IVIV20: Maybe then, 368-369

[Joseph Tracy]

My feelings were similar to Michael's for a couple reasons. Doc  
follows Pynchon into Mexico and he came back. Still this seems to say  
something about how he feels about the US, the seemingly  
insurmountable walls separating the empire from the people. There is  
something powerful about "leaving", getting away, non-participation.  
But there is something foggy too; what is away? When you are part of  
something so big, everything you love is connected to it in some way  
as well as everything you despise.  Even leaving can center around  
the thing you leave. And where are you going?

Can you leave yourself? Doc may not be John Garfield, may not even be  
from this planet, but something in him is about investigating the  
crimes and criminals that seem intent on destroying what he cares  
about.  I see a good chance he'll be back and amid the craziness,  
more names will be named , more of histories rhymes will be rhymed,   
more crimes will be crimed.  I pick The Coen Brothers to direct and  
Bradd Pitt for Doc.

  PS I suspect Bigfoot  who led Doc to HH may be part Bobby Kennedy,  
part Dan Ellsberg, and may have some more beans to spill.

Is it possible Pynchon is saying something about how to look at what  
he does, how he sees himself, is he a freelence detective poking  
around the ever expanding scene of the crime?




On Feb 3, 2010, at 9:03 PM, Michael Bailey wrote:

>  Mark Kohut wrote:
>> Yea, dark...sadly so....
>
> hmmm, well, it *is* a noir...
>
> I have a lot of reactions to the book, mostly positive, but
> rather fragmentary right at the moment
>
> I wish Dave Monroe would share what he's hinting at about
> "consider this book in the light of the author's other work" -
> hope Dave is doing ok, it is worrisome.
>
> one thing that keeps occurring to me, for no logical reason,
> is that a "Doc" series wouldn't be a bad thing...
> the Bourne franchise comes to mind
>
> another thing that crosses my mind is to compare the
> novel to a video game, where the character has succeeded
> in his quest and is obviously headed for the next episode -
> he's got a nearly full pack of cigs and whatever's left of the 10k  
> he won...
>
> so I guess, this book, which is wrapped up pretty neatly
> and self-contained, to me seems to be calling for a sequel
>
> I liked the characters, plot, language, ideas, pretty well and
> wouldn't mind following Doc through another conglomeration -
>
>
>
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