Gottfried & Blicero

[Andy]

jbor wrote
>
>Yes, I've read the sort of criticism which takes Pynchon on for his supposed
>homophobia and stereotyping (and racism!) in the novel. But I think that
>these are critics who have needed to read *GR* in particular ways in order
>to justify their own biases, and so have gotten all tangled up ascribing
>their own good and evil (mainly evil) constructions as Pynchon's. 

My problem with this is that there is negative reference after reference
to male homosexuality e.g.

319: between Enzian and Ombindi - 

        ""It embraces all the deviations in one single act" ....
"Homosexuality, for example." No rise. "Sadism and masochism. Onanism?
Necrophilia..."

511: the effeminate stereotyped homosexual sentry -

        "Beasts" whimpers the Russian "oh, nasty, awful..." scampering
off into the night.

615 - Clive and Sir Marcus - "bitchy faggotry"

665-668 - Dora Homosexuals, prison-camp fetishism and their "horrible
salute to faggotry":

        Yumsy-numsy 'n' poopsie-poo,
        If I'm a degenerate, so are you

Some of this stereotyping is just embarrassing and I wince when I read
it (I'm gay btw). The language of the Weissman/Enzian (324) and
Blicero/Gottried (721-2) passages is beautiful, but both Enzian and
Gottried are seduced/abused by Weissman. Enzian is so overwhelmed by
Weissman he compares him to Jesus Christ, Gottried and Weissman are
"lovers whose genitals are consecrated to shit, to endings..."

I can't remember references to homosexuality to redeem this either GR or
for that matter V, COL49 or MD (the one's I've read). GR was written at
the beginning of the gay rights movement in the States which was very
visible and demanding. It must have been difficult, even scary, for most
straight men to deal with. To write "the life-cry of that love
[homosexuality in the trenches] has long since hissed away into no more
than this bitchy and idle faggotry" at that time is probably not
coincidental.

This is, of course, not to damn P, it's just that in relation to
homosexuality he/his writing is flawed, its not too big a deal.
-- 
Andy