Saure Trauben der Mathematik / Trial Ballon

[alice wellintown]

We have quite a lot from the author, in fictions, in essays, in an
introduction to his early efforts, in which he explicitly rejects the
critical characterization of his authorship as scientific-esoteric, in
his introductions to the works of other authors, and in the limited
biographical sketch and letters released, to conclude that P is an
American novelist who fits suugly into the American tradition, and not
a scientist or mathematician, or frustrated sour grapes sucking
reluctant author who settled for a career as author of fiction, but
would much prefer a role on the big bang theory, probably dr. sheldon
cooper. We have, moreover, critical examinations of the fictions and
prose, some with pin-point scientific focus, and these do not attempt,
nor is there support for such an edeavor, to argue that P is a
brilliant scientist or mathematician. As Grant, in his useful
companion, in the very valuable introduction, argues, P knows a lot,
but critics have opened every cul-de-sac, widened every street,
broadened every field to include an extensive knowledge of every topic
touched by His encyclopeadic Hand.

That said, P writes about careers and college. His buddy Farina wrote
a college novel that P introduced; P wrote TSI, a tale about school
and the corruption of youth thru education and books. He used The
Education of Adams long after V., where it is the most important
source; he wrote VL, a novel about the girl who goes to college after
her mother, a first gen feminist, and a gypsy roofer who has no
career. so on...AGTD is much on these topics, career and education.
But, as P sez, who can specialize, who can be a renaissance man, in a
world where the mechanical reproduction of art has changed an aura and
a cult into a face book and a my face.