COL 49 group read CH 6 mid section

[Hübschräuber]

> But in COL 49 Pynchon creates a secret organization with historic roots going back to the 16th Century and then suggests it may all be a paranoid delusion or deception. Why? And why does it all come out of a fictional murder mystery about killing the rightful leaders of Faggio.
> 

Despite using much verifiable history in "V." and COL49, P is still concerned with the philosophical notions of conspiratorial thinking (cf. Fausto Majistral). Either everything is connected, or nothing is. 

In reality, of course, some things are connected, others are not. There are conspiracies, and there are theories about conspiracies which may be proven right or wrong. P becomes much more interested in real political conspiracies (COINTELPRO, Iran-Contra) with "Vineland".

More to the point perhaps, whether invented or not, this is some marvellous writing.