afterthought per Ray and Richard

[Mark Kohut]

Dear Ray,

Ray sez:
"Satire is not the only weapon in the author's critical arsenal.  
What I do maintain is that the occult, etc... are subjected by the author to the same critique as is, say, "scientific rationalism", that the presence of these views in the texts does not mean that we are intended to "take them seriously", and that the texts do not endorse any such views."

I do not think the presence of scare quotes matters here. I think you have formulated a perspective clearly---and I want to see where we are on common ground, which I think we mostly are. And, where we differ if we do.

I will ask my question again, in a different way, based on your remarks above. I hope I will not change your argument. 

If P's massive satire in his works, which we seem to agree on, is NOT his only visionary weapon, THEN what values can we find in the text that are beyond satire? Any? Simple logic, basic rationality against the occult and conspiracies? ---He even satirizes THAT, I would suggest. Yet, something is there, I say. 

I want to stop here to avoid too many notions, you can respond to this straight if you want but I will, re duality, ask about his satirization in another way. 

California car culture, brands and coolness, are satirized in Inherent Vice, yes? That seems to be the consensus.  Yet, it seems---I know you will disagree if this 'seems' is not yours---that TRP as narrator fondly loves cars, in general, in Inherent Vice. No or a duality?

Does anything like this apply to anything 'occult', spiritually particular, etc.? 

I have just read an early Austen novel, Northanger Abbey, in which she satirizes the dominant Gothic fiction of her time-----yet has a wonderful defense of novel-reading as insight into life-----she means a different kind of novel, not gothic, but realistic, of course.  

Her satire is NEVER as total as is TRPs, but what in life, the world, in history does he NOT satirize as contrast to his fierce vision? Against the satire, as it were? 

And, think of another favorite satirist and ask what he embraces as he satirizes. Which is what I am suggesting is some of TRPs "duality". 




--- On Fri, 11/27/09, Ray Easton <kraimie at kraimie.net> wrote:

> From: Ray Easton <kraimie at kraimie.net>
> Subject: Re: afterthought per Ray and Richard
> To: "'pynchon -l'" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Friday, November 27, 2009, 8:50 AM
> Mark Kohut wrote:
> > IF satire is not "the only weapon" of the writer, as
> you write, then What do you--should we---"take seriously' in
> TRPs work(s)? 
> >   
> 
> 
> I don't quite get the  connection between the "if" and
> the "then," so I don't quite understand the question. 
> This is likely my fault, not yours -- using scare quotes as
> I did around 'take seriously' is a sloppy manner of
> expression.
> 
> 
> Ray
> 
>