Pornography

[Otto Sell]

Pornography a metaphor for writing - yes. Then Writer´s block is impotence.
Remember John Barth (and Salman Rushdie too) on that.

"(...) the similarity between conventional dramatic structure-it´s
exposition, rising action, climax, and dénouement-and the rhythm of sexual
intercourse from foreplay through coitus to orgasm and release. Therefore
also (...) the popularity of  love (and combat, the darker side of the same
rupee) as a theme for narrative, the lovers´ embrace as its culmination, and
post-coital lassitude as its natural ground: what better time for tales than
at day´s end, in bed after making love (or around the campfire after battle
or adventure, or in the chimney corner after work), to express and heighten
the community between the lovers, comrades, co-workers?"
(Chimera, p. 33)

But with the case of GR I agree on one hand with Lycidas that They (whoever,
if any, Pynchon actual had in mind) must control or, if not, destroy.
"Katje´s always there, slipped by Them into his bed..." (p. 211). His cock
under Their control. Later, you´ll remember, They want to castrate him.
But the equation is open to both (and maybe more) directions. You cannot
really separate Eros from Thanatos in GR cuz here nothing works without
binary oppositions-and mostly anything makes sense to me by looking at the
text through binary glasses. So I looked for another major episode on the
"sex-death rupee" to compare it to the anubis episode (episode 43). This is
episode 24. Compared to the very complex orgy onboard the Anubis (thank
whoever you want that no porno producer ever read GR, maybe Nagisa Oshima
could do it properly) the scene on p. 224 is very short: "(...) back up to
her room again: cock, cunt, the Monday rain at the windows." But there´s
more. There are clear evidences that Pynchon wanted to make this death-sex
connection obvious to a death oriented, puritan America that is shocked by
what is called the sexual revolution and burning Vietnamese children at the
same time: see p. 215: "...because sending the RAF to make a terror raid
against civilian Lübeck was the unmistakable long look that said hurry up
and fuck me, that brought the rockets hard and screaming, the A4s, which
were to´ve been fired anyway, a bit sooner instead...."

To say something to Paul´s question on the Anubis: The multinational
collaborators of the Nazi-regime know they´re done and having a good time
at last.
If you put up a binary opposition like this to a piece of GR-text the answer
can only be: both - or none. To choose one side means to neglect the other.
I
don`t think that the text supports a decision to one side.

Proverbs for Paranoids, 3: If they can get you asking the wrong questions,
they don´t have to worry about answers.

Otto

PS Has everybody listened to JJ reading the piece of Finnegans Wake where he
says "Vineland," downloadable at http://www.mp3lit.com/fiction/joyce.html?

"Die eve, little eve die! We see that wonder in your eye. We´ll meet again,
we`ll part once more. The spot I´ll seek if the hour you´ll find (...)
Forgivemequick, I´m going! Bubye!"