Brecher = Anti-Pynchon Bile (WAS Re: T. Rug Pynchon = L. Ron Hubbard)

[Doug Millison]

You missed my point. I agreed with you that Pynchon stops short of the
revelation you appear to seek in fiction. Here's what I said:  "Very few
writers usher us any deeper into the mystery, nor can they. The only
literature I know of that doesn't stop at that point is, quite literally,
scripture; even then, getting any deeper seems to require serious intent on
the reader's part, and grace." Here's the gloss:  Pynchon takes me as close
as possible, via words on the page, to the abyss, but it's still up to the
reader to take the plunge, or rocket skyward as the case may be.

Your comment about "dogmatic and uncritical consideration from his
disciples"  and your  comparison of Pynchon-L participants with cult
members are as misguided as anything you've written so far.

It's true that most of us on the list, as far as I can tell as a relative
newcomer, agree that Pynchon's work represents  a worthy object of study;
it's true that many of us love his work.  If you took the time to look
through the archives, you'd find that Pynchon-L in general, and the M&D
discussion in particular, presents a nuanced discussion. It's also true
that not many fruitful discussions on this list, or in any other forum for
literary discussion that I know of, begin with calling a Pynchon -- or any
other -- novel "crap" or "abject failure".

Still wishing you the best,
Doug

At 6:29 PM 9/11/97, Brecher_Keith/mskcc_Neurology at mskmail.mskcc.org wrote:
>Among those few writers ushering us deeper into the mystery, I wonder
>     whether you'd include L. Ron Hubbard. His novel BATTLEFIELD EARTH is
>     even longer than M&D and received similar dogmatic and uncritical
>     consideration from his disciples.

D O U G  M I L L I S O N ||||||||||| millison at online-journalist.com