Schmuck Amuck

[Derek C. Maus]

On Fri, 5 Sep 1997, Andersen Jesper Sparre wrote:

> For give me, it seems to be a crime here to criticize any of TRP's work 
> on this page.  You're all not living up to the intelligence I would have 
> expected of you. 

No, its not a crime. However, screaming "it sucks, it sucks, it sucks" is
not criticism, no matter how many words it takes to paraphrase that
argument.

> Keith said he didn't like M&D, neither do I.  No big 
> deal. 

Fine.

> What is weird is that you all get so huffy about his not liking 
> the novel and calling it a sham.  Instead of actually discussing 
> anything, we're all just insisting of a low level name calling which 
> really does lead me to believe that perhaps Keith wasx right, and that 
> you all have been played for suckers.

Um...I think perhaps what people are asking for is some substantive
examples. Saying "what's with the annoying terenage girls (like Prairie)
and expecting everyone to agree that 'Brae and Prairie are annoying
teenage girls is a little like expecting everyone to cut their balls off
and drink styrchnine-laced vodka because you say so. Give me some real
arguments to contend with and we can debate logically. Saying that Pynchon
is a sham because I say so is argumentation a la 5-year-old.

> Come on now.  You may think the 
> book was good, but that doesn't mean that others  cannot reasonably 
> belive that its best use is as a pretty good doorstop.

I highlight your use of the word "reasonable/reasonably" above and
below and question whether this qualifier has been satisfied...

> Don't knock Keith for having 
> reasonable expectations of the book.  You only make yourselves out as 
> thin skinned Pynchon groupies who can't find anything to fault with him.

Give us some examples, gentilhommes, otherwise you get back in kind the
hostile opinion-mongering that you set loose...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Derek Maus (dmaus at email.unc.edu) |  " Cranks and irresponsible people have
UNC-CH, Dept. of English         |    always been around and always will.
http://www.unc.edu/~dmaus/       |           You are high on glue."
			         |     --Sojourner, on the Pynchon-List
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