ATDTDA (5.1) - The Etienne-Louis Malus

[rich]

>
> [
> I rather tend to think that Pynchon's treatment of 'the inevitability of
> historical events' aims to dispute that very 'inevitability'. All the
> characters in AtD act as if WW1 truly is inevitable, and in that way they
> help bring about its very inevitability. By having no doubts whatsoever
> about the coming disaster, they submit themselves to the abstract force of
> History and by doing so they deprive themselves of the opportunity to
> change
> the course of events. Of course, the actions of a single individual will
> hardly be enough to change the course of history, but if we all think that
> way (and most of the characters in AtD do so); if we all try to evade
> responsibility by pointing to the inevitability of coming disasters, then
> these disasters will surely come about.

_______________
most americans if you asked them today will probably agree that another
terrorist attack on american soil is inevitable. I don't think we can
divorce the mood of the current events from Pynchon's fictional creations
and psyche. Before WW1, I think the mood was guarded as to a upcoming war
but in reality the general sense was of at least a short one (many were
happy to see it come). there were others, of course, who thought an
impending disaster, and a long bloody slog, curiously like in Iraq today.

rich
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