Talk:Main Page
As compared to the other wikis, V suffers from the inclusion of unnecessary, easily-available definitions. Clarifying obscure terminology & providing context is an important mission of the Pynchonwiki's; cataloguing definitions for anyone too lazy to look up the word "pig" is not. Is this someone's idea of a joke?
I agree...
As the initiator of this wiki, I totally agree with you. To get this wiki started I just ported over the alphabetical content from the ThomasPynchon.com website, for which I am responsible. However, everyone is responsible for this wiki, so if you want to pull some of the more obvious definitions, I have no problem with that!
WikiAdmin 21:42, 5 September 2007 (PDT)
As the one who initially posted a definition of 'pig', I want to say that some words/definitions which seem 'obvious' reveal the kind of subtleties
we associate with Pynchon, with many a great writer, when we explore the full range of meanings---a Pynchonian theme, we know. (I eliminated part
of the obvious definition of pig and left certain overtones that might matter for Pynchon in V.) Look at a full annotated edition of Shakespeare or Austen to see how posting 'simple' definitions can illumine a great writer.
What Shakespeare does with the simple words of the Sonnets is astonishing when simple definitions are looked up.
This wiki should match those writers' annotated editions and illumine Pynchon as deeply and as long, imho.
A-and, what is obvious to some of us who are older, who may have read and reread V. and many other of Pynchon's works, is not so to many new young minds. V. is (almost) as far back in time now [1963; set 1955] as
World War 1(!) was when it was published. There are a lot of young minds for whom many 'obvious' meanings have still to be learned. And many nuances
and sources---Benny's very name, for example; Christmas Eve 1955 and the first Santa tracking---that have not been deeply known before. MKOHUT 17:22, 11 September 2007 (PDT)
A-and, just to make it even more personal, I never finished V. back when I was much younger because I felt there was too much I wasn't getting, wasn't seeing and feeling and was too lazy and/or busy to look up. I am adding my contributions for that bi-located, time-travelling young person I once was. MKOHUT 17:22, 11 September 2007 (PDT)
I wish more people would add anything, simple to not-so.
