ATD: NO SPOILERS NO PAGE # Re: Rocketmen and Wastelands

[David Morris]

MalignD is undeniably correct in pointing out that the
Pynchon-idolatry some (or at least one) on this list espouses
effectively kills analysis and allows only re-researching of
historical details, assuming that the writing is always a masterpiece
of whatever form is being portrayed.

The weaknesses are interesting, as Proust's was as pointed out by
Nabakov.  I think one of Pynchon's weaknesses is his reliance on
cartoon characters as opposed to fleshed-out beings.  He can do
fleshed-out, but so much of his writing is a form of coded message
that he uses characters as symbols and shortchanges their humanity.
And that's OK to a degree, but sometimes (as in Vineland) it goes too
far, and the result is inner emptiness.

Another weakness that is the flip side of his "encyclopedic" quality
is the chaos that results from throwing in everything, including the
kitchen sink.  That is what I fear AtD will do, both from Pychon's own
blurb and from the PW review.

David Morris

On 10/31/06, MalignD at aol.com <MalignD at aol.com> wrote:
>
> I think Pynchon has his name on some very weak writing, despite his having written GR which is, in my opinion, as good a book as I have read.  That, I think, should be part of the interest in him.  I think, thusfar, one can observe real and recurrent weaknesses in his writing, but in GR, even the weaknesses served.  In the following novels they have not.  That is, itself, interesting, but I can't discuss that with people who deny there is any weakness whatsoever, let alone with people who think even the idea of Pynchon having weaknesses is a dump taken on the altar.