/lit/ - Literature

>>16667301
They are the same book

J R since The Recognitions will take you a month

>>16667301
Read pynchon instead

>>16667301
Recognitions
>>16667320
Get fucked

>>16667320
isn't jr longer and harder than the recognitions

>>16668059
longer no harder yes

>>16667301
JR is an impenetrable wall of voices and the recognitions is an impenetrable wall of esoteric allusion, pick your poison

>>16668059
i've got something longer and harder for ya ;)

>>16668092
uh oh is das the SATURN?!?!?! ouuu spooky big occult man so scary big intellect love you long time so sexy wow dark mystery

>>16667301
I ordered J R today, I'll see if it is hard as fuck as they say.

>>16668287
same lol

>>16667301
Each has it’s merits, and each is some of the best post-war fiction you can find in english. For me, the Recognitions was considerably harder. JR was a steep incline followed by an steady, and quite luxurious decline in difficulty. The first 20-50 pages will be spent frustrated and confused, but eventually it will click and the rest is easy to enjoy. The difficulty in the Recognitions isn’t a structural one, so there’s no learning curve (even if the difficulty is overhyped for both tomes).

I would recommend JR if you want the more enthralling experience, it balances parody, slapstick gags, fully realized character, and critiques of the Stock Market, and more broadly consumerism's corruption of art. The Recognitions is less funny, but delivers in every other aspect, with it’s focus not on the business world, but on the art side of things. It is the more important novel I’d say, very influential on the American post modern scene if that’s something you’re into.

Neither is really better to read before the other, just make sure to read a bit about Gaddis’ life and career before you go at JR since there’s a lot of self deprecating jokes within. Whichever you, or anyone else in this thread chose, this site here is a fantastic safety net for two very demanding yet equally rewarding reads.
https://www.williamgaddis.org

>>16668420
Your description of J R sounds a lot like Pynchon. Who influenced who? lol

>>16668437
JR definitely feels like a less directly goofy pynchon at times. Influence is probably mutual on this one desu. JR was written after Pynchon had put out his first three novels, so the shift further into the absurd, complicated plot that crumbles under it’s own weight in the last bit of book could be Thommy’s impact. It’s also possible, though pretty unlikely that neither even read the other. V. has a lot of similarities to The Recogintions (the whole slick crew would fit right in, plus the whole search for something that’s “real”). These can be chalked up to general Beat influence (which Gaddis was a distant offshoot of).

>>16668483
Which had the knight armor scene? LoL

>>16669711
The Recognitions

>>16668483
>It’s also possible, though pretty unlikely that neither even read the other
According to Joy Williams's intro to J R, Gaddis claimed he never even read Ulysses, and he resented that everyone compared his work with it.

no one brings out the consoomers on /lit/ quite like gaddis
>muh edition
>muh cover
>muh what am i in for

>>16670802
I've never seen anyone mention covers nor editions. Most people here buy it because of its availability and price. Gaddis goes out of print very often.

>>16667301
JR is hilarious but the book reads like some angry boomer's rant at times (especially around the middle/end parts where the quality isn't as nearly as entertaining at the beginning)

it's worth reading though, i genuinely think Edward Bast is one of my favorite characters in fiction. I haven't read the recognitions yet

is (are?) the recognitions as difficult as (((they))) say?

>>16672271
It’s hard but not as bad as GR or Ulysses

>>16672288
should i read ulysses before reading the recognitions?

>>16673484
h...hewwo...?!?!

The annotations on the William Gaddis website make reading JR a bit more pleasant.
https://williamgaddis.org/jr/jrnotes1.shtml

>>16674019
guyssssss answer me plsss

>>16673484
No, why would you need too? Read JR before both though.

>>16674088
ty :)

>had to read Moby Dick using the Norton Critical Edition AND powermobydick.com
Do I stand a chance at reading this? I've only been reading seriously for about a year now

>>16673484
No.I was just comparing them.GR and U are both structurally and topically challenging.TR is straightforward but kills you with countless esoteric and niche art references.Its easy to get the gist of why certain things are brought up though even without looking up exactly what they are

>>16674294
Unless your well versed in Dutch Impressionism(I think that’s it) and we’ll aquatinted with the Bible, many references will fly over your head.Large portions of the book are like wading through quicksand

>>16674370
Not him but I read a book on H. Bosch, would that help?

>>16667301
Imagine pouring your heart and soul into a book and this is the cover your publisher gives you. What fucking bullshit

>>16674731
it's alright. only plebs care about covers anyway.

>Not the gass intro

Oof

>>16674721
It probably would but it’s been a few years since I’ve read it.Painting techniques are also prevalent as art forgery is a plot point so it goes beyond various artists’ lives and paintings

>>16674731
what's wrong with it? they're rather tasteful compared to other modern american covers

>>16674731
Gaddis reportedly preferred "purely typographical" covers so it's fine.

Source: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/84602-nyrb-revisits-two-big-books-by-william-gaddis.html
>Nicholas During, NYRB's marketing manager, notes that the new covers "are also something of a tribute to the original cover of The Recognitions," adding that Gaddis's children indicated to the press that Gaddis preferred "purely typographical" covers.

>>16667301
He is Pynchon but worse. Meme author.