Pynchon-Tinasky

[Eric Rosenbloom]

Richard Romeo wrote:
> 
> Usenet search result 1 for pynchon
> cited article:  http://www.linguafranca.com/9509/pynchon.html

This is well written assessment of the Tinasky question. It seems that
if you think Pynchon's politics are of the old left variety, then you
tend to think that she's he.

Analysts look at Vineland for comparisons of style and allusion, because
Pynchon was presumably in Mendocino county working on that book, but I
see a lot more Gravity's Rainbow in those letters. My guess, assuming
that Pynchon was the letter writer, is that he was reviewing his
previous work to help guide the next book and went slightly bonkers.
(Joyce reviewed all of his previous work before starting Finnegans Wake,
making notes in the famous Scribbledehobble notebooks.) But, you say,
Vineland was surely well into production at the time! Well, they say
Mason & Dixon was in the works for at least 18 years, that is, since
before 1978 (when Newsweek reportedly reported that he was working on a
book about two surveyors). It was probably set aside to mature, just as
Gravity's Rainbow was (may be!), the author setting his mind to other
matters by writing other books, The Crying of Lot 49 in the latter case,
Vineland in the former.

Back to those letters. In "Journey into the Mind of Watts," I read the
word "chisler," a kind of slang spelling, I think, meant to represent a
slangy pronunciation. It is not in the O.E.D., although "chizzle" is
(but not "chizzler"). I remember first seeing this spelling in the
letters of Wanda Tinasky. Alas, I can't find it again, so I may be
dreaming or misremembering the source. The letters do, however, mention
King Kong quite often.

Yours,
Eric R



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