IVIV: (14) Dope & Longing in Las Vegas

[Michael Bailey]

Robin Landseadel wrote:

> In any case, there you are. This is what it is, and that's what he's doing
> and—don't you think he's hyperaware of shifting drug laws circa 2009 and
> don't you think that's the meaning of Doc turning on his parents as an act
> of kindness towards the end of the book? 'Cause I sure think that's what
> he's thinking. And if you don't find that interesting enough or inspiring
> enough or poetic enough—I'm sorry,  but I do.
>
>

right on...
not that I completely agree with you, but really close enough not to
argue about it!

the emphasis for me is a little different, but the argument you're
pointing to stands out for me as -

a) the rejection, fun-making, examination, of the "elect-preterite"
distinction throughout Mr Pynchon's works, consistently standing aside
from that philosophy, that sort of binary thinking, line-drawing,
condemning, Puritanical, anti-hedonistic mindset

b) the valuing of more inclusive, pluralistic forms of consciousness -
which include the numerous tavern stops
made by M&D and Oedipa and, oh, all the wine-bibbers and
beer-guzzlers, the cactus trips of Frank, the reefers
Slothrop and Sauere Bummer share - and the willingness to take the
hit, pay the bar tab, buy Visine etc etc
- despite all the negatives (we see the alcoholic sailor, for
instance, in CoL49), in general these are seen as varieties of
religious experience

c) can you be a Pynchon fan and not be a druggie?  Sure - I think this
is where the "drug habit as special case
of the general theory of enthusiasms" comes in.  OTOH, I think it'd be
hard to be a rabid, slavering Pynchonphile (The Pynchon Philes -
Scully and Mulder hunt for evidence of extratextuals...) ... umm..
it'd be difficult to maintain Pynchon fanship if you sincerely
believed
the DEA line on drugs, especially marijuana.

d) however, is there a contrarian "drugs-are-sometimes-indeed-bad"
read possible?
sure, but I think it's incorporated in the text like maybe a note of
asafoetida in a cologne...pretty restrained, but transformatively
there...




-- 
--- "Bearing in mind that either I don't know
or it'll be my ass if I tell you, what is it, man?" - Coy Harlingen