VLVL2 and NPPF: Cultural Elitism

[Tim Strzechowski]

I didn't think further introduction was needed because it derives from an
earlier set of posts:

http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0307&msg=83068&sort=date
http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0307&msg=83069&sort=date

I seem to recall some listers who were not interested in reading VL because
they felt it lacked substance, relevance, etc. compared to P's other works.
I'd almost use their positions as a basis for this evaluation.

I associate cultural elitism with the critics of _Vineland_ who believe(ed)
that the various and sundry pop culture references in the text do not serve
a significance or, at best, convey mere nostalgia.  In this post, your
question is valid because

a) what IS meant by "cultural elitism"?  What are the origins of this
phrase?

b) does P's use of pop culture reflect a reduction in literary merit (on his
part, as a writer), or *can* a work that relies heavily on pop culture
references (as imagery, as metaphor, as symbol, etc.) be said to possess
merit?

And, tying in PF, how does Nabokov address (or satirize?) the concept of
"cultural elitism" in the "Foreward"?

Respectfully,

Tim



>
> Isn't some further introduction to this thread needed? What is cultural
> elititism and who are the cultural elite? I associate the term with Dan
> Quayle. The cultural elite are the small minority who don't bowl, don't
> believe in God, live inside the Beltway, in Manhattan, Hollywood or
> Berkeley. But what and who exactly are WE talking about here?
>
> P.
>