The Afterlife

[Musashi Miyamoto]

Does memory serve me correctly when I remember the phrase "Ouspenskian
nonsense?" in GR? It strikes me that there is the constant choice in GR et
al of what to believe and disbelieve. One answer to the preterition theory
is that all are elect and that in the largest sense there is no death.
Unless we can trust the character (Trust the Character?!) that says
something like "Ouspenskian nonsense," then I think we have to consider the
possibility that it may not in fact be nonsense to the in the eyes of the
book. I don't find the Pynch sounding like an atheist to me. There is much
consternation on the part of a number of reasonable (need I say to me?)
characters in Pynch-lit with hard-headed anti-spiritualism . I, believe that
the Pynch stance is not anti-spiritual, but rather an that of an unbeliever
who "don't wanna walk and talk about Jesus; I just want to see his face."

,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_

Keep Cool, but Care
Henry Mu

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Mackin" <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2001 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: The Afterlife


Sounds familiar but I'll bite.

Yes there is lots of crackpot thinking in Gravity's Rainbow and not only
vBraun's. Dead people not really dead. Communication across the zero. There
is also the more sensible theory of preterition--NOT being saved, NOT
experiencing resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

        p.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Toby G Levy" <tobylevy at juno.com>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2001 8:35 AM
Subject: Re: The Afterlife


> Whoa!  I don't want to get into "opinions of the author,"  but the
> continuity of life after death is one of the major streams that flow
> through GR.  And I never read anywhere that Von Braun was being cynical
> when he wrote those words.
>
> What about all those seances and the Angels in the sky and Enzian's
> debates with the nihilists (just to name a few examples)?
>
> Toby
>
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 Otto wrote:
>
> > Doug:
> > > Does Pynchon never answer the questions he raises?
> > > Seems to me he affirms a small set of positives again and again
> > > in his writing:  love, community, family, respect for the Earth,
> > > the continuity of life after death.
> >
> > Ah, the last point . . . is said by the cynical Wernher von Braun as
> the
> > opening quote of GR and I don't believe that this is meant to be  seen
> in any
> > way as the opinion of the author of the novel.
>
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