in Which V. is mentioned. as original.

Fri Dec 4 06:04:55 CST 2015

"William Gaddis's Aesthetic Economy"

http://scholar.harvard.edu/angelasallan/news/william-gaddiss-aesthetic-economy

This problem of aesthetic distinction has been the legacy of
postmodernism’s uncomfortable relationship with the market. Calling
postmodernism “the cultural logic of late capitalism,” Jameson claims that
it is merely “the consumption of sheer commodification as a process.”

Similarly, David Harvey asserts that postmodernism “signals nothing *[End
Page 219]* more than a logical extension of the power of the market over
the whole range of cultural production.” These accounts, however
influential, have nevertheless tended to imagine the discourse of
postmodernism as nothing more than a symptom of neoliberalism’s expansion
of markets. Under neoliberalism—what Harvey has called “the
financialization of everything”—anything and everything could be alchemized
into capital, evidenced by the fact that J R’s eponymous 11-year-old arch
capitalist amasses and loses a vast financial fortune built from a single
share of common stock and a pile of junk mail. Turned over to the market,
art and culture lose any semblance of their once privileged status. With
nothing valued for its own sake, everything becomes a potential work of art
within the market, and—as Rosenberg laments—“everyone becomes an artist.” But
this perceived lack of resistance to the market has resulted in a kind of
ambivalence about the aesthetic value of postmodernism and its study. In
other words, postmodernism ostensibly signaled the defeat of all other
forms of valuation except for the economic.

As a result, the tendency in recent years has been for authors and artists
to distance themselves from the kind of formal experimentation that has now
proven so unpalatable to critics, practitioners, and consumers of the
craft. Perhaps most emblematic of this trend is novelist Jonathan Franzen’s
2002 New Yorker editorial on Gaddis—appropriately entitled “Mr.
Difficult”—in which Franzen admits that he found little pleasure in reading J
R. While hardly unwarranted, given the novel’s infamously tangled dialogic
structure, Franzen accuses Gaddis of being a “Status” writer, committed to
the belief that “the value of any novel, even a mediocre one, exists
independent of how many people are able to appreciate it.”

On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 6:56 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:

