Drugs in Pynchon's fiction

[Terrance F. Flaherty]

Paul Mackin wrote:
> 
> On Tue, 26 Oct 1999, Terrance F. Flaherty wrote:
> >
> > what about Red badge of Courage and other examples of
> > writers without first hand experience of war. Or am screwed
> > up here? In any event, I agree with your assessments here
> > Paul.
> 
> That you don't have to be there to write about it is certainly true as
> this example and others well demonstrate. Here's another thing about P's
> reconstruction of that rather unique period that is quite astounding I
> think.  He adds touches that aren't the sort of thing likely to have
> gotten written up anywhere. For example, that depiction of Roger's watch
> being worn on the inside of the wrist World War II style. That was
> totally authentic yet not the sort of detail historians tend to bother
> with or even know about . Perhaps P's father or some older friend was on
> hand to help out now and then with his researches.
> 
> I remember once we had a discussion on the p-list about why this
> reverse watch-wearing practice seemed to have been so prevalent during
> those war years, not just among the military but on the home front as
> well. I know I wore my shock resistent waterproof ticktock that way but
> never knew the reason  why. One of the answers to the riddle if I remember
> correctly--think Alex might've said it--is the practice tends to hide any
> reflection of the metal watch with might expose one's position to the
> enemy.
> 
>                         P.


Pynchon started writing stories at around nine years of
age--war stories. Like I tell my son, practice your scales
son, practice your scales.