Whither the P-List?

[Michel Ryckx]

There's a small expression in 'Mortality and Mercy' : 'je ne sais quoi
de sinistre'.  14 years later, mr. Pynchon uses it again, in his big
one.

The Mickey and Sylvia song from 1956 is alluded to (at? -don't know
what's correct) in Vineland and mentioned in the Marquez review.

In mr. Pynchon's work, consistent as it is from the very beginning of
his literary career, many levels & many influences get together.
[talking about kicking in open doors . . .]  The current thread on
'Dixon & the Slave Driver' proves to be very fruitful just because of
this aspect.  The incident is being discussed from many different
angles, and offers the interested p-lister all these things we like so
much in our man's novels.  That is why I agree with Dave Monroe who
wrote: 'keep the [p] in the p-list'.

This is also why I think it's not a good idea for having a read like the
'Education', as Kai, uncapitalized, asked: in that particular case, the
discussion -as far as it will concern Thomas Pynchon- will only take a
look into one of the many influences, in this case: into a (not even:
the) cultural or philosophical level.  One could easily develop parallel
reasons for not discussing Moby-Dick, Milton, Pale Fire --nabokv-l will
provide those interested with nearly 800 posts on Pale Fire alone, by
the way--, Fariña, etc., however important all of these authors and/or
novels and/or ideas may have been for mr. Pynchon.

Taking a closer look at the early work will show us how a young boy
grows into the clothing he likes best;  how he, with trial and error,
develops his own stylistic devices --on which point f.i. the
Nabokov-Pynchon angle may come in; how he gets away from his literary
heroes of the fifties, and finds his own themes and how to express them:
us and them, ambiguities, allusions, rituals, sacred & profane, the
jokes & puns, the names he uses, his scientific influences, and how he
is a child of his own time.

OK, the early stories may be not the best ever written, but they could
learn us a lot about his later works.  What would a comparison between
'Under the Rose' and V. learn us?  Just curious.

Then there is that bizarre Introduction to Slow Learner, written by a
man who is sure he earned his place in literature, and so is able to
write condescendingly about his own work.  It may be a kind of fiction.

I'm favouring an SLSL --which will not take very long-- as a fine
hors-d'oeuvre for (good idea Otto, Toby) Vineland.

Michel.