Groupbath of groupthink: VN & Pyncheon

[jbor]

on 7/24/01 5:38 AM, MalignD at aol.com at MalignD at aol.com wrote:

> 
> I remember reading / hearing somewhere once that Pynchon was not a writer,
> 
> but a group of writers. Not much proof for that, but the thesis hasn't
> 
> been disproved either. By the way, any information on the Nabokov - Pynchon
> nexus? So far I have found out that P was N's student and that Vera
> remembered him for randomly alternating between lowercas and uppercase
> letters. We also have the cryptic texts. But anything else? Regards,
> 
> 
> Kris>>
> 
> 
> I post this, don't endorse it.  It is daft, is it not, to think, facing a
> formidable body of work, (as some do regarding, e.g., Shakespeare and, above,
> Pynchon) that a group of writers is a more likely source than singular talent
> or genius.  
> 
> Brilliance by committee seems highly unlikely to me.  Additionally, speaking
> of brilliance, talent, genius--

Yes, it is ironic that some wag or troll within the literary or litcrit
industry came up with the "conspiracy theory" that Pynchon was in fact a
committee of then-alive "superstar-writers": five if I recall correctly,
comprising William Gaddis, William Gass, and three others (Wolfe? Coover?
Barth? can't remember.) Anyway, such a suggestion, to one manner of thinking
(though not mine), might indicate that Pynchon' fiction is as "great" as the
combined work of the members of that super-committee. Pretty dumb imo.

I believe it predates the "Wanda Tinasky" hoax.

best