Radicalism of reading

[Eslacaja at aol.com]

>The quoed reaction of a bookseller who was surprised to find
>M&D being bought caused me to think about the new, altered nature
>of the act of purchasing such a volume and reading it.  Whereas
>hefty postmodern tomes were once seen as establishment icons, and
>the reading thereof a somewhat "reactionary" folly, now that
>academics and the general public are hopping aboard the trendy
>visual input/WWW/pop culture boat, buying and old-fashionedly
>reading every single word of a book like M&D has begun to seem
>like an act of radical defiance, some kind of Thoreauvian spanner
>in the works of mass culture.  To the barricades, M&D in hand!

i agree, no doubt. I  had the same darkly subversive feelings
walking out of the Borders mega-store (just off the huge
streaming driveway to the mall) with M&D in hand.  but yeah.  but think of
how
we all rushed out get this book on the 30th, how much hype
had been built up in places like this.  perhaps a modern
day build-up of the moment?  i'm reading Huntington's
_The Clash of Civilizations_ right now -- and in a way, it‘s
been hyped, buzzed about, etc. in the same way.  Like M&D, its value is in
its
currency.  so, we go to pick up the huge tome, turn pages slowly,
feel them between our fingers, stain them with coffee and urine --
but part of the value of the book and the reading lies in the currency.
 
but i totally agree.  i've been kind of out of it, i just got back from japan
–
for those of you wincing through this, please forgive me as i attempt to
relearn english – ganbatte iru!
but i've been noticing the same kind of reaction that you described.  i use
the net mostly for finding out about new books -- it seems a lot of people
do.
see Neal Stephenson's _The Diamond Age_-- sci-fi stuff, but interesting in
terms of the way he deals with books, the format of reading.  the book a
medum that will not die.  The story centers
around an "electronic primer" for a street urchin.  The primer is a real
book, has weight,
pages to be turned.  It’s just that it’s a constantly updated book.  Just
like all the things
the bigheads are thinking about doing with newspapers – updated tablets,
disappearing ink, etc.  Cuz, let’s face it, reading in this format is shitty.
 Click, click.
Anyway, the premise of TDA  is that
culture is more important than race in determining a people's/civ's material
success; a
large part of the book details a social movement/organization that turns back
to the values of the Victorian
age -- the "Neo-Vickies.". So in a nifty, pat leap, we see an anticipation or
reinforcement of Huntington's thesis in a semi-pop sci-fi book.  Pynchon's
book, a hefty addition to
American literature, a "historical fiction," seems to fit into the same
general pattern
of reasserting the value of culture in a type of neo-historicism -- not
really an escape from, because it is a reaction to, hypertextmarkupcyberhype.
 Just think how tired it would
have been if he had come out with some Jetson futuristic sci-fi shit.  

For what reasons do we love Pynchon?  I know for me, the main reason is his
voice, which may well be the truest polytonal American voice we have – thus,
he articulates, refines,  produces images and video clips
that we hold onto, little bits of our newly redeemed American tradition. The
setting, subject matter of M&D seems particularly timely, yah?   History as
fiction, as our collective fiction – Pynchon writing into the void,   The
setting, subject matter of M&D seems particularly timely, yah?  Perhaps i’ve
been over there for too long – but whaddya think?  Pynchon as patriot?
 Pynchon giving himself over in service to his country, his people?   I’m
just a yung-in with questions. 

and c'mon.  are we jumping off the bus?  or are we reading historical
fictions?

thanks 4 the time
dT one more time
--ash