Abstract Fiction

[David Morris]

I think #2 below comes the closest to my intention of the word in relation 
to Pynchon's writings.  He writes stories with plots and characters, but 
unlike Hollander's approach which sees these as representing other specific 
people and events, I think he's pointing a more universal themes and 
concepts, less specific.  And he makes this aspect of his writing very 
obvious with his use of capitalized abstract terms like "the Mobility," 
"Analysis," etc.

David Morris

Main Entry: ab·stract
Pronunciation: ab-'strakt,
Date: 1542
transitive senses
1 : REMOVE, SEPARATE
2 : to consider apart from application to or association with a particular 
instance
3 : to make an abstract of : SUMMARIZE
4 : to draw away the attention of
5 : STEAL, PURLOIN
intransitive senses : to make an abstraction


>From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
>
>Abstract. In other words, nonrepresentational. Line, color, composition. 
>This works in painting. Or used to anyway. So we have novels made up of 
>narrational elements that are aesthetic, entertaining, interesting in 
>themselves, in their own right. Richly imagined people, situations,  
>events, historic connections, memory, desire, emotional pitch, plot 
>complexity.  Each element and all elements combined and singly and together 
>again all beyond interpretation. Not standing for anything but itself or 
>themselves. Trouble is, writing nonrepresentational fiction requires 
>special care. Story characters and story plots have a very strong tendency 
>to be representational. Authors must take special steps to counter this and 
>subvert  representation. Else we will find our Aunt Bessie or Uncle Albert 
>in every scene. Pynchon subverts his representations quite a lot, even to a 
>fault some might say. But of course he can only go so far in this 
>direction. Pynchon might be a good candidate for "abstract" fiction 
>writing. The idea has some importance--the idea of "beyond interpretation" 
>I mean.  Don't know about the rest of you but once I decide what a novel 
>"means" the whole experience is near ruined. I have taken things one step 
>too far. Is that all there is? Who doesn't know THAT already? Screw 
>interpretation.

_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com