Pynchon's "knewspeak"

[Terrance]

jbor wrote:
> 
> on 22/2/03 8:41 PM, Terrance at lycidas2 at earthlink.net wrote:
> 
> > Yes, it's become something of a cliché to say that Milton was in the
> > Devil's camp without knowing it.
> 
> I don't think that's the only way it's put, and it wasn't what I was getting
> at. 

You're right. It's not the only way it's put. 

I don't know what you are getting at.

Perhaps what you are referring to are certain "biographically based"
assumptions. Eddins is certainly not the only critic to rely on sketchy
biographical information. He assumes that Pynchon was raised a Christian
(even cites, with a wink, the Playboy article). He assumes that Henry
Adams had a profound and secularizing influence on young Tom Pynchon. In
order for the "Milton was in the Devil's league without knowing it"
cliché and analogy to work we are obliged to accept Eddins' premise (not
that "Pynchon was raped by Henry Adams" as another critic puts it) that
since Pynchon was raised a Catholic, his Catholicism is still obviously
present in the texts, Pynchon still adheres to a Christian worldview.
Ergo, GR is circumscribed by a Christian worldview. 

Sorry if this is not at all what you have in mind. I took the liberty of
assuming not to put words or ideas in your head, but to reply. 



I think _Paradise Lost_ is obviously circumscribed by a Christian
> worldview: I don't believe _GR_ is (and I'm not sure that _Moby Dick_ is
> either). I don't see a connection between Blicero and Milton's Satan.


PL is obviously circumscribed by a Christian worldview. Although,  what
kind of Christian Milton was is a very important thing to consider. 

Melville is not so easily circumscribed. I've just read volume one of
Parker's two volume biography of Melville and if anything, for me, it
has introduced more complexity and ambiguity  to the questions about
Melville's so called doubt.