Berube, Tolson, Pynchon, reading in bed (was re: Photography)

[mikebailey at speakeasy.net]

Robert Mahnke wrote
> Michael Berube's humble blog (http://www.michaelberube.com) was a holy site
> in left blogosphere until he recently decided to hang up his blogging spurs
> and ride some other horse, but I certainly would appreciate his ideas more
> if they were translated into English.
>

I'm glad to know somebody else finds Berube's shop-talk tough going.  I got hooked on his blog a couple months before he closed it, and decided to buy a copy of the said tome on Pynchon and Tolson.  I've been able to wade through most of the Tolson part, which is at the front (of the attractively bound, blue-covered book) and enjoyed it.  His emphasis is on reception theory, something _I'd_ certainly never heard of before, but he covers the contents of the text with enough thoroughness and insight to be worth reading even if one doesn't care much about reception theory (though maybe one should?)

Tolson emerges as an admirable person with an interesting life and a unique poetic take (btw, Denzel Washington is appearing in an upcoming film about Tolson, who in addition to organizing sharecroppers (brave soul) also coached a high school debate team http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427309/ notably)

Berube explores something that my friend Tony would capsulize by saying "ain't it ironic?  Tolson yearned to be in the canon, and isn't; Pynchon seemingly could care less about being in the canon, and is!"  This dichotomy, in all its truth and falsitude, is explored with delicacy and finesse.  Really admirable scholar, that Berube.

Because I read oftentimes in bed, the attractive blue volume slipped out of my hands as I fell asleep a couple months ago.  I recently found it in the little niche betwixt bed and wall.  I really am enjoying it, and now that I've found it, I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion of the Tolson part, and starting the Pynchon section.

> Oddly, he doesn't include his Pynchon book (which was, I believe, his
> dissertation) in the covers of his books pictured on his site. Apropos of
> not much, Chris Clarke translated Berube's most recent book into a graphic
> novel. 
(http://homepage.mac.com/cclarke3/FileSharing6.html)

Oh my gosh that is funny!  One of the polymaths here - Dave Monroe? - caught this and posted it a few months ago, and in fact that is when I got hooked on Berube's blog.  For those who joined since then or missed it at the time (what, you mean you don't follow every single link on the p-list?), it is really good (imho)