I say, wtf
as "why the funk"?
Funk, as in different, odd, wierd writing style.
I have only read about 1/2 the story, and found it difficult to say the least. Admitedly, it is an engaging storyline. Woman has lover, woman disengages with lover, gains new lover (husband), hears from past lover (ok he is dead but he speaks from the grave in his will and legacy), gains new lover. Shrug, it seems that she is a slut. But that in itself, should lead to a whole series of predicaments and social commentaries. (Hence the engaging aspect.) The concept is similar to much of contemporary rock and roll actually.
The funk part of my critisism, comes in the form of the style of writing.
Long, disjoined lines strung togather, with plenty of run on sentences, commas, commas, commas, (many parentheses); colons, semi-colons, , , , , , , , , , , , , with every type of ? < > ** & % and/or $ (not sweraing here.) Attempting to convey that the writer is giving us a discombubulated continuation. Almost as if this was a surrealistic paiting by Salvador Dali. Strange, and almost dreamlike.
To further confuse the reader, the story is rif with grammer that is intellectual and fewly utilized wording. One must have a dictionary at hand just to read the story.
Both aspects of the style, grammer as well as punctuation; if used by any one of us students in any English class here at CWI, would result in that paper being returned with a failing grade and a request by the instructor to rewrite the paper.
So, the big question here becomes....
WTF ?
Why does the author do this?
Some possible answers include.
The author is attempting to appeal to a select readership. A sort of high brow intelectual set that is the minority that "get it." If this is the case, I suggest that if when taking an English class and a paper comes back that is red marked up, simply return it to the instructor with an added note telling him/her to change your grade to an A, because "they just don not get it"
The author is trying to place us inside a dream world.
The author is placing the readership in an off balance position to more readily connect with the message and the characters.
other ideas? I am all ears
Decker
Decker
"Almost as if this was a surrealistic paiting by Salvador Dali. Strange, and almost dreamlike."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great description of Pynchon's writing style. It's not meant to be quickly comprehended but rather to be experienced.
He also might be writing for a small readership. In fact, he has something like a cult following.