Does Pynchon Produce Only 'Masterworks'?

[Paul Mackin]

> On Tue, 7 Jul 2009, David Morris wrote:
>
>> V. is a difficult book to follow, but less so than GR, and for similar
>> reasons.  They both revolve around an abstract theme/object/person.  But the
>> episodes in neither are "tenuously connected" - they are connected
>> by chronologies that are often hidden and require the reader to make the
>> connections.  And they are connected by abstract themes and intentional
>> conundrums. That's why it's hard to understand what message or meaning the
>> author intends.  I am much more interested personally to what I see as their
>> contemplations on universal issues than Pynchon's novels that are much more
>> specifically political and less abstract - my personal taste.  That's also
>> why Beckett's trilogy is one of my favorite literary works (Becket also
>> happens to be extremely funny, like Pynchon).
>>  
>> But I don't think VL is anywhere as deeply developed than any of the books
>> that came before it.  I'm guessing that's the same reason that the reviewer
>> calls IV "throwaway," meaning "lightweight," something I don't look forward
>> to in reading Pynchon
>>  
>> David Morris
>

So why was GR so great? WWII was a great backdrop. Aside from the horrible
bloody fighting, the famine, the Holocaust, things GR chose not to
dwell on at least not very much, WWII was a great time to be alive.  It 
was possibly the least dull period of the 20th century. Regardless of which side
you were on, everyone who amounted to anything had something important to
do, bringing to bear every knowledge system, technology, spiritual mumbo
jumbo known to man to the indisputably important job of winning the war
for his or her side.  The object of all this expenditure of energy of 
course was to control events in one way or another. Trouble is "events" 
always turn out pretty much uncontrollable (Pynchon's best theme IMHO) and 
things no matter how well you plan them always turn to shit. And of 
course the great endeavor required momentous back stories. In Germany 
technology development including rocketry. In America conditioning a poor 
slup to do something or other we're never quite sure what. And the thing 
that insures greatness for the book is the fantastic cast of characters 
Pynchon has thought up.  Certain beat rock and rollers and pot heads 
any day.

P