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msw1984 t1_itn4pq5 wrote

Reply to comment by beaverteeth92 in TIL that the famous author Thomas Pynchon has avoided publicity during his fifty-year career to the point that almost all known photos of him are from the 1950s. However, he voiced himself in two episodes of The Simpsons, where his dialogue consisted entirely of puns on the titles of his books. by IHad360K_KarmaDammit

I've only read Infinite Jest. Haven't read any Pynchon. Which novel would you suggest I start on of his? Gravity's Rainbow? The Crying of Lot 49? V.? Inherent Vice?

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BobBopPerano t1_itnpiru wrote

I’m not the person you were asking, but I do have an answer! Broadly, he has a few very long novels and a few more not very long novels. Most people would recommend starting with one of the not very long ones.

Personally, I think Inherent Vice would be a good one to start with. It’s funny, super readable, and you have PTA’s film adaptation to look forward to when you’re done. I’ve heard of other Pynchon fans who don’t love that one as much as I do though, so ymmv. The canonical answer is probably Lot 49.

Another consideration is Bleeding Edge—not many (including me) would call it their favorite Pynchon, but r/ThomasPynchon is starting a reading group for it next month, if that’s your thing. If it isn’t your thing, though, I’d still start with IV (but I do think BE is underrated).

Gravity’s Rainbow is great and probably my personal favorite, but a lot of Pynchon fans seem to prefer his other epics (Mason & Dixon and Against the Day), and all three are very distinct stylistically. Mostly, when you see people hating on Pynchon like above, it’s because they tried and failed to get through GR—so I definitely wouldn’t recommend starting with it. I do really love it though.

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msw1984 t1_itntfxf wrote

Thanks for the reply!

I honestly had a hard time with Infinite Jest. Read like the first 100 pages on Google Books preview and was really lost. Decided to buy a used copy and tried getting through that monstrosity of a book.

I eventually did. Took several months. Found it hard to read for long stretches of time. There were definitely parts/passages/lines I liked in it, but man, it's such a beast of a book to tackle.

I've heard similar complaints about Gravity's Rainbow as well.

Maybe I'll try Inherent Vice or The Crying of Lot 49 first.

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beaverteeth92 t1_itodp87 wrote

The Crying of Lot 49. It's every Pynchon trope condensed into 120 pages. If you like it, then read Gravity's Rainbow.

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msw1984 t1_ittqjt3 wrote

Thanks. Gonna read the free preview on Google Books and if I like it I'll give it a go.

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