TRTR Wreckingnitions Crew comes back

[Michael Bailey]

 the idea of Pynchon being influenced by Gaddis is interesting, but
what's fascinating (imho) is the idea of Gaddis's prose working on the
sensibilities in us that reading Pynchon has developed

Gaddis has a different approach, but in many ways he pushes the hot
buttons that Pynchon pushes - the biggest ones for me are references
to history, religion, and hermetic traditions, coupled with humorous
irreverence (but not a philistine scoffing, more of a willingness to
throw everything on the waters of ridicule and let them find their own
level)

with Gaddis it seems that there is a moral standard implied by the
direction of his scorn, and just perhaps he is a little more prone to
anti-democratic leanings than Pynchon - eg, the line in the Paris
section where he talks about the heritage of the French revolution and
people wilfully disregarding "their betters" - which is not (to my
mind) placed in an ironic context.  IE, more of an elitist than
Pynchon -- Pynchon more of a "Leveler", his sympathy for the Preterite
seems real and he does not champion any kind of elitism, just good
common sense and working together (I'm thinking of his Togetherness
essay for Boeing)

for Gaddis that whole art in the age of mechanical reproduction is a
big theme he grapples with all the time but never really solves, for
Pynchon it's more like there are all these anti-life tendencies and
the only antidote (which he does present pretty often and show at
least partial success) is people caring for each other...that basic
fondness or whatever, where is that in Gaddis?  vetigial when present
at all...at least that is what I think right now...many people, I have
noticed, miss that human to human love in Pynchon but it's the biggest
reason I like him!