ATD: ad: Pynchon excerpt from new novel

[Tim Strzechowski]

The out-of-context passage in question may not be the most beautiful thing 
he's written, nor may it necessarily be his best humor, satire, social 
commentary, etc.  But to the everyday reader (as opposed to the die-hards 
like us) it offers a representative "taste" of the Pynchon style, which is 
merely part of the marketing strategy.

That "taste" comes out in the wackiness of the ta-dum "osteopath/evangelist" 
gag, the historicism of the backdrop, even the names and slapstick nature of 
the "back" action.  For a reader who has heard of this Thomas Pynchon but 
never read his books, this passage functions as a sample from the deli while 
you're waiting in line for pastrami.

I don't believe there are malicious motives to choosing this particular 
passage.  Someone earlier referred to it as appealing to a "least common 
denominator" of reader.  The passage is a snippet of what we all know 
Pynchon can sustain for much longer and do way better, but it's a quick 
glimpse at his style for perhaps enticing those who are newbies to P.
.


> So the question remains:  Why would this one be the representative nibble 
> to hit the streets?  It's almost as if someone is trying to make AD bomb.
>