pynchon-l-digest V2 #1744

[Doug Millison]

Whether Pynchon is or isn't the author of the letters may not be 
settled for some time, if ever.  Consider, however,  that an author 
who plays as many textual games as Pynchon does in his fiction, and 
who has been so cagey in the statements he's made outside of his 
fiction, might not be above playing a game like this. If he is the 
author of these letters, and in writing them meant to play some sort 
of game, of course he would deny authorship. There has been, indeed, 
a behind-the-scenes dance between Pynchon and some journalists in 
recent years that belies most of the received wisdom about Pynchon 
and the press.

Hollander's article, "Where's Wanda? The Case of the Bag Lady and 
Thomas Pynchon" (Critique, Winter 1997, Vol. 38, No. 2) is worth 
reading if for no other reason than Hollander's close reading and 
stylistic analysis of the Tinasky letters and detailed comparison 
with Pynchon's style -- it's an illuminating and fascinating article, 
which is why, I expect, Critique chose to publish it.

Hollander, referring to Michael W. Vella's statement in a Pynchon 
Notes article that "Pynchon was enriched by the Dadaist and 
surrealist heritage," argues that "Pynchon is now, and has always 
been, and probably will ever be a practicing Dadaist. ... Indeed, if 
we go back to Pynchon's youth, we find he was always something of a 
hoaxer. His high school yearbook attributed to him the anonymous 
farcical columns "The Voice of the Hamster" that appeared in his high 
school paper. As a college student he sometimes affected costumes for 
parties. ... we have yet another similarity. Pynchon and Wanda both 
enjoy shocking the bourgeoisie."

It's worth reading Hollander's excellent article, of course, before 
trashing his arguments by knee-jerk reflex, as so often happens in 
this forum. His article does have the virtue of being published in a 
respected journal, which is more than can be said for the diatribes 
against him by his few-but-vocal detractors here on Pynchon-L.
-- 
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