IV "autobiographical"?

[Rob Jackson]

I agree. "Doc" is yet another variation of the typical Pynchon  
protagonist: "American males ... [who] are in fact, incredible as it  
sounds, still small boys inside." (SL Intro 10) Despite the "effaced  
or third person limited" narration that alice has picked up on which  
has "Doc" as the novel's "central consciousness", and despite the fact  
that Pynchon actually voices the character of "Doc" in the Penguin  
video promo for the novel, there seems to be a fairly clear sense of  
detachment between author and protagonist. Though this might just be a  
case of "if I knew then what I know now ... " in the characterisation.

Pynchon does seem to identify closely with characters like "Lardass"  
Levine, Cleanth Siegel, Dennis Flange, Benny (and Stencil), Slothrop,  
Zoyd, Doc, et al., though, and the details of time and place in IV are  
obviously drawn from direct personal experience. I guess one of the  
things to debate is whether Doc's attitudes and behaviours are in fact  
Pynchon's after all, or whether there is a satirical distance between  
the author and his protagonist as John Bailey suggested. Depending on  
which way you jump on that question might change things up quite a bit.

all best

> There've been a number of posters who seem to agree with Tore that  
> IV is, in a small sense at least, an autobiographical novel.  After  
> all TRP lived in roughly this place at roughly this time and (for  
> those who know the time/place) gets the details exactly right.   
> While Pynchon, like Doc, may have been stoned/tripping sometimes/ 
> often/always, and partaking of all the hedonistic opportunities  
> available, it's impossible for me to read Doc as a Pynchon analog.   
> The important thing about Pynchon during this time in this place  
> wasn't that he was as hedonistic as the next guy, but that he was  
> writing the greatest novel of the 20th century [or fill in your own  
> superlative].  Doc may share behaviors or attitudes with Pynchon,  
> but I'd say he's merely a window into the conventional aspects of an  
> otherwise genius.
>
> Laura
>
> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: Tore Rye Andersen <torerye@[omitted]>
>>
>>
>> >As has been pointed out a number of times already, IV feels like  
>> it draws
>> >heavily upon Pynchon's own experiences, and that makes it a very  
>> different
>> >text than his big historical novels (even though many of the  
>> characters
>> >and scenes in those books undoubtedly also draw upon his  
>> experiences, e.g.
>> >the scene in GR with Jessica pulling off her blouse in the car, if  
>> we are to
>> >believe Jules Siegel).
>> >
>> >It's interesting to consider that GR was published roughly 28  
>> years after the
>> >action of the novel takes place, and it reads like a historical  
>> novel. IV was
>> >published 39 years after the plot is set, and it doesn't read like  
>> a historical
>> >novel at all. It reads more like a semi-autobiographical yarn of  
>> the kind
>> >old geezers are wont to tell. This particular old geezer tells it  
>> better
>> >than most, IMHO.
>