GRGR Re: Drugs in Pynchon's fiction

[Doug Millison]

At 11:05 AM +1100 10/23/99, rj wrote: [snip a good post]
>I'm not so sure about good/evil dichotomies, however, or bandying that
>"Nazi" label about with such abandon, and I'm sure Terrance will have
>some textual examples in mind to support his contentions, which were:[snip]

For the record, I didn't originate the Nazi label.  "Karl Bopp, former Nazi
Luftwaffe officer and subsequently userful American citizen" (VL 221) and
"Kommandant Bopp all over the local news [...] often in Nazi drag" (VL 222)
is how TRP describes this marijuana fighter.  And, while I'm generally with
you on the general relativism of TRP's stance, I suspect you'll have a
tough time finding instances in TRP's fiction where he associates fascists
and particularly Nazis with anything recognizable as "good", Blicero
included.

Re coke:  both Slothrop (the one we're rooting for) and Major Marvy (major
creep) use cocaine in GR, don't they?

For my money, TRP illustrates very well the 60s doper mentality -- mindful
of the dangers of excess and the way that drugs have been bent to unsavory
goals, yet understanding and even encouraging their positive benefits of
subversion, insight, and liberation.


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