Current Reading

[Ghetta Life]

Speaking of novel those on this list are currently reading, right now I'm 
nearing the end of Thomas Mann's +Faustus*.  I'd say it's not great 
literature (maybe the translation's partly at fault).  It drags a bit, with 
the best (but relatively short) part being where the subject of the book has 
an encounter with the Devil.  Most of the rest is pedestrian accounts of the 
circumstances surrounding the lives of the various characters who revolve 
around the book's subject.  I expect I'll read *Magic Mountain*, which I 
hear is a superior work to *Faustus*

BTW, I gave up on Gaddis’s *The Recognitions* about two-thirds of the way 
through.  I found the "Whole Sick Crew" of New Yorkers (which I'm sure 
Pynchon was aware of) annoying in the extreme.  And the dialogue is just 
full of fits and stops (I'm sure supposed to resemble "real" dialogue) that 
always stopped short of SAYING what was the message being conveyed.  I'm 
sure the author was intending this book to be re-read numerous times to 
uncover all the cultural references and internal clues to the underlying 
ironies, etc.  But the writing just wasn't that consistently rich to keep me 
going, let alone consider reading again.  This time I'd say I agree with the 
original critics of the book.  I know there is a substantial following of 
Gaddis who will greatly disagree with me here...

Ghetta

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