oh my poor doomed ass

[Paul Mackin]

On Fri, 2003-01-17 at 10:19, Lucky Pierre wrote:
> 
> --- Richard Romeo <romeocheeseburger at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Lucky Pierre for yous who don't know is an endless
> > meditation on perspective, looping and relooping. I
> > looked forward to the book and when it was finally
> > published was somewhat disappointed. On the heels of
> > reading Gaddis' Agape Agape, it was double
> > disappointment whammy.
> > Coover doesn't really say anything he hasn't said
> > before and like the Gaddis, it felt like a clearing
> > of
> > the decks. 
> > I'm feeling a bit bereft now--there aren't any
> > writers
> > i'm crazy about. a bit of ra lafferty sure only for
> > his undeniable eccentricity.
> > I've found roth and nabokov to be really dullsville
> > tho I can see why folks appreciate what they do.
> > well, i do lik
> 
> the book is a fucking feast. you must be very tired of
> reading if you find this stuff is dull, but ....the
> more roth i read the more i like him. i'm still
> bothered by his tendency to tell when he might show,
> but he tells it so well. a little book and brief, the
> dying animal could be made into a wonderful ... like,
> one of those one man shows off braodway mixed media
> things. imagine sitting on stage in couches listening
> to the man while the musical compositions, the
> paintings, the poetry, the tv  and film, the
> sculpture, all... parade into the room. 


Through The Dying Animal might be thought slight (too short) by
comparison with Roth's other recent works, the attachment between the
OLD dying animal and YOUNG one--the beautiful Consuela--and the
depiction of what dying--especially dying when young--must be like--all
seemed superbly drawn.

My usual reservation with Roth is how does the old guy so easily attract
the beautiful young women. In this case there is a poetic justice in it
all. Very very sad. Almost a downer of a book. But as T indicates so
very very good.

 And, yes, as the two observe (watching TV on New Year's Eve), the
Tropicana is quite sad too. Been there.

P.