The Invisible Man

[jbor]

Dugdale, John. 'The Invisible Man'. _New Statesman_ 5 May 2003: pp. 47-8.

A little out of date now since Pynchon's appearance on 'The Simpsons',
highly-respected Pynchon critic Dugdale nevertheless makes some interesting
observations about the implicit contradiction between Pynchon's notorious
"reclusiveness" and the ubiquity of references to him in contemporary pop
culture. Comparing Pynchon to DeLillo Dugdale writes:

    His friend Thomas Pynchon, by contrast, has remained aloof: no
    interviews, no bookshop signings or festival readings, no
    publicity photos. As the Pynchon-influenced cyberpunk-writer
    William Gibson put it, he makes "JD Salinger look like Boy
    George."

Primarily, however, the article is a scathing review of the Dubini
documentary. Dugdale mentions the "online curators of Pynchoniana tending
their websites in darkened rooms" featured in the doco, describing them as
"predominantly middle aged and elderly" (pace Quail), and says the whole
thing serves to "convey a sense that Pynchon is the preserve of a
backward-looking geeky cult, wholly absent from the cultural present."

I can forward a pdf to anyone who's interested.

best