AtD and 9/11

[Keith McMullen]

I'm not saying he is apolitical. I'm saying reading his remark as  
ironic is not the best reading. He may be saying that reading his  
fiction as relevant to the current day leads to a simplification of  
what he is creating. And, I am saying that the evidence of such  
readings on this list supports that. You ignored the bulk of my point  
and caricatured it. This list is dominated by the "apply his work to  
the current day" mentality. A review of what is going on outside this  
list in reading Pynchon, (e.g., the Pynchon Notes), is a hell of a  
lot more entertaining. Viewing his work as a commentary on current  
events limits the readings considerably. Of course it's not that they  
have no relevance, it's that focusing on that aspect makes the  
readings trivial. I'm suggesting he's exaggerating a point to open up  
the readership to a broader understanding. I don't worship the guy,  
but I do think he's a fucking genius. Getting into the inner workings  
of M&D blew my mind, and I'm not that crazy about the novel. If I had  
done so with the "current vents" view, I'd have missed some amazing  
stuff. And I do believe he's left wing. It seems obvious. But his  
fiction is so full of stuff beyond the political and the current  
events it's mind-boggling. Again. Show me one post to this list from  
the "current events" perspective that offers anything anyone with  
half a brain doesn't think already. If that's all Pynchon has to  
offer, who gives a shit. Most of us here already think those things  
without reading a goddamned novel to feel all validated.

On Aug 16, 2006, at 9:56 PM, jd wrote:

So, the whole blurb is pretty humorous / tongue in cheek and this one
example isn't?