Pynchon and fascism

[Terrance]

Orwell's  use of the F-word (Fascist, often hyphenated) can be traced to
historical events and ideas. So I agree with Paul N. if we're talking
about how Orwell used the F-word. I agree with Paul M's reply too, that
is, that fascism as a word is like any other word. 

As someone pointed out word scholars or etymologists (I don't think Paul
M.'s explanation much different--some political scientist...) have
provided  a historically based meaning. 

But the F-word can mean whatever it is we decide it means. If Paul and
Paul define their terms and "fascism" is defined as,  

"the lint that accumulates in the navel" 

they needn't have a falling off to a hard/soft landing and call for all
the kings men and all the king's horses. 


 "Tyrants Destroyed" Nabokov's Excellent short story for the political
heads on this list.  


Orwell talks about fascism in Ireland, in India, in France, in Spain, in
schools, in poetry...etc...&Co. Check out his essays. 

Anyway, Fascism is all over American Literature and the Postmodern
authors toss the F-word about like Orwell. Question is, Why do they? 


It has something to do with the Korean Conflict. But,  Otto, I agree
it's larger than that. For the younger members of the generation (I do
realize it's not quite a generation I'm talking about), Vietnam & JFK
are the blinders that prevent them from seeing that what they are
looking at is not fascism at all, but something else. Fascism's
prominence in American postmodern literature is not so much a product of
historical events as it is in Orwell's writings or in the so-called
"fascist poets." 

It's a  product of the development of the American Intellectual
Imagination and specifically, how the generation adapted liberalism to
the korean conflict, to racial segregation, to corporatization, to
vietnam, and to the nationalism or the creation of political identities
by the marginalized (Catholics, Blacks, Woman...) ....



I agree with Paul N., that's it's a good idea to look at how P
structures his essay and  his novels and when we do we discover agons
and conflicts and oppositions. 

In Pynchon's last novel,  Nationalism and the creation of political
identities  by the marginalized ( for example, colonists like the Scots
and Anglo-Irish) and resistance to it by power syndicates. 

Long before current debates over the marginalized and multiculturalism
and the like, American civic life involved inescapable tensions between
the nation and other collectivities Americans hold dear, between
democracy and freedom of conscience, between liberalism and pluralism.