NP Vollmann's / external referents (hyperlinks)

[jd]

I think my final call on Vollmann, judging from four volumes of RURD
and The Royal Family, is that he has that horrible problem with
writing himself into his own work far too much.  Regardless of
ignoring editors.  His ego, from what I've read, is just too epic to
make for really good writing.  It can still be amusing. but...
lacking.  And his take on prostitution, as shown by The Royal Family,
does, in a way, make me cast judgement on what he says is RURD.  Sure,
he mentions the $100 BJ girls from LA, vaugely, but he's obviously far
too married to the "pure whore" stereotype.  And that alone makes me
wonder about his comments RE: RURD.  I believe it's in volume two
where he delves into Lincoln.  I could be mistaken but... well... it
seems to be a rather divergent view.  Which casts into doubt any
judgement call he ends up making later on.  His books seem far too
ego-centric for me to take his "non-fiction" on face value at this
point.

It feels sort of like how I've been reading Nine Chains to the Moon,
just to find out that in Critical Path Fulller lays out his "own"
version of history, which makes me doubt pretty much everything in his
previous books that don't deal explicitly with science or
architecture.  I think Fuller is great... but his politics...  holy
damn...  definitely gives a little credence to his detractors.  On
that train of thought, does anyone here think the Greeks really
circumnavigated the globe?  Is Fuller full of shit?  definitely a
tangent.  Seems to be, every once in awhile those people who don't
believe in "history" as it's taught in textbooks are right, but more
often than not they're batshit crazy...  so forgive me for my
skepticism.

On 7/6/06, mikebailey at speakeasy.net <mikebailey at speakeasy.net> wrote:
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Paul Mackin [mailto:paul.mackin at verizon.net]
> > Subject: Re: NP Vollmann's  / Heinrich Boell / OBAFGKMRNS
> >
> > >>
> > >
> > > Yes, the Kathe Kollwitz chapter was great!  I felt inferior reading
> > > the Shostakovich bits because I didn't know the pieces he was
> > > talking about.  Perhaps if I listen to them I can finish the novel...
> >
> > Does one have to have seen a V2 launch to  "get" Gravity's Rainbow?
> > No, the authors words describe the event sufficiently.
> >
> > Europe Central is fiction. At least  that's what it won the National
> > Book Award for.  In any event,  it's not something one should read
> > for reliable information.
> >
>
> yes, but it would be fun to see if I agree with his descriptions (the movements reflecting various sexual encounters in particular) and the research for the other side of the metaphors might be fun too...
>
> National Book Award?  didn't know...
>
> I just read that article in Pynchon Notes, "Harmless Yank Hobby", that everybody was discussing a short while ago. After making that strange point about a hyperlink betw the Kenosha Kid and Major Major - something that certainly never crossed my mind when reading either book - it really delves into Phillip Dick as a spreader of interesting ideas, so I'm left with a bifurcated impression: a) I don't know Dick (Horselover Fat!)that well
>  and b) Besides "hyperlinks" to great classics like Eliot, it's fruitful to look for responses in Pynchon to writers currently writing.
>
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