pynchon-l-digest V2 #1711

[Doug Millison]

Why not step up to the plate and host a session the way you'd like to 
see it done, instead of criticizing the efforts of others?  (As one 
of those "Chris Karatnysky and others" who "perfected" the method you 
appear to admire, during the group readings of Mason & Dixon, 
Vineland, and Gravity's Rainbow, I'll accept the oblique compliment, 
however -- the summaries, questions, and notes I provided for my 
session in Vineland found new life in at least one university-level 
American Lit course, which I found highly gratifying after spending 
as much time as I did working on them.  Keith, myself, Andrew Dinn, 
and many others made MDMD a very lively investigation, and dug up 
many things that are still being mined by scholars -- MDMD was itself 
referenced in a complimentary way in a Pynchon Notes article not long 
ago.) The only thing that I can see that Dave Monroe has done a bit 
differently in his hosting, is to provide a large number of fine 
bibliographic references, pointing us to many books and articles we 
can use to deepen our understanding of V., Pynchon's work more 
generally, and the issues that come up in Pynchon's work. He's asked 
any number of stimulating questions that any of us have been free to 
answer and discuss at any time during his session.  Instead of 
potshots and flamebait, Dave Monroe has earned our compliments and 
thanks -- a few more P-list contributors like him, who are willing to 
offer substance without insults, and this could become, once again, a 
forum where more of the Pynchon studies community might feel they 
could get some real work done, in my opinion.

rj:
>p.s. My preferred model for the running of a group read hosting is that
>perfected by Chris Karatnysky and others, whereby a short summary of the
>chapter or section is followed by brief notes on the text and some focus
>questions to encourage discussion amongst the participants. Nonetheless, I
>do not begrudge you the amount of additional work you chose to do in lieu of
>these for your spot.
>
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