Inherent Vice review: Harvard Crimson

[alice wellintown]

> I disagree. Plenty of folks found it engaging, Doc Sportello is Pynchon's
> most sympathetic protagonist so far.


Not sure P does protagonists but  ...maybe that's one of the reasons
this book about Larry is such a disappointment.

Ever heard of Oedipa? Although CL49 is not a work of genius, Oedipa is
far more engaging, far more original,  than Larry.

Larry, is a parodic figure inflated with tired and lazy ideas, too
much smoke and too many dope jokes, not to mention, like, way too too
many deflated prosaic sentences.

Stencil & Benny are not, not even taken together, the protagonist of V..
But, that's exactly what makes them far more engaging than Larry.

And, Slothrop too, as an anti-protagonist, is far more engaging than Larry.

Mason & Dixon? Ever heard of them? Not as original as Stencil & Benny,
not protagonists either, but far more engaging than Larry. No?

Prairie? Surely her quest, and because VL is a better work than IV and
has a far more engaging cast of supporting characters, such as Zoyd,
Frenesi, Brock, Hector, Sasha, DL, Tekeshi, makes her a better um
...protagonist than Larry.

AtD? Again, no protagonist, but ...several figures and sets that make
Larry look like a desperate or foolish marketing scheme.