for pete's sake

[Jasper Fidget]

> On Behalf Of Kevin Troy
> 
> "Man, what happened to you?  We used to be _beautiful_ together."
> --Sam Jackson's character in _Jackie Brown_
> 
> I've been taking notes and doing research for several short notes -- or
> maybe it will turn out to be one or two mid-length papers -- on PF and
> Pynchon.  For example, I'd like to examine the connections between
> paranoia and gnosticism in PF, Lot 49, and GR.  I guess my approach is
> similar to the "short paper" thing Dave Marc proposed, but I don't know,
> really, because I haven't actually done it yet....
> 
> But maybe I won't bother, now that the list has gone to hell.
> 
> Did Nabokov influence Pynchon?  You bet your sweet bippy he did.  Did PF,
> specifically, influence Pynchon, in a way that is evident in his works?
> Gee, I'd like to find out.  If that question is the general hypothosis of
> the NPPF (it is for me, at least, your mileage may vary) then obviously
> the first phase of the NPPF should be exploratory:  before demonstrating
> or proving any PF-Pynch connection, one has to get a sense of PF and the
> criticism surrounding it.
> 
> What Doug and (I'm surprised to find) Tim have been doing in the last few
> days is the e-mail of equivalent of poking someone on the shoulder every
> five minutes, asking "are we there yet?  Have we reached the Radiant Hour?
> Huh?  Huh?"  This, Tim, alienates me, your friendly neighborhood
> semi-lurker, far more than the prospect of an NP book being seriously and
> systematically analyzed on pynchon-l.
> 
> Pynchon-l has the opportunity to do something really great.  We (by which
> I mean "you suckers") have a choice of either
> 
> a)  Taking up the challenge and conducting simultaneous group reads of two
> well-crafted and difficult books, each of which has different merits, or
> b)  Kicking and screaming like a bunch of infants.
> 
> Your choice, kids.
> 
> Bye,
> Kevin T.

I would be very interested in seeing this; my thoughts have been heading in
similar directions.  Don't stoop to the level of the "kids" and take your
toys home.