To Alice, w/o Malice, on Wood

[alice malice]

You have given more thought to Wood, and plan to give more,  than I
have or ever will. That said, I think he's an excellent critic, but I
also think that he has blinders on when reading American Fiction. His
critique of Pynchon is valid. I think hysterical fiction is an apt
description.  Mr. Wood doesn't like hysterical fiction and he explains
his dislike for Pynchon and followers. I accept his explanation,
though I happen to love hysterical fiction.

I can't comment on the Casey finger mistake. Don't know about it.

As far as jargon goes, when I picked up Wood I had been reading the
arcane and muddled criticism that was popular in the academy and I
found his style a breath of fresh air.

Wood does come at authors with a sharpened stick, and this too
attribute to the fashion of the times, so the critic de jur is simply
doing what gets him a greater audience. The Internet has supported a
far more aggressive, haughty style and Wood has Capitalized on it.
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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l