more marginalizing

[barbara100 at jps.net]

"We have members here who simply don't
think art and fiction can or should instruct--teach or reveal the truths
about anything.  That's a very good critical position to have around
here."

Please reconsider this statement. It's not a good critical position to have
period.  Fiction, if it's any good at all, does and should instruct, teach
and reveal.  Make of it what you will, but don't say it's not there for the
taking.


----- Original Message -----
From: Terrance <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 10:57 AM
Subject: Re: Quail: "You won't even simply *give up* when asked. [...]
stoplecturing me"


> And what the hell is wrong with having opinions that are not in
> agreement with what may be revealed by Thomas R. Pynchon in his
> fictions? Do I have to agree with everything Shakespeare says to
> participate on the Shakespeare list? Hell no! What if this were an
> American fiction list? Would we need to agree with Faulkner, Pynchon,
> Cooper, Twain, DeLillo, Jack London? We couldn't. I happen to believe
> that Pynchon's is not so static, he seems to change, so I might agree
> with what I think he is saying about one subject in one novel and not
> agree with what he says in another. Moreover, my own ideas are not
> fixed. What's wrong with having different political persuasions on this
> list? Nothing! It's a good thing. We have members here who simply don't
> think art and fiction can or should instruct--teach or reveal the truths
> about anything.  That's a very good critical position to have around
> here. It might even agree with what Pynchon reveals in his books. We
> have members here who don't believe there are truths, much less truths
> about America or Amerika. Nothing wrong with that.