Drugs in Pynchon's fiction ( - minor SPOILER)

[Paul Mackin]

On Sat, 23 Oct 1999, Lorentzen / Nicklaus wrote:

>  Me too. Here comes a pro-coce reference: "1904 (...) was the year the American 
>  Food and Drug people took the cocaine out of Coca-Cola, which gave us an  
>  alcoholic and death-orientated generation of Yanks ideally equipped to fight WW 
>  II ..." (GR, p. 452). 
>  Isaiah Two Four does not seem to have any dilemma with his coce snorting.


Yes it does seem like what P meant. On the other hand what's the
difference between a coke addicted and an alcohol addicted American
Fighting Machine. Both substances can give the feeling of invincibility.
P's words provide superb atmospherics, have a wonderful sound to them, but
don't invariably seem to make a lot of literal sense. (but who needs
literal sense--not this hepcat)

			P.