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Pynchon writes two distinct types of novels. V., Gravity's Rainbow, Mason & Dixon, and Against the Day are is big (literally) complexly plotted novels that freq
by abruzzi 13y ago
Pynchon writes two distinct types of novels. V., Gravity's Rainbow, Mason & Dixon, and Against the Day are is big (literally) complexly plotted novels that frequently involve hundreds of characters and huge forces of history. They are my favorites, but they require serious commitment and even then can be difficult to read (I've never actually gotten through Mason & Dixon.)
He also writes smaller stories that generally focus on a single primary plot with a clear main character driving the story. These are The Crying of Lot 49, Vineland, Inherent Vice, and from the sound of the review, Bleeding Edge. These don't capture his insane manic complexity except in tiny flashes, but they are far easier to acclimate yourself to Pynchon.
I do think of his "simpler" novels, The Crying of Lot 49 gives the best taste of Pynchon's common obsessions. I enjoyed Inherent Vice and Vineland, but Lot 49 is much more finely polished.
- TomDavey 13y agoThe Crying of Lot 49 contains IMO one of the most hilarious sustained passages in all of modern American Lit. It's a parody of a typical Jacobean revenge like Webster's "Duchess of Malfi." The parody is pitch-perfect. It mocks every convention of the genre, including -- especially -- the preposterous violence.
- pingswept 13y agoThe Crying of Lot 49 is also good to start with because it's only 150 pages or so. His collection of short stories, Slow Learner, has some gems in it. I really liked the second story, Low-lands, the last time I read it. Around 20 years ago, when I was in college, I collected as much of his non-book stuff as I could and put it on a web page. Oddly, it seems it has survived: http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/uncollected/index.html http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/uncollected/index.html My favorite piece there is the article for Aerospace Safety, from when Pynchon worked at Boeing: http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/uncollected/together.html http://www.pynchon.pomona.edu/uncollected/together.html
- dnr 13y agoMy favorite from Slow Learner was "Under the Rose", which he later turned into a chapter of V. I loved the absurdism, steampunk-ish bits, and theme of history as chaotic. They're all pretty good, though.