Gaddis

[Gary L. Thompson]

On Thu, 15 May 1997, Brian D. McCary wrote:

> If no one has gotten to you about this:
> 
> William Gaddis is an American writer.  His first book was published in the
> 1950s, called "The Recognitions".  He is about as reclusive as Pynchon,
> and he was one of the people reputed to be Pynchon, or rather, Pynchon
> was reputed to be Gaddis, since Gaddis predated him.  He writes "big"
> books, has an encylopedic style, ect.  I read "The Recognitions" on the
> recommendation of people on the p-list, and loved it, but it's long and,
> at times, confusing.  His party scenes have long tangled conversations with
> unatributed but indentifieable voices.  I haven't had the time to read anything
> else by him, but if you like Pynchon, there's a good chance you'll enjoy
> "The Recognitions".
> 

Add to this _JR_ ('71, I think), a similarly long and tangled book around 
a juvenile coupon-clipper who enacts a kind of farcical rags-to-riches 
corporate rise; _Carpenter's Gothic_ (sometime in the '80s, I think) 
which is more manageable in length but postmodern in its absence of 
resolution; and most recently _A Frolic of His Own_, which I think won a 
National Book Award or some such--some tangled and very funny lawsuits 
and other shenanigans. I would guess that Gaddis is one of Pynchon's 
forebears (there's a line here that runs from Joyce)--very worthwhile if 
you're up to some long and confusing, but non-cinematic, reads.

Gary Thompson