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percy-l - Re: [percy-l] percy-l Digest Fri, 18 Apr 2025 (1/1)

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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

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  • From: "jp AT jlarsp.com" <jp AT jlarsp.com>
  • To: percy list <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] percy-l Digest Fri, 18 Apr 2025 (1/1)
  • Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2025 10:15:11 -0500

It’s interesting how books hit us differently and perhaps have a lot to do with where were are in life at the time of reading. I read Crying of Lot 49 in the early 80s in grad school, around the time I was discovering Percy. My sense at the time was that both were interested in the search, the hope that there was something there. And Rhonda, of course that could well just be my take on things! I actually wrote a paper on Lot 49 and the search for the holy or something like that. I did read it once again 15 or 20 years ago and thought it held up pretty well. Maybe I just found Pynchon as looking for hope in some way, which was different that the existentialists and deconstructionists I was reading at the same time. And you’re right, Oedipa Maas is hands down one of the great names in literature!

John

On Apr 19, 2025, at 7:30 PM, RHONDA MCDONNELL <rhonda_mcdonnell AT msn.com> wrote:

I have the sense that Pynchon wouldn’t have been his thing if The Crying of Lot 49 was his introduction to Pynchon.  Of course that might be my take on things. I read it long ago and getting to the end it seemed like Pynchon was having the readers on. As though in the end it was all about nothing at all. If Percy had that take, I think he wouldn’t be impressed. I remember that somewhere he has something of a rant against post-structuralism. Not that Pynchon is a post-structuralist, but the lack of meaning is what he disputed . Then again, I may be misremembering the novel . In any case, Oedipa Maas is hands down one of the best names in literature.

Rhonda 


Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 19, 2025, at 2:50 PM, Jonathan Potter <jopomojo AT gmail.com> wrote:


He owned a copy of The Crying of Lot 49.



On Sat, Apr 19, 2025 at 10:26 AM Marcus Smith <marcus AT loyno.edu> wrote:
I'm pretty sure I brought up Gravity's Rainbow in conversation, because I was deeply involved in it.  Walker certainly knew about Pynchon.  But I don't recall him ever saying anything indicating he had read Pynchon. 

On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 11:00 AM <percy-l-request AT lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:
percy-l digest Fri, 18 Apr 2025

Table of contents:

* 1 - [percy-l] Percy & Pynchon - Michael Martin Serafin
  <michael_serafin AT hotmail.com>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message-ID:
 <SN6PR17MB22386D0A1CFC4A3B4D601F4A93B12 AT SN6PR17MB2238.namprd17.prod.outlook.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2025 14:53:10 +0000
From: Michael Martin Serafin <michael_serafin AT hotmail.com>
Subject: [percy-l] Percy & Pynchon

It was recently announced that Thomas Pynchon will be publishing his first
novel in 12 years, entitled "Shadow Ticket", this coming October. Did Percy
have an opinion of Pynchon?

Michael Serafin
Chicopee, MA.


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End of percy-l Digest Fri, 18 Apr 2025

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