No subject

[Doug Millison]

Good point, Tim.   

jbor may be a bit defensive because he seems to
support a hierarchical structure of readers in which
some "get it" and some don't -- although jbor doesn't
supply the criteria by which to sort one reading into
one or another of those categories, it seems to be
based more on whim than on anything else. jbor moves
through Pynchon's texts, collecting this or that fact
to illustrate this or that reading, at the same
criticizing other readers who do the same. It's quite
inconsistent, not to mention arrogant; that's one of
the things about this style of literary discussion
that makes it so difficult to sustain a topic for very
long in conversation with readers like jbor.  

While I don't claim any unique insight into Pynchon's
intentions, based on the broad range of material he
brings into his books, the broad spectrum of genres
and literary techniques he applies to his material,
the vast number of voices and perspectives he adopts,
his eclectic taste -- I suspect he wants people to be
able to respond to his works in many different ways,
and, further, I suspect (but of course don't know for
sure) that one reason he distances himself from
academic criticism of his work is precisely because of
the arrogant and elitist approach taken by some
critics in that quarter.  Some readers who
consistently try to squeeze Pynchon into this or that
literary-critical-theoretical box don't seem to stop
and think that Pynchon may in fact be laughing, at
times, at that sort of discourse  (hence something
like that Deleuze and Guattari Fake Book in Vineland,
perhaps), even as he also, at times, seems to
understand the value of upholding many points of view
and a sophisticated narrative approach.

I find it useful to remember that Pynchon is primarily
a novelist, not a theorist who choses to focus his
publications on literary criticism. Without him, what
would Pynchon critics write about, after all?

Tim Strzechowski:
> I question the importance of "get[ting] it."[...]

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<www.pynchonoid.blogspot.com>

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