MDDM Ch. 70 Higher Assembly

[Doug Millison]

At 6:56 PM -0400 8/18/02, Terrance wrote:
>And I don't think that what you guys disagree on, that is,  what ideas,
>morals, norms, can be attributed to the author, if any, has much to do
>with the effects.


I'm not aware of being in any discussion, or disagreement, with jbor
regarding the author's ideas, morals, norms, etc.

>I guess Doug could argue that the all the adventures of Mason and Dixon
>are  an imaginative projection by/of one very Wicks Cherrycoke based on
>doubtful (untrustworthy) and fragmentary information.

That's not what I'm saying.  I've made clear that I believe Wicks is one of
several narrators in the novel. (As such, I do believe Wicks, like many a
storyteller, can create narratives of great complexity and depth.)  Say
whatever you like, of course, but you're misstating my position here.


>However, this
>still doesn't go to the norms or what Pynchon thinks about any of the
>topics you all debate -- is P more critical of the democrats or
>republicans or is he neutral? is he an anti-globalist? anti-capitalist?
>marxist? Christian? atheist? postmodernist? pacifist?


See above.  It's fruitless, in my opinion, to try to judge Pynchon's
personal take on these things by trying to work backwards from his novels
to the man.   I am interested in what his novels have to say about them,
and many other topics, however.

I am also interested in Pynchon the artist, and, like many Pynchon fans, am
eager to read about him, read quotes and comments he's made, etc.  Then, I
do like to compare what we know about him personally to what he writes --
but, again, I think it's fruitless to try to work backwards from the novels
to the man, because the novels contain so much, and are so obviously
contrived to present differing characters' points of view.


>So, like the Zone lost we go searching for every scrap of the
>rocket/bible/text/word/logos/playboy-japanwhatever/letter, blurb,blah
>blah blah.....

See above, please. This is not an accurate description of the way I read
Pynchon.

>
>It obvious to me that there are other narrators besides Wicks.

And to me.