Foer/Pynchon on Artificiality and the Authentic

Pynchon served as a great introduction to the postmodern problem of distinguishing between the authentic and the artificial.  Pynchon playfully toyed with the concept in inventive ways, primarily by making the reader as lost in discerning authenticity as Oedipa Maas.  For instance, Pierce Inverarity’s estate included a resort which contained an artificial lake that possessed the actual remains of dead sailors and sunken ships at its bottom.  Later on, Oedipa finds an important clue for her investigation of the Trystero in the form of an inscription on the lake which made some reference to a battle that may have occurred there.  Pynchon obviously does not remind us that it is an artificial lake, and the reader is left guessing as to which clues are valid and which are not.  Jonathan Safran Foer also addresses this issue of authenticity versus artificiality, but he does so in a much more transparent manner.  For instance, when Oskar’s father tells the Sixth Borough bed-time story, he is silent on the actual reality of the Sixth Borough, but mentions that “there is an abundance of clues that would give the wanting believer something to hold on to (221).”  At this moment and at other times, Oskar’s father essentially implies that the content is really not so important as long as the approach is conducted in an energetic, inquisitive manner.  At one point he tells Oskar to “never stop looking.”  While this would seem to contradict Pynchon’s postulation of general indeterminacy, The Crying of Lot 49 actually does provide a series of metaphors elaborating on how one must go about sorting through the chaotic mess that is modern civilization.  Maxwell’s Demon, for instance, represents one such metaphor for active engagement with the world in order to parcel out its difficulties.  It is interesting that this so neatly coincides with Thomas Schell’s advice.  I wrote a lengthy portion of my Pynchon paper detailing the importance of “mental work” for Oedipa and her attempt to sift through the modern world/Inverarity’s estate.  It is very surprising that Foer provides almost the same advice through the voice of his most sagacious character.  Furthermore, it is important to note that Oskar embodies this advice to a far greater degree than Oedipa, and this may explain the closure he finds and that constantly eludes Oedipa.