pynchon-l-digest V2 #4786

[Paul Mackin]

On May 24, 2006, at 2:46 AM, dchristensen wrote:

> On the great novel: Infinite Jest.
>
> Well, a novel fundamentally about instituted slavery (amongst other  
> things)
> of young sporting prodigies does not get a vote. Even if this is  
> the only
> thing you get from Infinite Jest it is something worthwhile. But  
> this big
> book does not register.
> Too clever of course is Wallace. The footnoting, the extensive film  
> lists
> etc, etc, brushing up on the effects of opiates and alcohol  
> withdrawal.
>  Of course at times it gets out of control and ends rather limply.  
> But it is
> the best book I have read to just get my late 20th century/early 21st
> condition. Its also incredibly funny. Not many laughs coming out of  
> the
> others on the list. Of course we have not seen the follow up to  
> this large
> novel. We have other brilliant essays from Wallace of course.  
> Perhaps the
> exhaustion factor of creating such a book takes time to recover.  
> For me its
> briiliant sections outweigh its ridiculous length and pretensions.  
> Its never
> going to be in a college course. But it is the most dazzling use of  
> the
> english language I have encountered. Always remarkable.
>

I really liked Infinite Jest.

The lack of humor in the "best novels" may particularly apply to  
Morrison.

Atwood's review of Beloved listed the attributes of her prose as  
follows:

  " . . . rich, graceful, eccentric, rough, lyrical, sinuous,  
colloquial and very much to the point."

Pynchon and Wallce have all of the above PLUS  humor.

Try to imagine,  if you will,  slogging through Gravity's Rainbow  
without the  humor.

Pudding
Weissman
Gottfried
Pointsman
Roger



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