quick Q (fwd)

[Paul Mackin]

I hope I didn't over emphasize the "immortality" bit in summarizing
Vidal's views of GR. It's my impression that Gore didn't read GR very
carefully. Talked as if it was a great stuggle to get though it--said he'd
made several attempts. Think he may have jumped to conclusions early 
on--the vBraun quote may have done him in at the start. Hindu philosophy I
believe he called it. 

To put the thing in better perspective, the main objection was that GR is
what V calls a university novel--more suitable to studying than reading.
This is certainly guilt by association in my humble opinion. I never spent
five minutes of study on it in my life. Just read the thing. Yet even
after all these years I still enjoy going back occasionally to read bits
and pieces. Can still excite the imagination.

				P.

				
> 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 15:04:53 -0800 (PST)
> From: Ben Sayre <sayreben at yahoo.com>
> To: Paul Mackin <pmackin at clark.net>
> Subject: Re: quick Q
> 
> 
> 
> --- Paul Mackin <pmackin at clark.net> wrote:
> 
> > I never heard Vidal say GR was immoral. He did say
> > things to the
> > effect that Pynchon generates more heat than light
> > and panders to the
> > IMmortal longings of youth. (this would be the youth
> > of 25 years ago
> > of course) Vidal is on record as being against
> > personal immortality. Finds
> > the idea of continuing on forever appalling. Anyway
> > the place where he
> > wrote this is in a NY Rev of Books and the article
> > is called
> > "American Plastic: The Matter of Fiction." It's the
> > July 15, 1976, issue.
> > (the mag has gone on line as far as more recent
> > issues are concerned but
> > possibly not this far back as yet)
> 
> "Immortal" eh?  Thank you.  I'll track down the
> article and have a look.
> 
> In light of that one thing that seems a bit out of
> place is all the fuss around these parts when the
> announcements came about the best 100 books of the
> century and GR was slighted.  I remember some of you
> people insinuating that part of the explanation was
> that Mr. Vidal was on the Committee in Charge and this
> spelled doom because he is against GR.  So this was on
> the grounds that GR panders to a youthful longing for
> immortality?  He made a stand on thematic grounds?  At
> first glance it doesn't even make sense b/c don't
> people long for immortality more when they get old? 
> Kids often operate as if they ARE immortal, something
> which romantic types find admirable (and I for one
> think there is a kind of romantic miasma in mr. p's
> books...  that dude ain't just some morbid,
> browbeating egghead).  But whatever.  I'll take a look
> and try to sort things out.
> 
> Another Q while I'm on:  I recently moved to LA (land
> of ten million cars, the invisible poor, and movie
> stars), and I'm wondering what's a good library if I
> have to just choose one?  Do they even have public
> libraries here or should I just buy a card at UCLA?  I
> want someplace with a serious periodical section, more
> than just those fluffy mags with the table of contents
> on page 15 or something.
> 
> Over and out,
> 
> Ben
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Thousands of Stores.  Millions of Products.  All in one place.
> Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com
>