Coover

[Richard Romeo]

david sed:>
>I haven't read any Coover yet, so I searched a bit for descriptions of his 
>work.  It seems he's very taken w/ the concept of hyperfiction
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well, that's what coover teaches at Brown University, but not really what 
his writing is all about.  He has inspired some interesting new writers like 
Shelley Jackson, who have written hypertext, e-fiction.

>I take it that this "freedom" is what he seeks in the structure of >his 
>work.  But personally I find this  notion dated
>(does anyone even use the word "hyperfiction" anymore) and essentially 
>lauding gimmickry.
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Coover wrote this essay in 1992 or 1997. I wouldn't condemn his writing 
which is far superior to many a writer who use that sense of freedom to 
write highly dubious fiction. His focus remains the printed word and what he 
can do with language. John's Wife is a sleeper tour-de-force and of course 
The Public Burning--large complex workings with a large cast of characters. 
His work is highly structured, but reads just the opposite. I think 
Pynchon's work is similar in that regard.

>Salon.com's review Coover's "Ghost Town" seems at odds w/ the richness 
>described at the top of this post (but since he also applies >this to 
>Pynchon I wonder about its worth)
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There's that narrative angle again--Ghost Town has many colorful 
vignettes--think of the Crutchfield/Whappo episode but a whole lot 
funnier--there's also a Judge Holden-like character in the book that pokes 
fun or at least reminds me how lugubrious much of Cormac McCarthy can be.

I'd start with Coover's first novel, The Origin of the Brunists, which is, 
for the most part, pretty straight-forward.


Rich



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