VLVL (6) Brock

[Mike Weaver]

Don wrote
  "that each reader finds in Vineland a political meaning cast in his or 
her own image...
I'm wondering if... we can find anything that most of us can agree on about
the book's political coordinates.
For example, and to cast the net as wide as I can throw it, can we agree
that the author disapproves of Brock Vond's conduct? "

Personally I think it is an interesting challenge, trying to justify our 
view of P as a leftist in his sympathies against the opposing view. As long 
as we all try to remain reasonably civil I say let the arguments continue. 
A crucial question is how we judge the actions and decisions of each of the 
characters.
I think one of the ways P writes which allows these arguments to 
proliferate is that he rarely passes judgement of characters in the 
passages which can be taken as authorial comment. Are there any in VL where 
Brocks actions are judged or aree we always relying on the perspectives he 
channels through his characters?
------------------------------
Last night, before tiredness and the Tube claimed me, I was writing

Ghettanotherpseudonym wrote:

>There was a long and specific discussion on this list about
>what many found to be slippery linkages of language and logic which might be
>described as "fuzzy-logic" in the 1984 intro.

That discussion was as politically polarised as any on this list. Our 
positions are pretty predictable. Left, liberal, anti-left, right.
(I've been waiting for James K to say 'left and right are as bad as each 
other'. There he was earlier, fulfilling his destiny. No offense intended 
James).

What I'm wondering is if there is any way to creatively answer Jasper's 
question using the subject matter of Vineland as the core material.

Jasper:
 >Here it is again! Why do people keep using these terms "left-wing" and
 > "right-wing"? What do these terms mean? Are these terms, these
 > categories, these shortcuts important to Pynchon? Are they actually 
useful in coming
 > to understand his work? Somebody explain it to me.

Perhaps in looking at Don's question we can help Jasper too. I'd suggest 
that the words 'fascist', 'fascistic' etc are banned from this discussion 
and we find more accurate ways of saying what we mean when the urge comes 
to use them.
.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20030927/a5a6a559/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.515 / Virus Database: 313 - Release Date: 01/09/03