The Poetics of Transgression: Schizophrenia, Paranoia, Narcissism, and Hyperreality in Thomas Pynchons The Crying of Lot 49

[Daniel Julius]

Cuz your own personal reading of a novel, as a serious student, doesn't
matter.  If you think Moby Dick represents an american promise of happiness,
and I think it represents a goddamn pepperoni pizza, who is to say who is
"right" in naming the "truth" of the whale-figure?  Neither of us, and not
even the author really.  We can point to evidence within the text, but if
the difference between two readings is more subtle than my
americandream-vs.-pepperonipizza example above (which it always is), then
the level of veracity we ascribe to any reading becomes harder and harder to
pin down, so we just say "fuck it" to the whole attempt.

And so but to get around this unfortunate lack of objectivity, you read
theory to describe how the novel works not just in its own fictional world,
but in the greater philosophical/social/political/psychological/sexual/etc.
world.  Cuz critically, books dont matter alone, but only as parts of
greater systems.  Surely us Pynch fans can appreciate that, yeah?

--
Dan


On 5/17/07, James Kyllo <jkyllo at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This was something I found very odd at the time of the London Pynchon
> week (some years ago now).  My first interface with serious literature
> students, and I was left with the impression that most read more
> criticism than literature.
>
> Still don't really understand why..
>
> J
>
>
> On 5/17/07, Bryan Snyder <wilsonistrey at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Funny... I'd rather read about TRP's work than read most other novelists
> out
> > there... lol..
> >
> --
> http://www.last.fm/user/Auto_Da_Fe
> http://www.pop.nu/show_collection.asp?user=2412
> http://www.librarything.com/profile/Auto_Da_Fe
> http://www.thedetails.co.uk/
>
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