Yes! More on the Simpsons!

[jbor]

on 30/1/04 6:11 PM, jbor wrote:

> Sure it's ironic in itself, but the larger irony -- the self-conscious,
> postmodern irony -- is that doing a guest spot on the Simpsons is *exactly*
> the type of resort to crass commercialism which he's ostensibly parodying in
> the scene.

And in doing the guest spot there's also a nice reversal, or even a logical
extension, of that mingling of high and low cultural references which is yet
another characteristic element of postmodern texts. Throughout his novels
Pynchon refers to cartoons and cartoon characters (eg. Popeye in _M&D_,
Sylvester and Tweety_ in _Vineland_, "Road Runner cartoons" in the _SL_
'Intro', Plasticman in _GR_ etc -- Sundial in _GR_ is my favourite, and a
metaphor for Pynchon's own narrative mode). Now he's immortalised himself
*as* a cartoon character. Nice twist.

best