SLPAD - 34

[Mark Kohut]

I have always read that about the elves as a cute metaphor for
inspiration he did not know he had then.
The magic creation beyond "idea first" fiction into real unparaphraseable
insight into character creation and life and a profound theme.

Yes, as I have said, HE seemed to think in 1984 that Lot 49 fell back into
"ideas first" fiction.

On Tue, Mar 28, 2023 at 4:20 AM Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Drawing close to the end of the Intro, the tone is still very
> self-deprecatory.
>
> Even while admitting some good parts in TSI, he offers the explanation that
> “the elves” must’ve surreptitiously edited it.
>
> He further undercuts his approbation by deprecating his next work, CoL49,
> as a resurgence of bad traits, negating any assertion we might impute that
> there was permanent learning & progress -
>
> - and then by attributing his qualified approval of TSI not to sound
> literary judgement, but to nostalgia for his youthful self.
> --
> Pynchon-L: https://waste.org/mailman/listinfo/pynchon-l
>