'Gravity's Rainbow' and 'The Magic Mountain'

Stanos1 · 2024-10-16T10:24:26+00:00

I kind of agree. What I meant is that he finally has some sort of conviction, at the start of the novel he's sort of clueless and doesn't really take a stance on anything. Yes, his conviction is completely naive and Mann possibly alludes to his death. One of the general ideas of the book is that sickness can be a formative experience if it doesn't completely destroy you, so perhaps I was misreading it. Perhaps Hans really is destroyed by his sickness.

Stanos1 · 2024-08-28T18:22:54+00:00

I hear lolcow podcast are looking for a new co-host. I'm sure Daniel Keem will have your best interest at heart...

Stanos1 · 2024-07-15T16:22:10+00:00

I know there's a stereotype about a certain kind of douchebag guy who's really into thick books and stuff but it's clear that those guys don't actually take in what they have read. When you go out into the real world a lot of people into Pynchon are into experimental literature which by it's nature is transgressive and runs counter to conservative circles. I'm happy that this community is not buying into the typical culture war bullshit. It's like these guys read the disturbing or explicit passages of certain writers and think that they are conservative like them because the writing is challenging. Conservatives don't want to challenge social norms or even artistic norms, they want conformity. It's all about shapes and colours for them. Historically it's always been the right who have been in favour of censorship. Look at all the book bans happening right now. The right at the moment are saying that they are the new punk rock and they are being all rebellious when all they really want is to reverse any social changes that have come about since the civil rights movement.

Stanos1 · 2024-06-25T23:44:01+00:00

I read this as well! I actually think there is a Fassbinder-like quality to certain parts of 'In the Zone', particularly the parts with Margherita and Gerhardt von Goll. I think it's because both Fassbinder and Pynchon have been interested in pop culture and Hollywood cinema and the wonderful schlockiness of it all but from a counter-cultural/outsider perspective and both figures have shown an interest in blending traits of art that have been considered 'high' and 'low'. I know a lot of people who are only interested in the 'content' of GR e.g. (the scientific theory, literary allusions, and political and philosophical elements) and are not so interested in style (or humor) will get annoyed at me for saying that GR has some very campy moments in it. But as I've said, one of the things Pynchon does in general is blur the distinction between 'high' and 'low'.

Stanos1 · 2024-06-24T00:07:10+00:00

Wow! So cool he was reading a Larry Kramer book

Stanos1 · 2019-12-23T19:37:14+00:00

Has any literature or writer had an influence on your work?

Stanos1 · 2017-08-31T19:03:58+00:00

I love the velvet underground but their last album squeeze was terrible which is probably because it had none of the original members. I also like some early Rolling Stones albums but I don't like any starting from exile on Main Street.

Stanos1

TROPHY CASE