VL to SL: Pynchon's Self-Characterization

[jbor]

>> 2) The sentence about values is an endorsement of what the Beats stood for;
>> it's *not* an endorsement of "conservatism", however that might be defined.
>> (I.e., he is saying that the Beat movement was "a sane and decent
>> affirmation of what *we all want to believe about* American values"; my
>> emph.)
> 
> The Beats stood for conservative American values or what we all want to
> believe about America.

Then what did the "modernist tradition" and the college academics stand for,
and why were Pynchon's loyalties, and those of the other "post-Beats" (who
dat? Fariña?), divided between the two?

I agree that in writing "what we all want to believe about American values"
he's preaching to the choir, though there does indeed to be some confusion
surrounding precisely which choir that is.

best