Speaking of conspiracy and paranoia

[Markekohut]

Browsed in an essay by Leo Bersani on GR, in one of the books of essays on Pynchon. He makes one v. Interesting literary historical point and offers us one challenge to discuss. 

1) He says that GR is the first major work of Literature which is structured with the notion of paranoia, the word is used lotsa times and reflected on by Slothrop. He says before GR, the word had only clinical psychological meanings, basically, which meaning TRP knows and uses but TRP also extends the meaning metaphorically in the novel

2) he argues, whether ultimately or as debbil's advocate, dunno, that when Slothrop avers that 
Maybe everything wasn't connected, but random, that THAT is the worse horror in. GR. 
Steps back mentally to CofL49 also with this thought, I.e. that Oedipa had to find out if the Trystero was real ( in History) or.......whether all the mysterious events around her were random..




Sent from my iPad-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l