Pynchon's Foreword

[Terrance]

jbor wrote:
> 
> I agree it doesn't make much sense. The title seems to connect with the
> central theme in the 'Intro' that the stories are pretty crappy. On the
> other hand, the use of the phrase in _1984_ is quite overt, and Pynchon did
> release the collection of his stories in 1984, and now he has written a
> Foreword to Orwell's novel. But I really can't see any feasible analogy
> between Pynchon's experience as an American writer and Winston Smith's
> persecution and submission in Oceania. It seems inapt.

And, his essay, "is it OK to be a luddite?" 
The New York Times Book Review was published 
 28 October 1984, pp. 1, 40-41. 

The essay begins with an allusion to the Owellian year too: "As if being
1984 weren't enough, it's also the 25th anniversary this year of C. P.
Snow's famous Rede lecture..." 

_1984_   shows up again in VL. 

In his essay on Sloth he mentions Bartleby. 

Smith is a writer.
Bartleby is a writer. 
Pynchon is a writer.