Discuss

[Johnny Marr]

As it happens, The Adventures of Augie March was the novel I read
immediately before GR.

It's often said that the maxims and epithets of Ancient Philosophers are
either obvious or obviously false. The Heraclitus quote manages to be both
- we are drawn into pursuing our interests, but always remain vulnerable to
outside circumstances. I've lost enough relatives and friends during
childhood to know that dumb, blind luck can intervene in the cruelest, most
undeserving and irreparable fashion, without legislating for compensation
or response.

Slothrop is the arch-survivor, capable of shaping in and out of reach of
his persecutors, enemies and supervisors. His defining characteristic is
his adaptability - I'm not sure he sets himself any goals beyond survival.



On Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 10:53 PM, <malignd at aol.com> wrote:

> Slothrop's body slowly was consumed by Imipolex G, turned into it.  He
> became transparent, invisible.  He was treated with it as the Baby Tyrone.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
> To: kelber <kelber at mindspring.com>
> Cc: pynchon-l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Sun, Feb 10, 2013 10:59 pm
> Subject: Re: Discuss
>
>  The difference between your take is universality.  Slothrup is much
> bigger than himself.  That's sort of why he had to fade away.  He is the
> elusive escape, as well as  inept revolutionary.  Pure and dumb.
>
> On Sunday, February 10, 2013, wrote:
>
>> I don't disagree with any of this, but I don't see how it contradicts
>> what I said about the events in Slothrop's life (as laid out in the book)
>> have more to do with his eventual paranoid quest across Europe and his
>> choosing to turn on, tune in, drop out.
>>
>>  LK
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: David Morris **
>> Sent: Feb 9, 2013 11:42 PM
>> To: "kelber at mindspring.com" **
>> Cc: "pynchon-l at waste.org" **
>> Subject: Re: Discuss
>>
>> Your fault with Slothrup's disappearance is too literal.  He transcends
>> his creators by evaporating into the void,  Pointsman's biggest fear was
>> the golum, the experiment gone awry.  Rogue.  So they would rather kill it
>> than lose control of it.  Slothrup  evades, but not before becoming a
>> Buddha.
>>
>>
>> On Saturday, February 9, 2013, wrote:
>>
>>> Don't really believe in any sort of deterministic Fate - there are too
>>> many incalculable and unpredictable variables.  At any rate, I'd say that
>>> what happens in Slothrop's life has more to do with the fact that he was
>>> experimented on as a baby, than anything to do with his friendly, and smart
>>> but hedonistic character.
>>>
>>> Laura
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> >From: Markekohut <markekohut at yahoo.com>
>>> >Sent: Feb 9, 2013 8:30 AM
>>> >To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>> >Subject: Discuss
>>> >
>>> >"A man's character is his fate" with special reference to Slothrop.
>>> >
>>> >Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>>  ******
>>
>>
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