The Recognitions

[Mark Kohut]

Been so busy---don't ask since I can't justify it---that
I haven't commented on 3 posts i wanted to. (As if that
were my self-defined duty, but whatever...wanted to)

1) I'm there with the smart-ass negativity ob. 
2) I'm sorta therre with the American gnosticism ob---although I did not see 
that
that blooming way until the post....I might add...compared to Pynchon, others,
Gaddis ain't quite searching for it---Gnostic truth, etc.---in my reading...he 
kinda
relies on it or sumpin"? 
3) Jed's post about how we were going back-and-forth on 'false' quotations was
so right as we read this...coupled with the whole way the world has turned into 
fraudulent remarks 

is somehow Gaddis' prophetic stance in this, among much else, no?



----- Original Message ----
From: Richard Ryan <himself at richardryan.com>
To: David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
Cc: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>; P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Fri, May 6, 2011 12:13:52 PM
Subject: Re: The Recognitions

I'm not sure I'd be willing to participate - at least not yet - in
pinning the negativity tail on the TR donkey - are Chaucer or Voltaire
or Camus negative?  Gaddis is certainly savage about human foibles -
but does he think the human condition in general is a bad hand of
cards?  Maybe later events in the novel will convince me otherwise,
but I'm not there at this point.

On Fri, May 6, 2011 at 11:45 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've mentioned that I gave up on it my 1st time, and I think it
> did/does have something to do with the smart-ass negativity.  He is
> always making these obtuse pronouncements through various characters.
> But this time around I'm listening to it via audiobook on my Kindle
> (which really isn't the same as reading it), so I can just let it flow
> on without working too hard at it.  I can also back up and re-listen,
> sometimes 2 or 3 times.  And I gave my TR book away about 2 years ago
> (shelf spring cleaning), so I can't read along unless I buy another
> (don't think I will).
>
> David Morris
>
> On Fri, May 6, 2011 at 9:34 AM, Michael Bailey
> <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:
>> well, each one is a gobstopper of a book.
>>
>> I didn't latch onto TR first attempt but this time I'm getting some joy from 
>it
>> - things I like:
>>
>> a) while I sort of disagree with a sort of pervasive negativity, I enjoy 
>>letting the virtuosity evident all over the place overwhelm that.  it's like 
>>talking with certain friends who are great conversationalists but start from a 
>>negative viewpoint in many cases but have a lot of worthwhile matter to impart
>
>



-- 
Richard Ryan
New York and the World
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