is Pynchon a recluse?

[jbor]

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>From: "Otto" <o.sell at telda.net>
>

> In fact I never bought his negative self-criticism of "Lot 49" totally, I
> always thought it was meant deeply ironical.

I certainly think he overplays the modesty card at times! But I think I can
understand why he might be singing the praises of 'The Secret Integration',
with its explicit anti-racism message and strong civil "conscience", at _Lot
49_'s ("marketed as a novel") expense.

I must admit that it amused me when Doug, within the space of four hours,
went from using the _Slow Learner_ 'intro' to corroborate one of his
sweeping generalisations ("Obviously, this is important stuff for Pynchon,
as he comes back to it again and again in his fiction, and as he explictly
addresses, in the Slow Learner intro, the attitudes towards women displayed
in his work") to suddenly deciding that Pynchon was merely "putting us on"
in the intro because what was cited from it didn't agree with what Doug
wants Pynchon to be.

best