An Early work by Thomas Pynchon

[Richard Ryan]

I actually agree that there's a pleasingly fussy
elegance   to the elder Pynchon's prose.  It's just
interesting that Tom the Younger's style is so readily
detectable in the baroque meanderings of a Victorian
science text.

 
--- David Payne <dpayne1912 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Ha! Certainly not the first time Pynchon was accused
> of writing text "with ornate language and no
> characterization"!
>  
> But you didn't hear those words from me--I think
> it's a a d*mn fine introduction to a chemistry text.
> Rare, I suspect, in its consideration of etymology &
> history. Though I probably won't cozy up in bed with
> it anytime soon, compare Pynchon's intro to:
>  
> "This manual is intended as a systematic exponent of
> the general truths of Chemistry. It is written
> solely for the pupils, assistants, and principals
> engaged in medicine and pharmacy. The volume will be
> found equally useful as a reading-book for gentlemen
> having no opportunities of attending lectures or
> performing experiments, and as a handbook for
> college pupils; while its comprehensive Index,
> containing five thousand references, will fit the
> work for consultation in the course of business or
> professional practice."
>  
> or 
>  
> "In publishing the Science Primers on Chemistry and
> Physics, the object of the Authors has been to state
> the fundamental principles of their sciences in a
> manner suited to pupils of an early age. They feel
> that the thing to be aimed at is, not so much to
> give information, as to endeavor to discipline the
> mind
"
>  
> or
>  
> "Analytical Chemistry covers all those operations
> which are performed in order to determine the
> constituents of a chemical compound (or a mixture of
> chemical compounds). Analytical Chemistry..." (These
> quotes are listed in order of the first few results
> on Google Books, searching for "Chemistry" limited
> to full text availability.)
> 
> 
> 
> > Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 20:25:20 -0800> From:
> richardryannyc at yahoo.com> Subject: RE: An Early work
> by Thomas Pynchon> To: pynchon-l at waste.org> > You
> mean with ornate language and no characterization?>
> Um....> > --- David Payne <dpayne1912 at hotmail.com>
> wrote:> > > Zowee! How many Chemistry textbooks
> start with> > something like this?!?:> > > > "The
> name Chemistry, is said to be derived from the> >
> Arabic word Kimia, something hidden or concealed,> >
> and from this, to have been converted into Xyueia*,>
> > a word first used by the Greeks about the
> eleventh> > century, and meaning the art of making
> gold and> > silver. Between the fifth century and
> the taking of> > Constantinople in the fifteenth
> century, says Dr.> > Thomson, in his History of
> Chemistry, the Greeks> > believed in the possibility
> of making god and silver> > artificially; and the
> art which professed to teach> > the processes was
> called by them, Chemistry. This> > idea, however,
> has long since been thoroughly> > discarded, and is
> now no longer heard of."*My note> > (er, "my" as in
> "me"--that is, Dave): This word was> > written in
> Greek, so I couldn't quite type it out> >
> correctly.> > > > > > > > > From:
> robinlandseadel at comcast.net> To:> >
> pynchon-l at waste.org> Subject: An Early work by> >
> Thomas Pynchon> Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2007 22:39:59> >
> +0000> > Introduction to Chemical Physics> Designed>
> > for the use of > Academies, High Schools and> >
> Colleges>> >
> ------------------------------------------------->>
> > By Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, M. A.,> >> >
> http://tinyurl.com/28l62z> > The link goes to the> >
> whole book, I haven'y even looked inside yet.. But>
> > I've got > plenty of reason to believe I'm gonna>
> > find something in here. . . .> >>
>
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