The shortest and easiest of Pynchon's books gets reread on occasion when I'm not feeling too well. This afternoon was a vividly ordinary rereading of the book: not feeling well, made coffee that was a bit too weak, pouring rain outside, and little impulse to tackle to the big problems of the world.
I also found one of the original reviews from 1966 of the book, though almost as much verbage was devoted to V. as to the CoL49 (hmmm...that makes for an odd abbreviation). Yotodyne and the impossibility of getting to the true truth seems like as good of a metaphor as I'm likely to find a week before this presidential election. But of what? WASTE and a parallel postal service? I remember getting strange items in the mail. Postal art in the 1980s. Real postage always on it. Flags upside down perhaps, but valid postage. Probably stolen from some office, pilferage rather than subversion of any paradigm.
The reviewer was somewhat unhappy with the idea that the books might be naught but practical jokes and tried hard to connect V. with Vietnam. Trying too hard to be responsible and serious I think.
KCUF, signing off.
Posted by duver001 at October 28, 2004 09:15 PM