Pynchon and fascism

[Terrance]

> 
> One has the text. To some degree the text must stand in for, or
> represent, that which is absent, ie the real world. Hence (a) my point
> that I wasn't denying the existence of the real world out there
> somewhere; and (b) the issue of what kind of representation the text
> offers. The realist novel promises an accurate/faithful/trustworthy
> replication: characters/plot/narrative/dialogue etc are slice-of-life
> credible. With regard to the Foreword (which I've never claimed was the
> same kind of fiction as M&D) one might view the summary of 1984,
> fascism, O's life etc as factual in a straightforward way. One trusts
> the author not to lie, ie make up quotes attributed to O; just as one
> judges the novelist on how well he allows us to forget (suspension of
> disbelief) the fact that none of it's true. 


What kind of fiction is the Foreword?