IJ

[Kyle]

Yeah, I didn't get the impression that he was exactly pro-AA, but more into
exploring the feeling of "lost will" (within a culture of easy and discreet
access to entertainment).  Also, for DFW, I can imagine the kind of genuine
sorrow and submissiveness people express in AA meetings would certainly seem
interesting, as one of the big points in IJ is about the other half of the
novel's characters' (especially the ETA kids') inability to be genuine.
Which, in my opinion, the whole question of genuineness that he directs
toward pop culture and the way he twists through the novel, balancing
between the ironic and genuine, was probably the most enjoyable thing for me
(besides pondering on what went on with Hal and the samizdat).

On 3/18/06, MalignD at aol.com <MalignD at aol.com> wrote:
>
> <<I think it was the AA stuff -- which seemed to me to be practically the
> whole book -- that put me in such a bad mood. Twelve-step programs are right
> up there with Scientology on  my list of boring experiences to read about.
> Maybe it's just me.>>
>
>
> What's interesting in this for me is that I find AA programs a  total
> crock of shit -- well, not total; they work for who they work for -- but not
> a cure to what is not a disease.
>
> In any case, I liked he writing about it  in IJ.
>
>
>


--
-kyle b
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://waste.org/pipermail/pynchon-l/attachments/20060318/9fa9ae99/attachment.html>