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/lit/ - Literature

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11470374 No.11470374 [Reply] [Original]

I'd like a full rundown of Pynchon as an author. It it a worthy investment to read his books, mainly his early ones- V, 49, and GR? I'd like to know the pros and cons of reading him from a certified Pynchonite.

>> No.11470383

>pros

Experience the world through the eyes of a genius

>cons

Every other book you read will be shit by comparison and you'll never be able to fill the Pynch-void in your life once you're out of him

>> No.11470408

>>11470383
Favorite work of his?

>> No.11470511

>>11470374
Theyre still bursting with energy, and lots of fun. But.. one has to know how to read.

>> No.11470535

Pynchons my fav writer for sure because my fav thing in books is goofs, gags, jokes and rambunctious behavior, and his books are full to the brim of it. Every novel is like one of those novelty snake cans, you open the book & POP you get a face fulla snakes and you fall back cackling. The mad mind, the crack genius, to do it! and then you think hmmm whats he gonna do next, this trickster, and you pick the book back up and BZZZZZZZZZZ you get a shock and Hahahahahah you've been pranked again by the old pynchmeister, that card. "Did that Pynch?" he says, laughing yukyukyukyuk. Watch him as he shoves a pair of plastic buck teeth right up into his mouth and displays em for you- left, right, center- "you like dese? Do i look handsome???" Pulls out a mirror. "Ah!" Hand to naughty mouth. And you're on your ass again laughing as he snaps his suspenders, exits stage right, and appears again hauling a huge golden gong.

>> No.11470832

This probably isn't a lot of help but does anyone else struggle picturing the apocheir as described in the first chapter of V? I started reading it last night and I don't know if I'm overthinking it and should just read it in relation to Benny being a schlemihl and human yo-yo.

>> No.11470867

>>11470535
I've seen this before. Atleast write up a new one

>> No.11470873
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11470873

>>11470832
Is V any good? Is it your first Pynch?

>> No.11470925

>>11470873
It's my third, I started with what I thought would be the most accessible so I read the shortest ,TCOL4, then went on to Inherent Vice, which as it turns out is much more accessible.

I've only read the first two chapters of V but I've been enjoying it so far. I can't speak to whether or not it's a worthy investment of your time because the previous ones I've read have been short or fairly simple, but from my experience I'd say you should definitely try it. It's a lot of fun even when you're lost.

>> No.11470975

>>11470925
The gators is great fun and esthers nose job around 100 pages in is a fabulous part. Changes up a fair bit a little afterwards though eh.

>> No.11471102

I started reading Gravity's Rainbow, because I heard there was good STEM references in it.

He actually printed out some control differential equation mid-paragraph so it's pretty based. It seems like he has some understanding, as opposed to hack writers who use science just for the aesthetic.

Got distracted so I haven't read any more in a while.

>> No.11471138

what should I read from him, so far I've read IV and BE, tried Mason and Dixon but the prose seems pretty difficult for me, would love to hear some thoughts or recommendations

>> No.11471215

>>11471138
i liked vineland, but its generally considered weak-er

>> No.11471255

>>11471102
He went to school for Engineering for a bit (but switched to English halfway) and worked at Boeing for a while as a technical writer. Keep going, GR is probably the greatest STEM novel there is. He sure loves his sexual deviancy and postmodernism though.

>> No.11471256

>>11471138
I've read V, GR and TCOL49, I've heard IV and BE read a fair bit different eh. If you have it in you to actually read a bigger book then take a chance with GR and just enjoy it for the fun of it if nothing else.

>> No.11471477

>>11470383
>Every other book you read will be shit by comparison

That's not true

>> No.11471487
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11471487

>>11471102
V has some beautiful passages on linear algebra

GR is more about calculus though

>> No.11471594

>>11470867
that anon still trying to pretend he made a pasta, don't mind it

>> No.11471610

>>11470535
So pretty much he is like Bugs Bunny

>> No.11471631

Pros - you'll be able to say you read Pynchon and not know deep down inside that you're a liar; people will be vaguely impressed and you may earn some hipster cred.

Cons - You'll have wasted valuable weeks if not months trying to glean meaning from the esoteric ramblings of an overblown hack. The very occasional "funny" passage may induce a mild chuckle.

>> No.11471668

>>11471631
>implying time can be valuable

>> No.11471684
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11471684

>>11471610
He writes comic books for adults aka genre fiction.

>> No.11471930

Objectively: is he good, bad, the greatest, the worst?

>> No.11471968
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11471968

>>11471930
tha bes fren

>> No.11472159

>>11471215
That's just because people wanted M&D instead.

>> No.11473110

Bump

>> No.11473304

>>11470374
EXPLAIN V TO ME RIGHT FUCKING NOW. IM 300 PAGES IN AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IM SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING AWAY FROM THE BOOK AS A WHOLE... WTF

>> No.11473369

>>11471477
Do you think there is any better living author?

>> No.11473372

>>11473304
>automatons
>Rosicrucians and jesuits
>post colonialism

>> No.11473382

>>11473372
DONT JUST DUMB IT DOWN TO SOME VAGUE SHIT! EXPLAIN V RIGHT FUCKING NOW, FOR REAL, OR I WILL LITERALLY FUCKING KILL YOu!

>> No.11473409

>>11470383
jesus fucking christ

pynchon is fine but some of the dweebs who stan him on here are as insufferable as the petersonposters

>> No.11473415

>>11473382
how about u finish the fucken thing
then come back to us, ok
how's that

>> No.11473432

>>11473415
OK ILL BE BACK SOON

>> No.11473445
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11473445

>>11473304
exactly

>> No.11473459

>>11473445
I am enjoying it a lot however the scenes that take place in early 20th century europe and africa are disorienting and I have to backtrack a fair amount

>> No.11473689
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11473689

>>11473409
well to be fair he's not wrong

>> No.11474508

>>11473369
DeLillo

>> No.11474720

>>11471668
Doesn’t bill his time to authors, family, friends.