VLVL Prairie

[Ghetta Life]

>From: "Paul Nightingale" <isread at btopenworld.com>
>
>I've always felt that Pynchon's writing was an ongoing dialogue with 
>traditional realism. I'm inclined to add that the continuing critical 
>hegemony of such realism is unfortunate, given the refusal of readers, 
>whatever guise they adopt, to take on board the post-realist lessons of 
>Pynchon's work (and that of others, of course).
>
>The reference to cartoonish characters is interesting, though. I would 
>agree that Pynchon's characters are indeed cartoonish, if that means 
>they're allowed a flexibility, a release from the realist strait-jacket 
>(which is my reading of Michael's "plasticity").

I think your argument with some reader's desire for realism is a straw man.  
The "cartoonish" complaint has less to do with realism and more to do with 
depth, which is not the same thing.  VL's characters aren't compelling or 
even very interesting.  They are more symbols than characters, thus their 
"cartoonishness.  Gravity's Rainbow is by no means realistic, but it is very 
compelling with characters that have complexity and depth.  VL just aint no 
GR.

BTW, I think jbor's observation of the "flippant" tone of the book 
throughout is apt, and probably its real problem.

Ghetta

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