Pynchon Scholarship Hoax Plus Roth

[davemarc]

Ron Rosenbaum's column in this week's New York Observer is mainly about
Philip Roth's upcoming book The Plot Against America, but there are a few
Pynchon-related asides.

Here's one: "Some Pynchon scholars have told me they still recall the essay
I wrote in these pages on the title of Pynchon's closely held new novel
(Mason & Dixon) before I-or anyone-had read the book. An essay in which I
predicted that, knowing Pynchon's thematic concerns, one focus of Mason &
Dixon would surely be the "Transit of Venus" and its metaphorical
resonances-as indeed was the case. (But not enough Pynchon scholars have
taken notice of the delicious hoax on postmodern Pynchon scholarship I
uncovered, the one David Bromwich and Edward Mendelson authored under a
pseudonym in Raritan.)"

Anyone know about this Raritan article? Rosenbaum's article can be found at
http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/story.asp?ID=9212

Best,

d.