pynchon & nabokov

[lorentzen-nicklaus]

 you wrote:

 "in lectures on literature nabokov asserts that only the individual writer 
 matters (not literary movements, nor isms), and that he writes only for the 
 individual reader. the act of reading, at best, can create an artistic harmony 
 between the reader's and the author's minds. a major writer is part 
 storyteller, part teacher, part enchanter: a great writer is a great enchanter. 
 great literature is made up of magic, story, and lesson, and the good reader 
 reads the book of genius [!], 'not with his heart, not so much with his brain, 
 but with his spine. it is there that occurs the telltale tingle'. nabokov 
 sought the tingling spine as the antenna for his art, and devised a literary 
 means of unleashing kundalini forces for the purposes of producing 
 emotional-intellectual-physiological quivers in his readers. whether or not 
 pynchon ever studied with, met, or knew nabokov on sight, he seems to have  
 internalized much of nabokov's teaching and example; but he transforms the 
 tingle of pleasure into the chill shiver of paranoia, the eel in the bowels of 
 fear: same process with reversed polarity." (pynchon's politics: 15)           
 
 ... guess both authors do it both directions ... anyway, thanks for working out 
 this parallel ... of nabokov i've read only "lolita" but plan to check out 
 "ada" in the near future ... yesterday we finished the hollander festwochen 
 with a lecture by peter sloterdijk  ... "hollander's pynchonalia and the   
 problem of trans-paranoid wor(l)d-politics" ... it was a real event: i had   
 chartered a sailing ship, renamed it "anubis" and we all had sea food,   
 champagne & everything ... yes, the river knows ... it's a pity you couldn't   
 make it here personally ... we missed you ... what? sure, max, you're welcome  
 ... kai ... [schnipp]