ATD SPOILER p. 95

[Laura Joldersma]

I think we can be certain that Pynchon started writing AtD before 9/11,
and the themes of anarchy and terrorism were already in his plans, but they
became more directly relevant to Americans as he was writing it. I wonder if
or how much the novel changed as a result.

--Ljo


>> In context, this passage seemed much less (if at all) about suicide
>> bombers and much more about adolescent daredevils/malcontents.  I
>> agree that 9/11 and the murkiness of political terrorism seems very
>> prevalent in this first section (which is all I've read), but if it's
>> present in this scene it seems more present as the ghost not of
>> politics, but of attraction to violence period.  In other words, young
>> Traverse is only in danger of being a suicide bomber because he's
>> young, dumb and full of cum...which implies a question about the
>> purity of motive for self-identified ideologues, a notion borne out in
>> the other major bombing set-piece in this section.
>>
>> Andrew
>>
>>
>> "Subject: ATD SPOILER p. 95
>>
>> "a radius of annhilation that, if it could not include
>> the ones who deserved it, might as well include
>> himself" [95]
>>
>> ...hair-raising to see Pynchon put the suicide
>> bomber/terrorists back in the US where they also have
>> a home; the effect also to make them (the suicide
>> bombers over there somewhere - Afghanistan, Iraq,
>> etc.) a bit less foreign, an to make ourselves, good
>> US citizens, appear foreign to ourselves.
>>
>> September 11, 2001 and its consequences seem obvious
>> on this novel, at least in these first 95 pages."
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