Pynchon's negative thoughts on GR

[Humberto Torofuerte]

Yeah but this and the fact that he's such an uber recluse...even by
the standards of his occupation...might suggest the admixture of
self-absortion and self-loathing common to many great artists.

On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 11:34 AM, Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Let's assume he judges, self-judges, at the HIGHEST LEVELS---like he tries to
> write.
>
> Therefore, despite all the oft-brilliance, he wanted it to........cohere...to
> be, like great art,
> so much more than the sum of good lines.......
>
> So, he worried............
>
> But 'piece of shit' is surely for self-deprecating effect? (I shouldn't call him
> Shirley--he
> DOES seem to think CofL49 is a piece of shit)...........
>
> Shit. Who knows?
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Humberto Torofuerte <strongbool at gmail.com>
> To: Pynchon-L <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Fri, February 11, 2011 2:27:38 PM
> Subject: Re: Pynchon's negative thoughts on GR
>
> I can't tell if this is criticism or just a teensy bit of insecurity
> on his part.
>
> On Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 10:45 AM, Albert Rolls <alprolls at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>> Gerald Howard: "As most Pynchonians know, Corlies Smith — universally called
>>Cork — was Pynchon's editor from the very start of the author's career. [...] On
>>October 20 [1969] [Cork] wrote again to [Edward Mendelson, perhaps Pynchon's
>>most astute and devoted academic critic,]: 'Sorry, nothing new on Pynchon's
>>novel.' On March 5, 1970, Pynchon wrote to Cork to apologize that he was not
>>going to make an April 1 deadline and asking that it be moved to July 1, 1970.
>>He thanked him for his forbearance and ended by expressing his worry, with what
>>degree of irony only he can say for sure, that the novel 'could be the biggest
>>piece of shit since The Crying of Lot 49.'"
>>
>>http://gravitys-rainbow.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gravity's_Rainbow_Reviews
>>s
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>>From: Mark Kohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
>>>Sent: Feb 11, 2011 10:28 AM
>>>To: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>, P-list
> <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>>Subject: Re: Pynchon's negative thoughts on GR
>>>
>>>As P said about Ian & Sylvia's eternal love song, He is
>>>always saying---see Slow Learner---that the stuff he uses
>>>in his books is ALWAYS for the reasons of his art in those
>>>books........
>>>
>>>Basic Lit 101 and we have to keep trying to read him with that in mind, imho.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message ----
>>>From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
>>>To: P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>>Sent: Fri, February 11, 2011 10:15:12 AM
>>>Subject: Re: Pynchon's negative thoughts on GR
>>>
>>>> wasn't it in the letter to the Dude?
>>>>
>>>
>>>which I can't find online now, but there was a thread on this list
>>>about it a couple years ago.  The full text was made available
>>>somewhere at the time. I believe it sold at auction for a hefty price.
>>>In it he expresses disagreement with the notion that GR is
>>>historically or scientifically rigorous.
>>>
>>>Dave Monroe probably remembers.
>>>
>>>I don't think Pynchon actually says anything to deny that it is a
>>>fantastically great novel, just that people are giving him credit for
>>>a hypertrophied science bone (or words to that effect) when his
>>>outstanding parts are the artistic ones (which he doesn't actually
>>>say, but I read it in his non-denial of that charge)
>>>I said something like the above back then, but not nearly so succinctly.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>____________________________________________________________________________________
>>>
>>>Sucker-punch spam with award-winning protection.
>>>Try the free Yahoo! Mail Beta.
>>>http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/features_spam.html
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
> Don't pick lemons.
> See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
> http://autos.yahoo.com/new_cars.html
>