1984 Foreword "fascistic disposition"

[Paul Nightingale]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On
> Behalf Of Paul Mackin
> Sent: 01 May 2003 14:13
> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject: Re: 1984 Foreword "fascistic disposition"
> 
> My approach to the paragraph was to try to understand and possibly
allow
> others to understand what Pynchon actually wrote. No "reading between
> the lines" was permitted.
> 
> The one real "violence" I did Pynchon's language was taking out the
> "fascistic disposition" reference. I did this on the grounds that it
was
> distracting to use such a harsh even if meaningless term on people
whose
> only sin was recognizing that under wartime conditions certain
> restrictions on civil liberties are necessary.
>


I'm not sure what "reading between the lines" means. I think I know what
you think it means, a kind of loyalty to "what P. actually wrote".
However, if you're saying it's possible to separate, not just
theoretically but in practice, the acts of reading and writing, then I
suppose you've found something else for us to disagree on.

You then contradict yourself in your second paragraph when you describe
a value-judgement that imposes meaning on "what P. actually wrote". Hmm
...