1984 Foreword "fascistic disposition"

[Terrance]

pynchonoid wrote:
> Pynchon's writings show this trend away from American
> democracy beginning even before America's so-called
> "revolution".

Trend: the general direction in which something tends to move.

If there is such a trend in P's fiction where on earth do we find an
America that is more Democratic? 

The fictional America of Dixon and Mason is "another slave colony."  The
RC was booted, exiled, shipped out on the insanity clause,  from his
native land (so many early Americans were "outlaws") for publishing an
anonymous pamphlet and while in American he is Reverend to a
congregation of religious outcasts, feuds, slaves, indentured servants,
pawns in the Royal game. Is the world of Benny and Crew more or less
Democratic than Dixon & Mason's "slave colony" America? The cops arrest
the kids for playing musical blanket. NOt quite what Zoyd gets nailed
for, but the same sort of fascism. How about Slothrop's America? With
his Puritan ancestors hanging his antinomian ancestors, his heretical
ancestor ( GE and Morgan money and Uncle Lyle and Marvy and Mom wanting
to hang the Gold Star? Is Slothrop free in the Zone. Is Enzian correct?
What about Vineland the Good? Spilled broken. No trend as far as I can
tell. And, while I may not be able to write like a journalist, I'm one
of the best readers of trends in the world. Or I was before I retired. 

T