The Recognitions

[rich]

I was alluding to the Kindly Ones and the Color of Night, both well
written and insightful but so over-saturated with psychopathology,
murder, rape and utterly humorless.
my point was too much of a morbid fascination in such things has a
small shelf-life. its all so one-sided. a novel solely featuring
Blicero would become pretty tiresome.
not sure what i'm defending here
i've been drawn to these types of books for so long. the tank is
approaching empty

rich

On Sat, May 7, 2011 at 10:35 AM, Paul Mackin <mackin.paul at verizon.net> wrote:
> On 5/6/2011 12:38 PM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:
>>
>> I hear Pollyanna's a thought-provoking read.
>>
>> Laura
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>>
>>> From: Jed Kelestron<jedkelestron at gmail.com>
>>> Sent: May 6, 2011 1:29 PM
>>> To: pynchon -l<pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>> Subject: Re: The Recognitions
>>>
>>> I always had trouble reading Dante's Inferno and Faust because they
>>> were so damned negative, too. These highbrow authors need to lighten
>>> up.
>>
> Two very good ironic comments.
>
> How's a serious novel supposed to help disabuse us of the  inauthenticity in
> our thinking brought about by the exigences of civilization if it can't
> inflict some pain and suffering on the reader?
>
> Why do we read if it's not to be strengthened,  toughened up?
>
> Didn't Pynchon say somewhere he didn't want his books to be easy to read?
>
> P
>