GRGR: homosexuality in GR

[Doug Millison]

As far as I can tell, and I have read the posts in this thread rather 
carefully, Terrance is merely pointing out some of the juxtapositions 
that Pynchon has made between homosexuality and other 
issues/themes/motifs in GR -- Blicero/Weissmann is quite the nexus, 
after all, for starters.  Calling Terrance a bigot for noting  this 
is Pynchon's book absurd. If you can't stand the heat...hey, blame it 
on TRP.  We recently had somebody -- I think he said he was gay -- 
write a post that called objectionable many of the ways that Pynchon 
has characterized homosexuality in GR, and that wasn't the first time 
I've heard those accusations made against Pynchon.  (Unfortunately, 
this is not the first time that rj has made these kinds of 
accusations against Terrance, either -- he tried to tar Jody and 
Terrance with this or a similar brush not that long ago.) I've made 
it clear in previous posts that I think GR, and the rest of Pynchon's 
novels, exhibit the politics and social values of a 60s-era, 
anti-fascist, rebel (very roughly speaking, Pynchon's politics are 
far more nuanced than this crude characterization).  Pynchon is 
certainly not a bigot, in race or sexual matters.  But, wait a 
minute, I thought Pynchon's beliefs and attitudes don't count for 
anything when you guys read his work.  So, rj, why the appeal to 
Pynchon's personal lack of bigotry or sense of social justice? Isn't 
the author irrelevant to your reading of the text? Or, might you also 
yield, occasionally, to the temptation to use the author to 
strengthen your particular interpretation of his work? Not that I'd 
put your feet to the fire for doing so, a foolish consistency being, 
after all, the hobgoblin of small minds, or however that Emerson 
quote goes.

Pre-emptive note to Morris, kfl, Mackin, and Malign:  I understand 
that you think this kind of "list nanny" behavior is not to be 
tolerated, and I could care less.  Your labeling me so puts you in 
the category you pretend to despise.

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