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[Bekah]

Fwiw, there is a world of difference between thinking that GR is "yukky" and not appreciating TRP. It's not that I don't like Pynchon. I don't like exactly one book out of 6, GR. Except for that one 800-page boo-boo, Pynchon is a genius.

I got totally involved, lived, loved and laughed, with Mason & Dixon. I'll read that one again any time; it's pure genius, imo.  And I loved Vineland with all it's para-noid, Prairie-Zoyd, mentality. I suspect that I would love anything by Pynchon ... except GR.

Not only that, but I read Pynchon without benefit of any male or literature class influence. I found Vineland on my own browsing a bookstore in about '96. I liked the cover and description, liked the first few pages so I bought it. And then I went on to read Mason & Dixon when it came out in paperback. I then bought several of TRP's other novels. GR was on my shelf for a long time before it got read.

GR might be better the second time around; it's hard to imagine. At this point I'd be curious to know, but if it wasn't significantly better by page 100 I'd skip it and get on with a second read of M&D or a third of Vineland.

Bekah



At 6:16 AM -0400 9/23/04, Will Layman wrote:
>When Bekah -- a member of list even -- said that she found GR "yucky," she
>made my point quite succinctly.
>
>The critical bib don't convince me.
>
>w
>
>On 9/23/04 6:05 AM, "Otto" <ottosell at yahoo.de> wrote:
>
>>>
>>> I think any critical bibiliography will quickly serve to debunk the myth
>>> that women don't/can't read Pynchon. Even early on there was a lot of
>>> interest in Oedipa from female feminist readers.
>>>
>>
>> CHAMBERS, JUDITH
>> FEDIRKA, SARAH
>> HAYLES, N. KATHERINE
>> HITE, MOLLY
>> HUME, KATHRYN
>> IUDICELLO, KATHLEEN
>> MADSEN, DEBORAH L.
>> PEREZ-LLANTADA AURIA, CARMEN
>> PRICE, VICTORIA H.
>> SCHWAB, GABRIELE
>> SMETAK, JACQUELINE
>> STEINER, WENDY
>> TYLEE, CLAIRE
>> ZADWORNA-FJELLESTAD, DANUTA
>> http://www.ottosell.de/pynchon/lit2.htm
>>
>> And a lot more here:
>> http://www2.ham.muohio.edu/~krafftjm/pncumbib.html