(np) Franzen and Gaddis

[Michael Bailey]

ok, so I poked around in The Corrections, noticed that "Correcktal", a
chemical featuring integrally
in the plot, encapsulates the name (Recktall) of one of Gaddis's main
characters in
The Recognitions.

I believe there were several other echoes too, but I'm not on about
that right now
except to lead into this surmise: Mr Franzen, I suspect, had his tongue in cheek
when laying into Gaddis.

Sure, the lane markers are a little more distinct in The Corrections, you know
who's talking and stuff, but hmm, as to dystopian (or, containing
harsh social criticism)
- my takeaway from The Corrections was that it was a very sad and
dystopian (or, harshly socially critical)
book and not so very different from JR (the book
that supposedly caused Mr Franzen to throw up his hands and give up)
in many respects.

One could draw parallels between the young writer dude in JR and the
young composer dude
in The Corrections; between the Corrections dad character's
work-driven, dutiful, honest to a fault, disappointment
with modern society and, umm, the uneasy ruminations of Gaddis himself;
between the stock-market shenanigans of JR the kid and those pursued by
the older brother in The Corrections; between the very similar notions
of a society beset with easy-buck schemes
and ignoring quality workmanship, fellow-feeling and inspiring
projects...I could go on and on...

but the only essential point to add is that superficially his book may
read a little easier, but
there are assumptions of erudition that strike me as of the same order
of demandingness as JR,
underlying his many references to brain chemistry, history,
post-modernism (and, if I'm not
mistaken, to Gaddis's writing too) - etc etc etc

not that that is a bad thing, these richnesses are what made the book
fun to read!

to think that JF is unaware of the many similarities between his work
and Gaddis's
and in fact sees himself as a contractual storyteller just rapping out
a simple tale
for "plain folks" to enjoy, strains credulity!

It is to laugh.  Crawfish dancing! (usage?)