TRP-related (by me at least)..from a review

[Carvill, John]

> As plist collective wisdom has smartly argued, figuring out "pynchon's politics" may be a mug's game.

It depends what you mean by 'figuring out'. To a large extent, in general terms, Pynchon's political views are made crystal clear in his works. If you mean 'figuing out in fine-grained detail' then of course you're right, but then that could be said of almost anybody.

The only place I have ever encountered any doubt whatsoever about, or resistance to, the broadly accepted consensus that Pynchon's books display an unmistakably left-leaning political slant, is on this list. Beyond that 'broadly left-leaning' categorization, of course, there is room for endless nuance and ambiguity. 

<< what got on my nerves is all those main characters for the most part exhibit that oh-so-sexy-and-smart-and-brave-easy-with-a-quip/rejoinder-and-righteous-free-hippie-anarchist-bullshit ad infinitum. >>

Would you say the same of Vineland, Rich?

<< I would argue that when Pynchon decides to bring things down to the human level, relationships and all that shit, he becomes rather boring >>

Well, I very respectfully disagree. Then again, isn't *not* bringing things down to a human level exactly what certain segments of the lit-crit crowd always complain about?



From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf Of rich
Sent: 24 March 2010 15:07
To: Mark Kohut
Cc: pynchon -l
Subject: Re: TRP-related (by me at least)..from a review

its pretty obvious in AtD I should think. 

what got on my nerves is all those main characters for the most part exhibit that oh-so-sexy-and-smart-and-brave-easy-with-a-quip/rejoinder-and-righteous-free-hippie-anarchist-bullshit ad infinitum. 

my god, the man has become so melodramatic. eesh...

I would argue that when Pynchon decides to bring things down to the human level, relationships and all that shit, he becomes rather boring

but what the fuck do I know

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 10:54 AM, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
As plist collective wisdom has smartly argued, figuring out "pynchon's politics" may be a mug's game.

But What We--America, The West---have lost, seen so lyrically and interestingly, even as political possiblity, even as a direction of capitalism possibility, may be an overarching theme from a NOVELIST not any political/social prescriber....................



----- Original Message ----
From: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Wed, March 24, 2010 7:54:29 AM
Subject: TRP-related (by me at least)..from a review

    The Big Short by Michael Lewis is "an indictment of shareholder driven capitalism". As soon as partnership was replaced by investor money, it became a casino.

I would argue that one of the meanings of the casino (and Vegas in IV?) in AtD is captured in the above....Pynchon satirizes society for losing its human scale most.