P and N content: James Wood reviewed

[charles albert]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Terrance" <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
Cc: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: P and N content: James Wood reviewed


>
>
> charles albert wrote:
> >
> > Woods also gets a soap box in the recent NYRB.......Pynchon slags
> > included.....
> >
> > As a critic he seems a one trick pony....
>
> Nonsense!

>From the NYRB piece:

...THe "characteristic products" of American fiction, has has written, are

'books of reat self consciousness with no selves in them: curiously arrested
books that know a thousand different things - the recipe for the best
indonesian fish curry! the sonics of the trombone! the drug market in
Detroit! the history of strip cartoons! - but do not know a single human
being.'

Savanorola, and those who followed in his footsteps, kinda beat that line
limp already, non? Damn, Jim, don't mince words - just call it all
"decadent".......


>He's a good novelist to boot.

You 've conculded that on the basis of his skinny fiction catalog, have you?

love,
cfa