The Science of Collapse

[David Morris]

The anarchist group in AtD I found cringe-worthy.  I agree that Pynchon
seems enamored with the concept, but I find it embarrassingly silly.  He
was much better with his concept of the Zone in GR, a place of temporary
refuge, but full of its own dangers.

David Morris

On Wed, Jan 29, 2020 at 1:48 PM Thomas Eckhardt <thomas.eckhardt at uni-bonn.de>
wrote:

> The "off the grid utopias" in Pynchon's novels are always in the process
> of just now being forced into the grid by the anti-utopian forces, no?
> But I agree with rich: If Pynchon satirizes them, he does so
> benevolently, forgivingly.
>
>
> Am 28.01.2020 um 17:58 schrieb rich:
> > Despite my skepticism over Pynchon's later focus on off the grid utopias
> in
> > Vineland, AtD and IV, I think he isnt as cynical as you say.
> Smaller-scale
> > anarchism, rooted to local spaces, where vibrant ecosystems can be
> fostered
> > for the betterment of members as well as the local flora, fauna, etc. is
> > not mentioned for satirization. The more regretful, longing (and at times
> > quite beautiful) passages in the later books are quite the reflection of
> > what could/should have been.
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>