Master of Petersburg: Speculatively Misc.

[Mark Kohut]

Ever since I read Eliz Costello and the latest by Mr. Coetzee, I have believed BASED ON NOTHING that he and TRP may be 'friends'----one of TRPs
unknown (to us) writer-friends, as we--I--recently learned Ian McEwan is.


--- On Fri, 8/15/08, Richard Ryan <richardryannyc at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Richard Ryan <richardryannyc at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: Master of Petersburg
> To: "Lawrence Bryan" <lebryan at speakeasy.net>
> Cc: "P-list" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Friday, August 15, 2008, 5:21 PM
> It seems to me that one of Coetzee's persistent themes
> is just the interiority or subjectivity you describe
> Lawrence  - and the extent to which acknowledging that
> internal reality, especially in the face of oppression and
> social convention, - is the process that defines us. 
> It's also a theme of Dostoevsky's - hence the rather
> obvious affiliation.
> 
> Perhaps the most frequent criticism of TRP - it's
> certainly Wood's criticism - is that his characters lack
> that interior reality.
> 
> --- On Fri, 8/15/08, Lawrence Bryan
> <lebryan at speakeasy.net> wrote:
> From: Lawrence Bryan <lebryan at speakeasy.net>
> Subject: Re: Master of Petersburg
> To: "Richard Ryan"
> <richardryannyc at yahoo.com>
> Cc: "P-list" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Friday, August 15, 2008, 4:46 PM
> 
> 
> Sounds good to me, but I'm intimidated by the erudition
> shown by so many list members; a bit like an amateur
> violinist invited to play with the Julliard Quartet. So
> I'd prefer to listen/read.
> I'm not sure why I like Coetzee so much. On the other
> hand I'm not sure that it is important to me to answer
> that why. But if pressed, I suppose his approach to the
> human condition strikes an empathetic nerve within me on a
> very personal level. TRP is external, national, global,
> universal. Coetzee deeply inward. I like looking both ways,
> and the view is very satisfying either
> direction.  Lawrence
> On Aug 15, 2008, at 12:27 PM, Richard Ryan wrote:
> There were several list members who expressed enthusiasm
> for Coetzee's Master of Petersburg as a quick
> "NP" read before we start off with "V"
> or "Vineland."  I've begun reading it - and
> can report that it's beautifully written (as one would
> expect of JMC), and a vivid re-imagining of a great figure
> in the history of world literature.  Fun for the entire
> list, in other words....
> 
> If there is still sufficient interest - and no widespread
> objections - I can start off a MoP reading in a week or two
> - whenever the AtD readers feel that they've had ample
> time to wrap things up.  Conveniently, MoP is divided into
> twenty chapters - so if we had, say, four other hosts we
> could each take four chapters and get through the book in
> about four weeks (give or take a week or so depending on how
> interested and involved the audience was.)  
>  
> Thoughts?
> RR