It is both refreshing a frustrating to have art in the year 2006 that doesn't fit into any current pop culture pigeonhole. The refreshing part is obvious, but the frustration is not so easy. Lots of niches want to claim Pynchon, but the beauty in the man's work is that it transcends categorization and in turn, ignores any notion of 'fashion'. One offshoot of this is that it doesn't lend itself very well to the age of the blogosphere-esque reviews.

Who knows whether Ms. Miller (a reviewer I respect and like) has actually read Against the Day in its entirety. The guess here is she 'pretty much' read it and thus garnered enough of its style and pattern to formulate her review. That's fine and that is certainly her right but if she skimmed even just one paragraph, I feel bad for her and any others that want to condense and capsulate.

Sorry for the inconvenience, but Pynchon doesn't fit such a framework. The joy in Pynchon is unmitigated bounding into his world and not leaving it for a very long time.

It took me an entire summer to read Gravity's Rainbow and the total immersion it provided is a reading experience I will never forget ( it is the only book I have ever dreamed about). I haven't come close to that feeling in the subsequent twenty years, and doubt if I ever will again. Funny thing, that book also actually arrived to mixed reviews as well, and sort of like 'Exile on Main Street', which dated it by just one year, was labeled as 'muddled' 'messy' and 'indulgent' only to - with the luxury of time- be hailed as a masterpiece.

Many of the perceived 'flaws' Ms. Miller points out in the new book are traits that have long been noted as Pynchon's virtues. Pynchon is like no other and to bemoan his style of 'pointless action' is so far beside the point that there is no way an amateur writer like me can begin to tell you what a misguided approach this is, other than to say ' trust me, it is'.

I think what has happened in the on-line age is some critics want to become a story themselves and want their subjects to fit their need to make some sort of statement. Or at least that's one conclusion I come away with from Ms. Miller's desire to pass the torch to Pynchon's literary disciples, some of whom are quite talented in their own right, but would totally freak out at such an elevation. In other words, that very talented kid I saw on the playground today with the sweet jumper has some moves, but I don't think he is Michael Jordan.

I will read Against the Day with an open mind and with the hope of duplicating my Gravity's Rainbow experience noted above. And who knows -- maybe I will end up agreeing with Ms Miller. The only thing I know for sure is that I will not be able to reach any conclusions on the new book for several months or more. That's how it is with timeless art and this is a beautiful thing.

Great writing, great story. Thanks.

Yet another reason to embrace satellite radio. I have watched this space evolve form music geekdom to closer and closer becoming ubiquitous and honestly, it reaffirms my faith in the marketplace. Both companies in the satellite field play more indie music than any one listener could ever hope to digest. I don't understand why sat. radio doesn't get more positive feedback from the music press because it is truly the best thing to ever happen to radio. Any, and I mean ANY, taste (including indie) has infinite exposure and I one for one can't imagine the music landscape ever existing again without it.

Optimist:

You write well and true and I share the majority of your opinions, but in fairness: my first exposure to the writings of Francis Collins was a lengthy and largely favorable Salon column a year or so ago.

Good story, thanks.

Someday the election of 2004 will be cited in campaign tutorials for young operatives on how to take a candidate's attributes and turn them into vulnerabilities. The pupils will be amazed to learn that the one candidate that year who DID serve in Viet Nam was the one who had to go on defense about that service.

I'm no fan of Rudy, but similarly the current conversation is incredibly Rovian: pick a perceived strength (as opposed to a perceived weakness) and dismantle it. The engineers of the Swiftboat Campaign would be very proud.

Good article, great points, but please refrain from calling Limbaugh the 'rotund' one. Physical appearance is irrelevant and really only serve to bolster a debate opponent's claim that the other side resorts to personal attacks instead of substance.