Spermatikos Logos FAQ
- At January 08, 2021
- By Spermatikos Logos
- In Pynchon, The Modern Word
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If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers
The Pomona College Pynchon site holds a Pynchon FAQ file; so this FAQ will not duplicate any of that information. The following questions are some of the more common things visitors ask about Spermatikos Logos itself.
Who runs this site?
Three fellows run this site, Dr. Larry Daw, Dr. Martin Dietze, and Allen B. Ruch, the author of this FAQ file, although I tend to use my nickname of “Quail.” I am the founder of The Modern Word, and I run Spermatikos Logos as its main site editor as well. An artist, novelist, and critic, Larry has written extensively on Pynchon and other postmodern concerns. Martin—his professional focus being elsewhere—is just a Pynchon fan bringing in technical experience where needed. There’s also been a few people who have contributed over the years, including Erik Ketzan, Ismo Santala, Rob Jackson, Tim Ware, David Morris, and Richard Lane.
So, where the heck has Spermatikos Logos been for—whatisit?—fifteen years?
Writing Vineland 2: The Electric Boogaloo, of course! Sigh. No, nothing so glamorous. As a commercial concern, The Modern Word was a victim of the dot-com crash in the early naughts. After a spell of running it privately, the hosting company that ran the site was attacked by hackers, and The Modern Word went offline in 2006. That hosting company eventually folded, and a series of interruptions we call “life” occurred which prevented the site from finding a new home. (Bleeding Edge captures the feel of that old dot-com world quite well…!) The authors moved on… until Martin Dietze arrived on the scene in 2021, and volunteered his services to resurrect the old Spermatikos Logos site and place it online via WordPress. And that’s what you see here.
Are there any plans to update the site, make it more current? You know, Pynchon did write a couple-three books after Mason & Dixon, I’m just saying…
Yes! Our first priority is to get Spermatikos Logos back online, more or less how it looked like in 2006. We know this means there’s some broken links, outdated information, and awkward gaps. Not to mention a spate of embarrassing purple prose from ol’ Quail here. But here it is—warts and all! Next, we plan to extensively revise the pages throughout 2021 and early 2022. That means correcting mistakes and smoothing over rough patches, but also adding new material.
Do you accept submissions?
Absolutely! Spermatikos Logos is meant to be a community effort, and we gladly accept quality submissions such as reviews, papers, essays, or Pynchonian projects. Just drop us a line and we can discuss your idea.
Can you offer me help on a school project or a research paper?
The Modern Word often gets asked to provide facts, ideas, topics, and other assistance on research papers, and occasionally someone asks if we can email them some additional material on Pynchon. We assure you, everything we have is already available on this site, or will be coming shortly.
The links on your pages sure do have long, funny names! Are those quotes from Pynchon’s works?
Yes. One of the joys of creating this site is finding quotes that set off my different subsections—we try to select quotes with a certain degree of appropriateness or irony; but occasionally we just choose one because we like the sound of it.
Do you know where Thomas Pynchon lives? And why haven’t you published information on Pynchon sightings?
Pynchon has made it quite clear that he enjoys his anonymity; and Spermatikos Logos respects that. We are not interested in tracking him down. These pages generally focus on his literary creations and his influence on popular culture.
Authors: Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 6 November 2021
Main Pynchon Page: Spermatikos Logos
Contact: quail(at)shipwrecklibrary(dot)com
Last Modified: 6 November 2021
Main Pynchon Page: Spermatikos Logos
Contact: quail(at)shipwrecklibrary(dot)com