Against the Day, re-examined

[Paul Mackin]

On May 5, 2007, at 5:13 PM, mikebailey wrote:

>
>
> On Sat, 5 May 2007, Paul Mackin wrote:
>
>>
>> On May 5, 2007, at 2:15 AM, mikebailey wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> heh, "in reality" indeed - funny criterion to evaluate a novel...
>>
>>
>> yes, it is.
>>
>> this is a perfect example of a major problem with blogging
>>
>> no editor to tell you when you say something dumb
>>
>> I do agree with him on the Dally character however.
>>
>>
>
> I suppose he thinks Pynchon should have concentrated on the ideas
> of Freud and Roosevelt at work in that era.  Although AtD's world
> is animated by different concepts, psychiatry isn't absent (ie
> Kit's sojourn in the loony bin) nor is Roosevelt - Pynchon's
> placement of them may indicate the regard he holds them in...
>
> I dunno, I liked Dally.  Merle is able to connect with her in
> a surreal-techie way at the end; she gives poignancy to Merle's
> character, and her interactions with Kit and with Cyprian may
> prove important after we've had time to think about them...



seems to me what we have here is Pynchon's attraction for the  
subjunctive--the counterfactual

giving the lesser history more importance that it  deserves--e.g.,  
tesla over edison

creating  the principal women bigger than life--all three incredibly  
beautiful, smart, and blissfully bisexual

which is fine I guess

but thank heaven for Lake, at least she's not too smart

P.