what would pynchon do?

[kelber at mindspring.com]

Wonderful post, Michael!  I can't imagine that the elusive Mr. Pynchon, were he to read it, wouldn't nod in recognition. [Re: The Recognitions - I'm still trying to catch up]

Laura


-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
>Sent: May 14, 2011 3:20 PM
>To: P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: Re: what would pynchon do?
>
>It seems to me that in Pynchon's books we get the initiation of
>violence against capitalist pigs and evil loan sharks, and the
>question is not really even, does Pynchon accept the narrative that
>makes ObL an important part of a real threat?
>
>I'm a conspiracy theorist, a pacifist, and an anarcho-syndicalist fan
>of Chomsky (I don't try to reconcile those viewpoints, it's like
>having 3 girlfriends, ok if they never meet, although if you *could*
>get them together peacefully...) - but even I place some creedence in
>ObL having been a bad ass and even bad karma!
>
>but does Pynchon accept that narrative so totally and unquestioningly
>that without specifying circumstances we can be sure he would see old
>ObL as a kill-on-sight target?
>
>
>
>
>there are a spectrum of incidences in the Pynchon oeuvre to compare ---
>
>as part of a team, old Frank blows away that train...
>
>as the culmination of a passionate investigation, and in self-defense,
>Doc Sportello cancels that Prussia guy's series
>
>Tchitcherine and Enzian pass like ships in the night
>
>Reef stands by while artist boy beats him to the punch vis a vis Vibe,
>thereby flushing an army of bodyguards who most likely would've foiled
>Reef too
>
>Vato and Blood are on cordial enough terms with the VC to receive
>advance warnings and avoid violent confrontation
>
>In AtD, that anarchist shooting the industrialist is spoken of with
>what seems like approval, only regret being choice of body parts to
>aim at...
>
>the Chums of Chance avoid violence, not as a principle but just out of
>a sort of aesthetic distaste, it sez in AtD somewheres
>
>----------
>
>
>so let us dispose of the most likely scenarios:
>a) given a younger Pynchon, who was after all a Navy man, if his most
>unforgettable person during his tour had been not Pig Bodine, but his
>combat instructor, and he directed his career accordingly - then as
>part of the Navy Seal team, I doubt that he would swerve at the last
>moment
>
>- but, given the type of person that would carry away from the
>military a deep and abiding impression of Pig Bodine, how likely is
>that?
>
>
>b) let's say if ObL were hiding in New York City, maybe driving a cab,
>and Pynchon had just gone to Abercrombie and Fitch to buy a rifle --
>hmmm, ok, I don't think that sounds quite right, maybe he went to
>Harlem to buy a rifle like Madonna does in Who's That Girl, say he
>needed to get the feel of it as research for his next Doc Sportello
>book, Inherent Twice, set in Colorado during Hunter Thompson's
>campaign for sheriff...or its sequel, Inherent Rice, set in Chinatown
>("forget it, Doc...it's Chinatown!")
>
>anyway, he's holding the rifle and he had the cabbie wait for him
>outside, and as he gets back into the cab with the rifle, something
>clicks and he realizes it's ObL
>does he shoot him, or does he like sort of conversationally feel him
>out about the whole terrorism businss, maybe ObL's heart isn't in it
>anymore, maybe he made those videos at gunpoint, o-or maybe he was in
>deep cover, such deep cover that they made him chief (how could you
>say no?) and now is trying to get back to where he once belonged, like
>the spy who came in from the cold?  at least gets to know him first,
>find what he's think'in (trying to do that Vineland inflection,
>thinkeen) so he woult'dn have to think back later and wonder if he did
>the right thing