Masters of American Lit (except Pynchon)

[Carvill John]

> Knowing nothing about this Mark Lawson,
Looks like I knew less than I thought - I stand corrected on my accusation that Lawson is son of NIgel (brother of Nigella and Dominic). Sorry, Mr Lawson!
>> I'd only say that Pynchon
>> might not really be in the category of "post-WWII American literary
>> giants." 
Maybe. I dunno. Of course, it's not my term. I would put Pynchon in the category labeled 'American writers who produced all (or some) of their work during the latter half of the 20th Century'. Calling that group 'Post-WWII Americans' would just be a sort of shorthand, for me.
=A0I would think the term would apply to authors coming to
>> prominence in the close-term aftermath of that event, and thus their
>> identities having been intimately formed by that event. 
That seems to be the thrust of Lawson's theory, which I didn't fully buy. Not sure how much of WWII Saul Bellow saw, ferinstance.
I guess I felt Lawson's piece was trying too hard to fit the authors into a preconceived notion or theory.
=A0I would think
>> that any post-modern author would not be in their ranks. =A0Maybe
>> Vietnam era (and post) American literary giants would be more
>> accurate.
In these discussions, also, you sooner or later have to deal with Nabokov. YOu can maybe make an argument for excluding him, but I don't generally feel such arguments hold water. Was he 'an American writer'? I think the answer is yes. Would Nabokov have said he was 'an American writer'? I think the answer is yes.
I get annoyed with The Guardian about this marginalisation of Pynchon. 'Against the Day' is the elephant in the room of 21st Century literature.
Anyway, the series has started. Just got an email from a friend, recommending the Norman Mailer segment:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/front-row/american-authors/

CheersJ

 		 	   		  
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