Chix dig Infinite Jest more than Pynchon/Vollmann

[Paul Mackin]

On Sat, 2004-09-25 at 10:11, Mark A. Douglas wrote:
> It seems, to me mind you, that the major female characters in IJ are as much
> objects as characters:
> 	Avril = the strong/weak mother Mary
> 	PGOAT = just that: the haunted permanent engenue, scarred (whether
> physically or mentally hardly matters)
> 	Helen = man in drag
> 	Denizens of the house = to various degrees, wounded beyond repair
> 	The female tennis players = unapproachable jock types (and let's not
> forget that Wallace settled out of court over the personification of Kate
> Gompert)
> 
> I don't think it's the treatment of women that gathers the mote here.  But
> Wallace is approachable himself, and speaks to an age, apparently, and the
> femme lit types do seem to go for that.  Not that I would really have a
> solid notion of a) what constitutes a femme lit type, or b) what said type
> would go for.
> 
> Peace
> 
> Mark
> 
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf
> Of Paul Mackin
> Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2004 9:02 AM
> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> Subject: RE: Chix dig Infinite Jest more than Pynchon/Vollmann
> 
> Infinite Jest was heavily involved with drug- and sports-addition.
> Abstence including sexual abstenence was kind of a holy grail in the
> book. Don Gately (the Slothrop of IJ) only X-ed women when he was drunk
> or trying to score drugs in their possession. The treatment of women in
> the book was exceedingly respectful. Much less objectification of them
> than in GR. Nothing wrong with objectification but it might not appeal
> as much to women readers as men.
> 
> X-ing was a Wallace term.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Sat, 2004-09-25 at 09:01, Mark A. Douglas wrote:
> > You should take that theory to the Wallace List, which is populated by a
> > seemingly equal number of 'chix' as 'trix'.
> > And normally, in debate with the guys, the girls win.  Hands down.
> > 
> > Peace
> > 
> > Mark 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On
> Behalf
> > Of Jazzy B
> > Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2004 3:19 AM
> > To: pynchon-l at waste.org
> > Subject: Chix dig Infinite Jest more than Pynchon/Vollmann
> > 
> > Maybe it's something to do with the language. Infinite Jest worlks
> > well for babes who swear by Prozac Diary!

The theme of abstinence doesn't mean there wasn't any sex in IJ. The
older brother being the main example. Avril's affair with John Wayne
wasn't a very big deal. On the whole "the moms" was more or less of a
goddess.

An important factor was the difference in sexual climate at the times of
publication.  GR came out at the height (or perhaps only the dawn) of
the sexual revolution in America. It was before the herpes scare and the
catastrophic event of AIDS. IJ on the other hand came out in the safe
nineties. Sex was no longer quite the carefree topic it once had been.