Six year coma

[Otto]

Not that novel, but I've read "Inversions" (1998) in German and have quite
enjoyed it. Indeed, I too believe that Banks has read his Pynchon, in the
second chapter of "Inversions" there's a reference to Goethe's remark of
rainbows:

"So bliebe denn die Sonne mir im Rücken.
Allein wie herrlich, diesem Sturm erspriessend,
Wölbt sich des bunten Bogens Wechseldauer,
Bald rein gezeichnet, bald in Luft zerfließend,
Umherverbreitend duftig kühle Schauer.
D e r spiegelt ab das menschliche Bestreben.
Ihm sinne nach, und du begreifst genauer:
Am farbigen Abglanz haben wir das Leben."
Goethe, Faust, II, Zeilen 4715, 4721-27

But see how, rising from this turbulence,
the rainbow forms its changing-unchanged arch
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Of human striving it's perfect symbol--
ponder this well to understand more clearly
that what we have as life is many-hued reflection.
(Faust, Part II, Act I)
http://www.sokagakkai.info/html3/pi_earth3/germany3.html

Otto

----- Original Message -----
From: <grip at speakeasy.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2003 10:52 PM
Subject: Six year coma


>
> Hello,
>
> grip at netcom.com fell into a deep sleep in early 1997 but has now awakened
as
> grip at speakeasy.net. Anyone still around from those halcyon days before
M&D?
> Steelhead? Bonnie? Andrew?
>
> I think I will forgo the pleasure of trying to catch up with 6+ years of
> Pynchonada and just hangout to see what, if anything, is going on. I do
admit
> that I am curious about the discussions I missed on M&D but since I could
never
> get through the damned book, maybe it's just as well.
>
> So why did I return, someone might be curious to know. I suppose it's
because
> last night I was struck by a feeling that what I was reading was heavily
> influenced by TRP; The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Has anyone else read
> this? I found it interesting that the usual list of critical reviews on
the
> back includes, "Rubbish!" and "There's nothing to force you, having been
> warned, to read it; nor do I recommend it" by The Times (London) and The
> Scotsman, respectively.
>
> Lawrence, who used to sign off as "grip"
>
>