GRGR(4) Slothropean Satire

[Terrance F. Flaherty]

s~Z wrote:

> So, now if these characters represent perspectives or worldviews or
> whatever. It makes sense, for example, that Pointsman represents a
> rational, deterministic, cause and effect perspective. What does
> Slothrop represent in this Menippean Satire?

Every novel is a unique project. But if we treat every novel as simply
a novel or as a unique project, we can not have a "science" with which
to study them. So we have criticism. Now, I was taught that the best
commentary on Jude the Obscure is Tess and the best introduction to
Ulysses is Portrait and so forth. I still contend that the best thing
to read on Pynchon is Pynchon. I am  simply astounded that critics talk
of Slothrop as this or that and don't turn to Pynchon's other
Slothrops. Or maybe they do, but I have not read them. Has anyone?
Now, you can read Jane Austen and Aristotle together and write one hell
of a book. You might read one of Upton Sinclair's stories, some history
on the LongShoreMen and one of Pynchon's stories and write a great
Pynchon essay. Criticism is itself an art. Critics are not parasites
feeding on the art of artists. No! They are important and without them,
well we would not even have some of the great works we fight so much
about. More importantly, criticism has a long history and the novel has
a relatively short history. So, we are working out a "science" to study
novels. Now, some don't like pigeon holes, boxes, classifications, etc.
and one can always stand firm and on solid ground and dismiss all
attempts to classify--in genres or otherwise. But remember, it is
Pynchon and not simply critics that opens the "encyclopedia" of texts
and cultural allusions by writing  and writers and critics have a
reciprocal relationship. So old Aristotle lays down his Aesthetic ideas
in beautiful "common sense" complexity and his ideas are later adopted
by some poets. Later, new poets say screw Aristotle, he's too rigid or
whatever and so on. This is a gross oversimplification, but so is
reducing Menippean Satire to puppets with ideological isms or isms of
some other sort. Clearly, Pynchon's novels have some of the fundamental
characteristics of what critics call Menippean Satire. Now, you may
say, hey Terrance, call it what you like, but don't try convincing me
that Pynchon's characters represent some ism. Fair enough, but if you
keep an open mind and we don't get to tangled up in terms, I think we
will all have better readings.

Terrance

"JokerMan dance to the Nightingale Tune...."
                                            Dylan