/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.11528537]

What do you guys think of this book? I enjoyed it but if there was more to it I think I missed it.

[Anonymous No.11528732]

>>11528537
I wouldn't make it my first Pynchon

it's pretty great though

[Anonymous No.11528754]

>>11528732
I would and did desu

OP, as long as you got some of the connections/patterns in the novel then you read it properly. If you're looking for a deeper understanding, then read some essays, starting with the ones about entropy, probably. But don't look for "answers"...

[Anonymous No.11528895]

>>11528732
>I wouldn't make it my first Pynchon
I just got it for my first Pynchon a few days ago because it's short. Only sampled it but it seems fun

[Anonymous No.11529285]

>>11528895
Pynchon is not fun.

He must be approached with a demur respect

[Anonymous No.11529299]

>The next story I wrote was 'The Crying of Lot 49,' which was marketed as a 'novel,' and in which I seem to have forgotten most of what I thought I'd learned up till then.

t. Tommy P

[Anonymous No.11529343]

>>11529299
sounds like he didn't get it

[Anonymous No.11529353]

>>11529299
Truth
Still good but not as good as every other novel he wrote

[Anonymous No.11529360]

>>11528537
but that’s the whole point
>A screaming comes across the sky.
So glad this was my first Pynchon novel, what drivel

[Anonymous No.11529361]

Is this the first cyberpunk book?

[Anonymous No.11529438]

Whenever you're reading a Pynchon book, you should search this guy's twitter for mentions of it:
https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&vertical=default&q=crying%20from%3A%40cuttlefish_btc&src=typd
He gives a lot of background on the hidden history that Pynchon was making references to in his books.

[Anonymous No.11529466]

>>11528537
>If there was more to it I think I missed it.
Same. I read this and it seemed remarkably easy to follow despite all the "muh hard postmodern book is really hard" hype surrounding it. This book was surprisingly easy and a very enjoyable read. Am I missing something? Are the people who keep saying this book is hard just retarded?
inb4 >lel u failed to misunderstand it therefore you misunderstand it

[Anonymous No.11529534]

I just picked it up as my first pynch

[Anonymous No.11529548]

>>11529466
I think this novel exemplifies the dichotomy which every reader faces when coming to terms with their understanding of a recently completed work.
A: Yes, I am comfortable with my understanding of x, and feel no need to research either x or the specific nature of the themes which x attempts to embody.
B: No, I wish to understand x more completely, if not through further study of x, then by more investigation of themes present in x.
Novels, beyond their physical form, are representations of ideas. The choice to/not to devote more time to a work (and by extention, the ideas present within it) is simply that. TCoL49 is simply a representation of THIS idea.

I think it’s impossible for anyone, author included, to determine whether or not any work has become obsolete. I personally believe that certain representations go through trends, where a powerful person or group of people determines 1) a work is an embodiment of some idea(s) and 2) said work does so in a way that is contemporarily relevant, useful for the maintenance of their power structure, etc. In this way humanity lauds some works and neglects others until they resurface as valuable artifacts or disappear completely due to our own neglect. This phenomenon applies to things like memes and fashion, or tastes in general.