infoterror said:
I think you might want to re-read "The Great Gatsby." That's one of the most poetic books ever.
I'm sick of postmodernism; I think for the most part it's an artistic dead end, and so too much wordplay bores the shit out of me. This is however often a function of how long one has been exposed to literature (usually manifested in age). I once was more interested in wordplay; now, the poetic staging a scene, the meaningful nature of the discourse of the novel, and yes, quality symbolism (a la European authors such as Goethe, Conrad, Hamsun and Eurasians like Dostoyevsky) are meaningful to me.
Re: Pynchon - I re-read Naked Lunch and am certain now that this was the archetype for Pynchon's work. Except Burroughs is better (even if the entire book is a litany of drug use, sodomy, coprophagia, misogyny, murder, autoerotic asphyxiation, and coprophilia).
Again, we must agree to disagree. I say the below, in rapt anticipation of a fruitful literary discussion; I take your comments with respect, not derision. Thus, please, I think we are both passionate about the subject, and I dont want you to get the wrong idea about any of my criticism.
The more literature I read, the more I become beholden with wordplay, prose, and style. Besides Dostoevsky--who I consider a genius of human understanding on the level of Shakespeare but apart from The Double, The Village of Stepanancho (sp), and The Eternal Husband (all wonderfully written), not the best writer stylistically or prose-wise; in fact he's quite sloppy, but his characters and their socratic dialogues are pure genius)--those authors that write heavily symbolic novels, with standard prose, trying to prove some philosophical or political point--some Big Idea--I have almost lost total interest in (with a few exceptions like Bellow). Someone was talking about Thomas Mann and Theodore Dreiser being their fave authors, and I rolled my eyes thinking of their writing.
I am still utterly confused by your hatred of Postmodernism and wordplay when you make such pronouncements about Pynchon and Burroughs. These guys are as postmodern as authors can get: the prose, the style or lack of style and form Burroughs displays, the technical prose, shifts in narrative voices, and overall grabbag of about every topic under the sun of Pynchon. You've never explained this, and I know when people are bullshitting (you;ve never read Saul Bellow admit it--and I doubt you've read Amis based on your comments--I think you are familiar of them, or have heard about them; but you've never read them). SO, I just dont get it: Pynchon is almost obsessively postmodern--so postmodern, I put down Mason-Dixon, and barely finished Gravity's Rainbow, because, I thought it was too experimental, and bordering on crap.
I admit, Great Gatsby does have some poetry to it; I still remember the last page quite vividly. But still, he is quite a superficial writer--especially as evidenced by his other works. Personal opinion again of course. I dont think we need to extend the argument about old Scott any longer.
Anyway, I was thinking that American playwriting was excellent in the 20th century--on a much higher level than lit. O'Neill, Williams, Miller, Albee all created classics that if you will, poeticize American life and ideals far better than any American lit writer. I wonder how you feel about this?
Finally, what are you reading now infoterror?
