/lit/ - Literature

Very well-written, with some really cool sections, and the general late 60s feel is good indeed. Yeah, it's not complex, certainly not like ATD or GR, but so what. It's a really entertaining book, one of Pynchon's best.

I've read it 3 times, and pretty much enjoyed it each time. I know it's Pynchon Lite, but that doesn't mean it's BAD. A lot of mid-brow books by different authors are good, sometimes excellent. Inherent Vice is enjoyable, because of the late 60s setting, various characters, and the noir feel.

Getting good now, although I'm generally enjoying myself. I would have to say, though, that this is Pynchon Lite. Not *too* complex, not too many references, plus it isn't a really long book. How are others getting along with it?

9.30: get up and get ready for the day
10.00: set off for town centre
10.25: arrive at local Waterstones
10:25 - 10:30: get book from front stand, go to side cash register, get book served by cutie patootie
10:35: arrive at local park, and sit on waterfall area, start reading
Rest of day: walk home, read in garden

I've got it all sown up, /lit/. Unless something goes horribly wrong.

I suppose my question is this: will Bleeding Edge be Pynchon Lite, or Pynchon Classic? Either Vineland or Gravity's Rainbow. Or, the hitherto unseen Pynchon Pro?

Jesus. Can you imagine that? Even more complex than ATD or GR?

Slow Learner, or V? They're the only books I've got left by Pynchon, and I'm not sure. Given how much I'm enjoying short stories at the moment, I'm more inclined to read SL, but V might be good. I've heard bad things from this board previously about Sl though, something about how old and poorly written the stories are.

As everyone on /lit/ knows, because I always say about it, I've had this book a long time. About 5 years. I basically read a lot of the book back in the day, over maybe a year, but skipped quite a lot, and barely understood it at all.

Now...

I started to read it again, last week. Basically, I've gotten through about 400 pages in the space of a few days. I still think a lot of it is shit, or potentially good, but so hard we'll never know, but some of it definitely is good. Let's see.

* Slothrop in Africa, learning about the possible extinction of the people there (in that area, obviously not all of Africa)

* Some of the weird sex parts

* The extended flashback, with Pökler and the other scientists working on the 00000, and dealing with various things

That last section impressed me a lot. It actually reminded me of Part 5 (I think) of Underworld, where the scientists are making nukes, and wondering about it.


Comments, thoughts?

By the way, that's my new name for him. Hopefully it'll be adopted by the whole board.

I'm rereading Gravity's Rainbow, which I've basically read before (more or less (I'm a pleb), but I'm interested in still. I want to understand it better. I get lost after a while, though.

Only one book for best, and worst. And post a reason or reasons why. Although I think I know what every answer is going to be. Best = Gravity's Rainbow. Worst = Vineland.

Only read 50 pages, but it's alright. Understandable but good prose, interesting characters, some funny bits, great setting, plus some good social commentary which is something I like. Could Pynchon have written a good book?

Of course, it could all fall apart soon. I'm only an eighth of the way through.

My punishment has nearly been meted out. I have nearly done my time. It's all nearly over.

After 2 and a half months, I have very nearly finished the wretched book (there's no point in softening words, dear friends), at page 720 of 770 pages. I shall read the last 50 pages tomorrow morning, then crawl into a hidey hole and kill myself. This books is SO bad, I don't even know what to say. I think it may be my single lease favourite Pynchon books. Why couldn't it have been enough Against The Day, a really long historical story?

Explain to me with hand puppets why this book is one of the ebst of the 1990s.

Okay, Pynchon.

1. If he's so popular, why has he never been a best-selling / famous author, rather than kinda good selling / fairly well-known author?

2. Why do even his fans (who style themselves as 'Pynchonites') seem not to enjoy his books much? Stuff like: "Yeah, I'm reading Gravity's Rainbow for the third time, and I'm finally enjoying it now! A little!" What's with this?

3. Why is a recluse? How can we expect him to write about life without experiencing it? I mean, you know the Thoreau quote.

4. Why is he so obsessed with the 60s? Interesting decade, but not the only one.

Well, well, well. After about a month and a half, I have resumed reading it. Was: about 300 pages in. Now: about 400 pages in. I'm still not enjoying it a great deal, although it does have SOME funny bits, especially revolving around the anachronistic language, and some of the weirdos the eponymous characters meet. Could someone explain something though? What the hell was up with the Duck? A mechanised duck, right, so far so good, but why can it turn invisible by spinning around or vibrating?

When you're reading a postmodern novel, when it comes to weird character names, HOW weird do you like them to be, on a scale of 1 - 10?

For reference, something out of DFW's works would probably be about a 4 or 5, something like Stonecipher Beadsman or Hal Incandeza. Pynchon characters would be roughly an 8, people like Tyrone Slothrop, Roger Mexico, Darby Suckling, etc. Bolano would be a 1 or 2, since most of his characters have normal (if foreign) names.

So, what do you think? Names that reveal a character's nature are good, as are funny wordplays, but sometimes it goes so far that it undermines the credibility of the story, and makes it hard to empathise with characters.

I still don't like it much so far (about 250 pages), but it has the occasional very entertaining section. I love the bit where there's a whole network of underground tunnels connecting churches and other places, it had a real sense of adventure to it.

Not sure how long I'll stick with it, though.

This has been several months coming (although I was deciding whether or not to read Against The Day for over 6 months, reading reviews, looking at chapter guides, etc), but it's almost time. Is it going to be the wundernovel that /lit/ makes it out to be, or just money and time I'll never see again?

I'm yet to meet someone IRL who's liked Gravity's Rainbow.

This board acts like this board is the most amazing thing written (apart from Infinite Jest trololol), but why is it so good? I semi-like Pynchon, so I may like this, but don't want to buy it unless it's the best damn thing.

How much crossover do you think there is between these two?

1. Why did the Chums of Chance disappear for about 300 pages at one point, and what were they meant to be doing?

2. At some point, a group of characters went to the Sahara and found an under-desert train. What was this about, what happened, and how did it advance the plot?

3. What was going on with all the random love affairs?

4. When did the time skip happen, and what caused it?

As much as I enjoyed this book (good old Pynchon), there were a few things I didn't understand. It was hard to remember everything, and of course, the prose was (somewhat) hard.

The bit with the fireflies in the hollow tree trunk was great.

The first 400 pages were fairly good, then it kinda lost it. Because of the complexity of it, plus waiting a while to keep going, I have almost no idea what is going on.
(lol)

I've started to like Pynchon ever since Against The Day, whereas previously I couldn't stand him. How is Mason and Dixon? I know a lot of people consider it his best work. Please give me a few details about it, prose, characters, plot, etc.

It's actually a decent enough book, but I keep stopping to read other stuff...seriously, I've read 10 - 15 books inbetween reading bits of that. I'm up to page 800 out of 1,200.

I don't like Pynchon much but this is alright. Anyone wanna discuss it?

I've been reading it on and off (between other novles) for a couple of weeks now, and am 650 pages out of 1,200 in. There were some good sections early on, but now it's becoming boring and kinda hard to follow. Should I continue? It seems that even Pynchonites haven't read this one. Better than a lot of his other works though.