James Wood On Pynchon's Characters

[Heikki Raudaskoski]

Yes. In his review of M&D, Wood regards COL49 as M&D's closest predecessor
in Pynchon's oeuvre, both being novels about the potentials of "America".
Yet like all Pynchon novels, COL49 and M&D are according to Wood "deeply
static" "allegories that refuse to allegorize". GR receives less attention
but fares no better in the review.

>From what I've read by Wood, I'd consider him a "deeply static" reader
instead. Which is not to say that he couldn't hit the nail on the head
occasionally.


Heikki

On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 kelber at mindspring.com wrote:

> Wood's sole purpose in listing V and COL49 seems to be to pointedly omit GR. WOuld have been more honest to leave Pynchon off the list.
>
> Laura
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>
> >
> >On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 6:09 AM, Heikki Raudaskoski
> ><hraudask at sun3.oulu.fi> wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks, Dave. Â Is this the one positive gesture Wood has made in Pynchon's direction?
> >
> >"From way down the hall, a tiny head appears around a corner, a tiny
> >hand comes out and gives Slothrop the tiny finger." (GR, Pt. II, p.
> >199)
> >
> >> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009, Dave Monroe wrote:
> >>
> >>> On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 5:31 AM, Heikki Raudaskoski
> >>> <hraudask at sun3.oulu.fi> wrote:
> >>> >
> >>> > Correct me if I'm wrong, but as I recall it, Wood doesn't differentiate
> >>> > between individual works in his judgment of Pynchon. For him, Pynchon
> >>> > has been a "hysterical realist" all along, always as incapable of creating
> >>> > characters one could care about.
> >>>
> >>> Thomas Pynchon: The Crying of Lot 49; V
> >>>
> >>> http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/2009/02/james-woods-best-books-since-1945-circa-1994.html
> >
>
>