hollander for the mass, part 3

[lorentzen-nicklaus]

 "by refering to this multinational liaison as the 'century's master cabal' 
pynchon is suggesting more than corporate cooperation. he is suggesting that 
world war 2 was part of the 'plot which has no name', the concerted effort by 
the new dynasty to bring down the old dynasty. this is hinted at again and again 
in the book [gr]."

                                  --- charles hollander: pynchon's inferno ---


 this perspective, one often finds in hollander's work, is pretty  
 close to the social theory of vilfredo pareto (1848-1923), the italian pioneer 
 of sociology. according to pareto history is "the cemetery of the elites". he  
 observes a  c i r c u l a t i o n  of elites throughout history. differing in  
 the first place from the preterite, the elect are splitted into the elites in  
 power on the one and the elites not in power on the other side. between these 
 two sub-classes, which constantly regenerate in the conflictious operating of 
 society, history is fought out. taking two terms from a more famous italian 
 thinker, pareto calls this basic socio-historical conflict-line "lions" against 
 "foxes".  that's how things à la pareto run, over and over again ... in certain 
 cases there can, however, also be "fusions of elites". 

 when i hinted hollander at this parallel, he was, actually, not so delighted. 

 unfortunately our correspondence, which went on for several months, never 
 reached the point, where we could have communicated on his works in a way 
 pleasurable to both participants ...  


kfl