Thesis: that Pynchon is not a " political" writer at all.

[Joseph Tracy]

Seems like an overstated response to the author's questionable interpretation of a single sentence from Auden. To me the article simply stretches the argument  beyond reason.
  The whole argument reminds me of a cartoon I saw.( I paraphrase) 
  First person: “No formulation of truth is absolutely correct."
Second Person: “ Is that absolutely correct?”
 
There is no real need to liberate artist’s or art from political limits, since most will transcend those limits and boundaries effortlessly. Neither is it possible to keep art or artists from making art with political intent and impact, and occasionally from having strong influence. 

How can we measure what art does or does not do, what artists do or do not intend, what is the give and take between art and life, even whether there is any separation at all. Auden was struggling with these questions for a long while as do most artists.  A large part of life is described  and directly affected by politics. ‘Political' is a loaded word but difficult to dispense with completely. If you use philosophic terms or spiritual language as a core means of describing life on earth you might use a different term or terms than political, but the same issues will arise.

That  almost every artist reconciles him or her self to the likelihood of a modest impact on the world shows me that the practice of art tends to wise you up pretty fast. That most people have been powerfully affected by works of art seems fairly evident also. 




> On Dec 26, 2015, at 5:09 AM, Mark Kohut <mark.kohut at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> If this guy and Auden are right. And Orwell, a fave of our author.
> 
> It's all been mistaken readings. If claimed. 
> 
>> 
>> http://bostonreview.net/poetry/robert-huddleston-wh-auden-struggle-politics?utm_content=24965190&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
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