's laying down
>these rules, not him. After a while it gets very tiresome to read and
>respond to your hitting the same notes over and over again. It always comes
>out the same way: Chrissie and I are out to get Thomas Pynchon by saying
>naughty things about him from 30 years ago. If Chrissie and I feel that
>parts of her persona appear in Gravity's Rainbow as parts of some of the
>female characters, this is mere conjecture. You constantly presume our bad
>faith. Great. You've defended your hero sufficiently. I'll keep these
>thoughts in mind. Now please say something useful and constructive.
>
>
>--Jules Siegel Apdo 1764 Cancun QR 77501
>http://www.yucatanweb.com/siegel/jsiegel.htm


D O U G  M I L L I S O N ||||||||||| millison at online-journalist.com