photography

[mikebailey at speakeasy.net]

 Mark Kohut wrote
>Pynchon, in ATD and elsewhere believes in natural light...and natural evening >nightfall. Phototograhy and Merle in ATD are part of what has gone wrong in >History, part of what is against the day...IMHO.

>Robert Stroud <hydrocephalic at gmail.com> wrote:
>>    With the plethora of photographs you wouldn't think Pychon has "Light
>>    Issues" but it is fun to think about. Do you really think he is
>>    against photography or is it something about him retaining his
>>    anonymity?

Dimly I recall from Victorian lit, Matthew Arnold on "Hebraic vs Hellenic" wherein he mentioned the Jewish ban on graven images, and made a connection that seemed rather unique to me: the Hellenic culture was transmitted by and fraught with statuary and pictures, whereas the Hebraic culture was much more Word-oriented.  Until reading that, I had always figured that the ban on "graven images" was intended to stave off competition from other gods, mainly; but adding a dash of McLuhan to the mix (medium is the message) it became interesting to me to think about how eschewing depiction affects the way someone would think.

Today's culture seems more Hellenic than Hebraic.  The iconoclastic Puritans' moved against statues and paintings; and the printing press of course.  But the rise of photography, movies, and tv.  Of course there's an interplay as both sectors regard and comment upon each other... 

As an author, Mr Pynchon would seem to be a natural candidate to prefer the "Hebraic" mindset.