What does Pynchon do?

[Elainemmbell at aol.com]

There are some elements of war and its politics that never change, nothing 
matures, nothing improves.  And, though embarrassed to be quoting Hawkes, "no 
one is safe".  Example--From the chapter called "The 19th River Guard", in 
Mark Helprin's brilliant WWI novel,  A Soldier of the Great War:

"I promise several things.  I'll fight well, I'll try to stay alive, and I'll 
concentrate on the latter, because the best way to stay alive is to be 
resolute and to risk. I don't care about our claims on the Alto Adige, so I'm 
fighting for nothing, but so is everyone and that's not the point.  A 
nightmare has no justification, but you try your best to last through it, 
even if that means playing by the rules.  I suppose a nightmare is having to 
play by rules that make no sense, for a purpose that's entirely alien, 
without control of either one's fate or even one's actions.  To the extent 
that I do have control I'll do what I can.  Unfortunately, the war is ruled 
inordinately by chance, to the point almost where human action seems to have 
lost its meaning..." (Allessandro in a letter to home from the front)

Elaine M.M. Bell, Writer
(860) 523-9225
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