Bloom on Pynchon

[Mark Brawner]

On 8/23/06, MalignD at aol.com <MalignD at aol.com> wrote:
> << In other words Pynchon's claim for  canonization is that he produced a
> work good enough for West to build upon and bring to fruition--forget the fact
> that Lot 49 came 30 years later. >>
>
> You may be right, but I didn't take that as his meaning.  Rather, that COL 49
> was ahead of its time -- reminiscent of Lonleyhearts but too original to be
> seen as influenced by it; so good, in fact, that influence would seem to flow
> the other way, were that possible.

Yes, well.  As Borges said, great writers create their own precursors.