Digest urth.v028.n066

In a message dated 10/27/99 7:43:15 PM, urth-errors at lists.best.com writes: << Well, I'm sort of astonished that there's so much interest in this subject, but it's a kick, too. I'll add a couple of thoughts. I mentioned -Catch-22- as "pop modernism." I'd like to add to that category the oeuvres of Kurt Vonnegut and Philip K. Dick. Vonnegut was an interesting writer, early on. He's become a lazy hack, and I think it's great that he's announced his "retirement," since I don't want to read any more of his books. Dick was a hack too, but I think he could be counted among the more interesting pop modernists. I confess that I never could read much of him either. (One of the conditions for joining the club seems to be relative unreadability.) His post-mortem elevation is certainly a phenomenon.

Dear Alga et all, Speaking of being astonished by the interest in certain subjects...Let me honest. No, let me be real honest. Who fuck cares which hemisphere it was, and where true north was, and please god please can we just drop it? And let me be frank. No, really frank. Read TIMEQUAKE. Read THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH and Look me in the eye and tell me that's hackwork and I'll buy you a beer. On a calmer note. Rave on Lupes:) Patrick O'Leary

Hi, Frank. I don't know from modernism and while I have found this discussion (mostly) interesting so far I have been content to let it wash over me without participating. But I, too, want to put in a word for Philip K. Dick. He certainly was a hack, but he was a great writer, too. One of the things that sets him apart for me is that although his protagonists are almost always people who would be labeled "losers" (at least in American society) it is obvious that Dick deeply cares about these people and he makes you care, too. The only trace of PKD I have ever found in Wolfe (and it may be coincidental, although at least one other person in this group has commented on it) is in There Are Doors. The last few paragraphs, in particular, have always evoked PKD's SF to me. Has anyone here ever read any of PKD's nonSF? I have always meant to, but never gotten around to it. William Ansley