Your Arm's Too Short to Fight with Thomas Pynchon

[Michael Bailey]

 David Morris wrote, weeks and weeks ago, in re CoL49:

> It's really more a mystery than a detective story, but the two are
>  closely related.  After all, GR is prety much the same thing, just
>  much more elaborate.

but as a detective story, it is unsatisfying.
Isn't it?  It has some of the hallmarks but never resolves,
That - I suggest - is because those elements were
put in to enhance the fun, not chosen as framework and basis.

the fine writing, the transcendent moments, come not
so much from "making a case" as a detective would do,
but in describing the way Oedipa perceives reality

the quest always turns toward collecting
more data, thinking more refined thoughts, listening
to people to whom one has never listened before -
not to confronting people or turning guilty parties over to
authorities...in fact, turns towards thought more than action

The Crying of Lot 49_, is the name of the story.
Therefore, why not parse its meaning as that the relating
of those events (ie the actual story) _is_
 the offering to the reader of the Lot of
information that will reveal further clues?
...the price being attention, outside research, and so forth...