IVIV (12): 195-197

[John Carvill]

> From: Mark Kohut

> But, I will play my bass line again: In TRP's vision, the whole Western world--maybe wider than that?---since, I once again suggest hyperbolically, maybe the Enlightenment has been in the wrong hands almost everywhere. This is a major reason why technology, maybe science itself, is much more against us---in his vision---than for us. The preterites have no power; never have.
>

Ok. But wouldn't any kind of instrument of power inevitably fall into
powerful hands, thereby guaranteeing that 'the wrong hands' have a
grip on the levers of power? If the preterites had power, they
wouldn't be preterite, would they?

> The 'wrong hands' created the technology that even the well-intentioned preterites have to use, be part of. But TRP still, mostly,heavily, believes the technology takes us away from ourselves. Once again, where we started: photography is a classic example in his oeuvre, despite nice Merle--exemplified by Merle's life in AtD.

Well, but, I just see too many positive aspects of photography, and
moving pictures, in Pynchon. What is interesting is the dichotomy, eg.
the fact that there is a link between Leibniz/canonballs/calculus to
the Rocket, but also one to the movies, which we have always been old
fans of, yes?

Never mind Merle, isn't 'Against the Day' a photographic term?

Or, how about Pynchon's discussion of a photograph of Orwell, from his
intro to 1984?

>
> I will throw out for those arguing against my position one of the major parts of Against the Day that might supply a great example for your case:
> That city-in-the sky that the Chums (and family) make, which if it could not answer every question, could provide a way to answer them---or some such, i am paraphrasing..........what a "positive' view of an advanced 20th Century city......
>
> But then we know what happens at the end.
>

NOt sure I fully follow what you;re saying here.... but aren't the
Chums themselves a prime example of ambivalence about technology? The
Chums are, you must admit, pretty gung-ho about technology, yeah?
Their balloon itself is an avatar of new tech, and is full of gadgets
and gizmos. They are portrayed sympathetically, with affection even,
but they are far from flawless. I reckon the Chums are, in part, a
meditation on the tendency of technically-minded people to allow
themselves to be dazzled by technology for technology's sake, and
therefore be blinded to the harmful uses technology will be put to.

It's not hard to see all teh negativising of technology in Pynchon,
it's screamingly obvious. But, to me anyhow, it seems readily apparent
that Pynchon is ambivalent about it, as he is about a lot of things.
How could he/we not be?