DFW on NPR

[Paul York]

Just wondering if anyone else heard DFW on NPR (I think it was on 
Weekend Edition).  Among other things, he did mention the fact the he 
wasn't too big on comparisons made between his writing and that of an 
individual he refers to as the "P guy."  He futher elaborated by stating 
that, while he liked Pynchon's work when he was younger, he was no 
longer very fond of it.  He seemed to be implying (I'm paraphrasing from 
memory here, so this may not be completely accurate) that he felt his 
own work concerned itself more with the human element than Pynchon's.

I guess there's really no surprise in that.  IMO DFW's work and TRP's 
are only superficially similar (both of them are hugely 
ambitious, long-winded, and fond of digressive, multi-claused, 
back-broke sentences).  And _Infinite Jest_ does explore its characters 
to a depth I don't think you can find in any of Pynchon's work.  Next 
to the characters of _IJ_ I think many of Pynchon's own characters do 
come off looking a little sketchy.  But, maybe that's an unfair 
comparison.  I think Pynchon's books do asked to be approached on a 
different level than DFW's.  I don't mean that they are more 
intellectual or deep or anything like that; I just mean I think they 
asked to be approached in a different way.

Others on the list can probably articulate this better than myself but I 
will note that, for example, while I (Blasphemous Utterance Coming Up) 
actually prefer _IJ_ to at least two of TRP's books, I would have no 
interest in a DFW-list.  While I find the reading of DFW's book to be 
more directly and intensely enjoyable, I think the reading of Pynchon's 
works holds a different sort of appeal for me.  I do find them immensely 
enjoyable to read, but I've found that the real pleasure with reading 
Pynchon comes from not approaching the reading as an occasional 
experience (which is how I read most novels) but as an ongoing hobby 
(which, oddly enough, is more like my approach to the reading and 
enjoyment of poetry, though I'm not one to make any sort of "poetry is a 
more elevated artform than fiction" speeches).

It's not like I spend every waking hour thinking about Pynchon's books, 
it's just that Pynchon is one of those writers whose work seems to 
involve a long-term commitment.  Though I just finished reading _IJ_ 
earlier this spring and do plan to read it again over the summer, I 
don't think I would yet make that kind of statement about DFW's work.

Hoping some of this makes sense,
	Paul