> John, please no need to apologize....as Jochen said, not enough
> rainbow......it was I G Farben which made me too earnest...foolishly,
> since I see them as all BAD.  as I said, too much gravity....
>
> I liked the Big Pynch and had you written  VikingPenguinRandomHouse
> I'dda laughed....
>
> I just wasted good plist space while up too early procrastinating.....
>
> Continue on,
>
> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 6:49 AM, John Bailey <sundayjb at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Sorry Mark, was a bit of antipodean convict humour. I don't really think
> Mr
> > Pynchon's army of moustachioed svengalis are paying off you or anyone
> else
> > to build up his finances. I think everyone should buy his books firsthand
> > too!
> >
> > On 4 Dec 2015 9:57 pm, "Mark Kohut" <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> Yes and self-implied.
> >>
> >> On Fri, Dec 4, 2015 at 5:52 AM, Jochen Stremmel <jstremmel at gmail.com>
> >> wrote:
> >> > ... a-and too little rainbow ...
> >> >
> >> > (sorry, in German it's called Vorlage, what you did – assist?)
> >> >
> >> > 2015-12-04 11:27 GMT+01:00 Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com>:
> >> >>
> >> >> As I say, I am often humorless. Too much gravity.
> >> >>
> >> >> Sent from my iPad
> >> >>
> >> >> On Dec 4, 2015, at 5:17 AM, Jochen Stremmel <jstremmel at gmail.com>
> >> >> wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> I think it's called a hyperbole, and Mr. Pynchon is quite used to it.
> >> >>
> >> >> 2015-12-04 11:04 GMT+01:00 Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com>:
> >> >>>
> >> >>> I guess that's a gentle jibe but I must confess I don't quite get
> it.
> >> >>> "
> >> >>> IG Farben" lost me...but, as they say, if one has to explain a good
> >> >>> joke,
> >> >>> then the asker didn't get it because he's humorless.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Sent from my iPad
> >> >>>
> >> >>> On Dec 4, 2015, at 4:34 AM, John Bailey <sundayjb at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Mark's clearly in the pocket of Big Pynch. It's like the IG Farben
> of
> >> >>> literature.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> On 4 Dec 2015 8:31 pm, "Mark Kohut" <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> May I only suggest that, if you do get an English edition of GR,
> buy
> >> >>>> it
> >> >>>> new not used. The writer only gets royalties on new book sales and
> >> >>>> Pynchon
> >> >>>> and his family deserve his royalties for his lifelong committed
> >> >>>> genius.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> Sent from my iPad
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> On Dec 3, 2015, at 8:13 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> Again, I suggest GR in English. You can get it used online for $5
> >> >>>> plus
> >> >>>> shipping. Just try it and see. It isn't "hard in mother tongue" in
> >> >>>> basic
> >> >>>> ways. It is hard to synthesize as a whole, as I said earlier. But
> it
> >> >>>> is a
> >> >>>> fun ride if you are willing to just let go and experience its
> >> >>>> pleasures,
> >> >>>> much like the acid trips Pynchon clearly rode in the days of his
> >> >>>> writing GR.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> David Morris
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> On Thursday, December 3, 2015, <kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> M&D!
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> -----Original Message-----
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> From: Vitor Repinaldo
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Sent: Dec 3, 2015 4:57 PM
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> To: David Morris , "pynchon-l at waste.org"
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Subject: RE: in Which V. is mentioned. as original.
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Maybe i'll try in English.The language spoken in Portugal has a
> lot
> >> >>>>> of
> >> >>>>> differences with the language spoken here. English is easier.
> XDBut
> >> >>>>> if
> >> >>>>> Pynchon is already hard in my mother tongue I predict a lot of
> hard
> >> >>>>> work in
> >> >>>>> another langage.So as the books here aren't cheap I need to think
> >> >>>>> twice
> >> >>>>> which one I'll pick next.The ones that I can find in a more
> >> >>>>> accessible price
> >> >>>>> is Inherent Vice, M&D and AtD. Which is better to read after V.?
> >> >>>>> Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2015 15:27:23 -0600
> >> >>>>> Subject: Re: in Which V. is mentioned. as original.
> >> >>>>> From: fqmorris at gmail.com
> >> >>>>> To: vitor_repinaldo at hotmail.com
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> You seem fluent in English.  Translations will never retain all
> the
> >> >>>>> nuances in a book as poetic as GR.  Maybe you should consider
> >> >>>>> reading it in
> >> >>>>> English.
> >> >>>>> Here it is in Potugese for 26
> >> >>>>> Euros:
> http://www.wook.pt/ficha/arco-iris-da-gravidade/a/id/14184775
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> David Morris
> >> >>>>> On Thu, Dec 3, 2015 at 3:08 PM, Vitor Repinaldo
> >> >>>>> <vitor_repinaldo at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> I'm from Brazil, so I'd like to read in portuguese. Here Pynchon's
> >> >>>>> books are so expensives and hard to find.My edition of V that i
> >> >>>>> bought these
> >> >>>>> days is from 1988.One day i've found one GR in portuguese, but for
> >> >>>>> R$400
> >> >>>>> (more than U$100)
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2015 14:34:27 -0500
> >> >>>>> Subject: Re: in Which V. is mentioned. as original.
> >> >>>>> From: kelber at mindspring.com
> >> >>>>> To: vitor_repinaldo at hotmail.com
> >> >>>>> CC: mark.kohut at gmail.com; kbob42 at gmail.com;
> jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com;
> >> >>>>> richard.romeo at gmail.com; pynchon-l at waste.org
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> You can probably order it online somewhere. Is the language
> Spanish?
> >> >>>>> Laura
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Vitor Repinaldo <vitor_repinaldo at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> I can´t find GR anywhere in my country (no longer reissued - it's
> a
> >> >>>>> crime) and I don't know if i coud read in another language. So
> >> >>>>> Vineland or
> >> >>>>> M&D?
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> > Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2015 13:51:11 -0500
> >> >>>>> > Subject: Re: in Which V. is mentioned. as original.
> >> >>>>> > From: mark.kohut at gmail.com
> >> >>>>> > To: vitor_repinaldo at hotmail.com
> >> >>>>> > CC: kbob42 at gmail.com; jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com;
> >> >>>>> > richard.romeo at gmail.com; pynchon-l at waste.org
> >> >>>>> >
> >> >>>>> > keep going in that direction. (Unless you want the
> >> >>>>> > completist-so-far
> >> >>>>> > feeling of all the short stories. )
> >> >>>>> >
> >> >>>>> > On Thu, Dec 3, 2015 at 1:38 PM, Vitor Repinaldo
> >> >>>>> > <vitor_repinaldo at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>>>> > > I'm finishing V and i've already read Lot49, what should i
> pick
> >> >>>>> > > next?
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > ________________________________
> >> >>>>> > > Subject: Re: in Which V. is mentioned. as original.
> >> >>>>> > > From: kbob42 at gmail.com
> >> >>>>> > > Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2015 13:00:29 -0500
> >> >>>>> > > CC: richard.romeo at gmail.com; pynchon-l at waste.org;
> >> >>>>> > > mark.kohut at gmail.com
> >> >>>>> > > To: jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > Vineland!
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > Www.innergroovemusic.com
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > On Dec 3, 2015, at 10:12 AM, Mark Thibodeau
> >> >>>>> > > <jerkyleboeuf at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > Vineland Vineland Uber Alles!
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > On Dec 3, 2015 10:02 AM, "rich" <richard.romeo at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > all i would claim is that GR belongs to the creative thrust
> that
> >> >>>>> > > began with
> >> >>>>> > > V. and ended with M&D. there are some bits in AtD worthy but
> the
> >> >>>>> > > rest imho
> >> >>>>> > > is fairly disposable
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > rich
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > On Thu, Dec 3, 2015 at 9:48 AM, Mark Kohut
> >> >>>>> > > <mark.kohut at gmail.com>
> >> >>>>> > > wrote:
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > but no matter what one thinks of some of the later books,
> >> >>>>> > > Gravity's Rainbow HAS TO BE SEEN as, among much newness,
> >> >>>>> > > V. perfected, no?
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > Gravity's Rainbow is V. squared.
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > and, didn't Pynchon avoid Parks' basic criticism by writing
> >> >>>>> > > SO MANY DIFFERENT new books....
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > > On Thu, Dec 3, 2015 at 9:34 AM, rich <richard.romeo at gmail.com
> >
> >> >>>>> > > wrote:
> >> >>>>> > >> w/r/t to Pynchon I think there's some merit to that criticism
> >> >>>>> > >>
> >> >>>>> > >> On Wed, Dec 2, 2015 at 2:39 PM, Mark Kohut
> >> >>>>> > >> <mark.kohut at gmail.com>
> >> >>>>> > >> wrote:
> >> >>>>> > >>>
> >> >>>>> > >>> self-derivative, repetitive,
> >> >>>>> > >>> in some way inferior to the first bursts of the writer's
> >> >>>>> > >>> vision.
> >> >>>>> > >>>
> >> >>>>> > >>
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > >
> >> >>>>> > -
> >> >>>>> > Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >
> -
> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>
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