Editing Pynchon?

[David Morris]

Obviously those who suggest AGTD needs editing (in the sense of
advisor, of course) don't think "it's fine as it is."  To me it
represent sloppiness and a decline of skill.  Opinions differ.  So be
it.

David Morris

On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 3:50 AM, Carvill John<johncarvill at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> The next stage is to say, ok, we don't mean that sort of editing, we're not suggesting that, what we mean is that Pynchon needs an editor who can *advise* him on what sections (or narrative threads) he might cut, those which seem most obviously superfluous, or which most noticeably bog the narrative down. BUt even then, how many times could an editor make such a suggestion, and be met with 'but I have structural or thematic - or even aesthetic - reasons not to cut that bit...', before they gave up making such suggestions?
>
> We risk accusations of straying into 'fanboy' territory if we regard Pynchon as so infallible as to be above editorial advice, but I'd very much prefer to err, heavily, on that side, than to suggest that a book like ATD 'needed editing'. It's fine as it is. It has it's baggiest of baggy parts, it's tight, crystalline perfection parts, it's a vast intellectual and artistic banquet from which we are invited to select our most enjoyable flavours.