Underworld is the next book I will read--thanks, will On Tue, 13 Jan 1998, D. wrote: > At 09:02 AM 1/13/98 -0700, you wrote: > > >flame wars are really unnecessary--though I first read this post as > > >parallel to farrakann's calling judiasm "a gutter religion" and felt > sad > > >since trashing so many beautiful ideas seems to be wasteful...but > remember > > >seymour's fascination with ash trays? Faith and even holiness is in > > >rubbish as it is everywhere...like seymour, I find some of my best > ideas > > >in ashtrays and garbage...bless rubbish everywhere, even on this list! > > >will > > > > Will and the rest of the list-- > > > DeLillo's <italic>Underworld</italic>, Pynchon's <italic>The Crying of > Lot 49</italic> and <italic>Gravity's Rainbow</italic> and, of course > T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" all have very strong themes of waste or > things discarded/"passed over" in them. Salinger seems to do this more > indirectly through his characterizations.. In fact, one could say that > many of the prominent American (fiction) writers since WWII have seen > "waste" or "rubbish" as just as important, particularly as an "inversion" > (hence, "The Inverted Forest") of our glitzy and glamourous twentieth > century culture. I just finished <italic>Underworld </italic> by DeLillo > and it is very interesting how he juxtaposed all forms of waste against > the backdrop of the last 45 years. Salinger seemed to do this as well > but more through small details such as Stradlater's dirty razor. Another > fascinating literary topic for discusssion. . . . > > > Cheers! > > > D. > > > >