Mr. Weierman's post

[Greg Montalbano]

Craig Bleakley to Joel:
>I wanted to respond to Joel Weierman, not because I think he's wrong, but
>becasue I'd like to persuade him to slug it out with Pynchon just a bit
>longer.  After all, you say you're simultaneously reading two of his books
>(I'm amazed you can even type with that kind of sensory overload), there
>must be something to it.
>
>I'm probably most curious as to the specific problems you're encountering in
>finding this reading pleasuareable.  Your message implies a contrast between
>Pynchon's work and an "easy" but rewarding book like "The Liar's Club."  I'm
>sure there's something to this claim.  I wonder if the question isn't one of
>what sorts of rewards one hopes to get from a book, and how much one is
>willing to invest to get that reward. 
                   <Stuff deleted>

One of the oft-overlooked differences between a "great novel" and a
"time-filler" (at least, in my estimation) is the use of language for the
pure joy of it's sound (getting back to authors like Clancey -- I DEFY you
to be able to tell any of his speakers apart, based on their dialog;  and
his narrative is all of a piece, and frequently closer to a spec-manual).
Already in M&D (not to give anything away), I've come across four passages
that had me laughing out loud -- all of them situations that, had they been
handled in _other words_, would have been merely amusing, at best.
A GREAT NOVEL is one where the writer can juggle characters, language, ideas
and story in such a way that it can TAKE OVER your mind.
Barth did this once, in SOT-WEED FACTOR;  Pynchon's done it more reliably.

(One indication of how much the sound of a book can touch you is how often
you re-read it;  one of the most common occurrences of mutual
incomprehension between me & those other folks is their amazement at my
reading a book twice - let alone ten times.  "Why would you read it again
when you already know how it comes out???"   
My usual response it to point to their tape- or cd-player & ask why they
listen to the same music twice;  "You already KNOW how the song goes;  why
listen to it again?"}
(I would also submit that a SERIES OF IDEAS, CONCEPTS AND/OR EMOTIONS can be
presented in a musical manner -- once again, though, the kind of thing not
often found on the bestseller lists.)