BEg2 chapter 10 Fascist Aesthetics, unmaking thereof...

[Allen Ruch]

I think this is an excellent question, Joseph! It's one I ask myself about Pynchon's work all the time. 

On one level, I think the attraction-to-fascists trope speaks to Pynchon's belief that we are all complicit in some degree, the attractive seductive allure of evil, the corruption of "Us" becoming "Them." I think this was most effectively explored through Brock Vond and Frenesi/Prairie in "Vineland" and through Lake Traverse in "Against the Day." However, with Maxine...

Full disclosure: while Pynchon is one of my favorite writers, I'm one of those who find his writing to be, on occasion, sexist. And I'm not talking about horny, perverted, or anything like that—I don't care about that, I'm not confusing a male character's sex drive with sexism—but I mean something deeper, like I discussed before; certain female characters seem written from a detectable male perspective. And Maxine here is a great example. 

There's a few things that bother me about Maxine's portrayal, and one of them is her relationship with Windust. I know it's supposed to be unsettling, and yes, there's something definitely intriguing about it. But there's a level of *degradation* she's willing to accept that never quite rings true to me. I'm 100% ok with the Eric foot-sex; I actually buy that—Maxine is pretty spontaneous and earthy and sexual, I can see how that random encounter is erotic, and Eric is a nice guy. (Although I think Maxine taking the stage as s stripper is suspect.) But the scene later with Windust, you know... I just don't 100% buy it. Like Joseph says, it's a common trope in Pynchon, and sometimes I buy it—in "Vineland," on "Against the Day"—but not here with Maxine in "Bleeding Edge." While a character like Lake Traverse may have sought degradation, I have trouble reading that impulse in Maxine. 

And look, to anticipate some responses: I think Pynchon is a genius, and I'm open to alternate interpretations. I am not saying he doesn’t know what he's doing, and I see the allegorical point. I'm just saying it doesn't work for me. And I often wonder, if I were a woman, would I feel differently about some of these scenes? I said something like that a few months back—I'd love to hear more from female readers about Maxine's strengths and flaws as a female protagonist. 

And finally, I'm more or less ok with Pynchon's sexism. It bothers me sometimes, but it's hardly a deal-breaker. I mean, my favorite writers are Melville and Lovecraft, neither of whom seem aware that women even exist, so....

—Quail


On 12/19/21, 6:46 PM, "Pynchon-l on behalf of Joseph Tracy" <pynchon-l-bounces at waste.org on behalf of brook7 at sover.net> wrote:

        So what are the erotic dreams about? And what is the Pynchon-trope of women attracted to fascists about?   Is this getting old? Does the allegorical value justify it?