BE -- "death wish for the planet" why the internet?

[Thomas Eckhardt]

Am 09.03.2016 um 11:11 schrieb ish mailian:

> To dismiss March, her truth, as Thomas does, seems easy enough.

I don't dismiss March or her truth.

> Foucault's de-centering of the author is useful here. So much of the
> discussion is about finding out what Pynchon has to say on the truth
> of 11 September, but no matter. God is dead. The author is dead.

I thought I had made that clear: I am not so much interested in what 
Pynchon's truth about 9/11 is, although I speculated about this (note 
that I prudently used "the implied author" instead of "Pynchon") but in 
how the event is reflected in the novel and perceived by the novel's 
characters. I am also interested in Pynchon's sources.

Mainly, however, I wish to argue for a closer look at Pynchon's deep 
politics, at his use of conspiracy theory not only with a view to 
religious, philosphical or psychological aspects or for associative 
purposes, although he does all that, but with regard to actual or 
possible conspiracies in the real world -- as he did in VL with 
Iran-Contra which, of course, was an actual conspiracy reaching up to 
the White House, and which is a central aspect of the novel.

Insofar as Roland Barthes' catchphrase "the death of the author" means 
that an author can never be in complete control of her/his text and its 
meanings --  d'accord, naturellement.

> That the sisters disagree about the truth of 11 September is not
> caused by the event or the truth of it.

As I read it, Pynchon is juxtaposing different attitudes to the event. 
The disagreement is caused by Maxine expressing doubts about the 
official narrative, while her sister wants to rally behind the flag and 
implies that Maxine's doubts make her a traitor to the country. I don't 
think it can be denied that this is first and foremost political, i.e. 
primarily related to the event and its possible interpretations, and not 
merely an illustration of the kind of relationship Brooke and Maxine have.
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l