It was not a very fun day. It is a shame, if I am in good condition, then half marathon feels like a party at the end of three month of training. If I am not in condition I will really have to work for every one of the 21 km. This year I was NOT in as good a condition as I would have liked. That's OK, there's always next year!
I studied this book in my Modern Novel class at University in the Seventies. Pynchon is all about paranoia! There's something in Lot 49 about Jacobean drama. Have to read it again.
Hello Jack! There is a long bit right in the middle where Oedipa goes to see a play, something like Hamlet or The Revengers Tragedy, which is all about a character named Trystero, who might secretly have been the originator of this secret society of alternative mail carriers. If only she could get here hands on the original text of the play, she might get some answers! It is nothing if not imaginative. The layers of intrigue get deeper and deeper. Hope you are well Jack!
It's a strange one, and I can't say I loved the theatre scene that went on and one. But it is quite an experience. It sometimes felt like watching a really wild film, rather than reading a book.
"I was about to do the Buddhist monk thing;" explained the executive. "Nearly three weeks it takes him to decide. You now how long it would've taken the IBM 7094? Twelve micro-seconds. No wonder you were replaced." Marvelous writing, even tho it broke my brain. I love when authors do that. P.S. Yes, it was my first Pynchon and i'll stay away for a bit.
I really liked that bit! Once I'd finished recording the video I realized there were about 100 plot threads I would have liked to mention. The Anti-love society was a good one. Sometimes I feel there are so many incredible books, there isn't any sense in agonizing over an author who wants to make it a task and a chore to get through. I've always loved the cleanly stated brevity of many Japanese novels. This feels like the opposite. It's like trying to read a book during a riot.
I sort of like paranoia...as like Kafka. So you make this one interesting. But only god knows when I will get through my reading queue, as loaded up by you!
It has a lot of good stuff in it, quite remarkable for 1965. Several times I thought, 'Is this why everyone got so weird in the late 60s?' But I suppose I will always feel that there are a lot of books to read before I get back around to Pynchon. Thanks John!
Pynchon is difficult, so as you recommend this is a good introduction to the hardcore if paranoid literature. If you will, a gateway drug. I’ve only read his first three books and that was long ago. I keep meaning to take up Gravity’s Rainbow again - it’s on my self flagellation shelf. All the best, as always, to you and yours.
I have to admire his ability, but it doesn't give me what I love about literature. And still I find myself more than a little fascinated by what he wants to do with 'the novel.' I guess it's like cilantro, you either have a taste for it or you don't.
There are so many amazing books out there... I always say, go for the good ones first, because you never know how much time you'll have later. I hope, with this channel, I can help guide people to the books that I think are worth finding and reading. If someone is reading 4-5 books a year, I don't want them to waste their time with an author just because he has a massive cult following. I think Pynchon is doing something very interesting, but it is really for a very select audience who enjoys his type of work.
I don't think Pynchon will ever be my favourite writer. His intelligence is obvious on every page, his weird weaving the story together is sharp and incredibly creative... but I just don't enjoy reading his books. It feels like sci-fi to me. When the paranoia and secret society stuff gets too out of control, I just can't be bothered any more.
@@grantlovesbooks I liked Pynchon ... so 15-20 years ago. But of course he was never my favourite writer. That are/were people like Borges, Cortázar, Pessoa, Leo Perutz and funny enough, Philip K. Dick. ;-) By the way: Did you read my story. And was it horrible? ;-)
@@the3rdpillblog934 Hello 3rdpill, I printed your story yesterday at school, but haven't looked at it yet. I am a little crushed right now by essays and reading for presentations. I will read it soon, I hope within the next week. I would really be surprised to meet someone who tells me Pynchon is their favourite writer. But sometimes people get stuck on one particular style and can't give it up.
@@grantlovesbooks No hurry. I just was curious. There is always the possibility that you find it so bad that you immediately break off contact (that actually happened to me with a fairly well-known German author; I had apparently given him the wrong story to read) or you don't know how to react to it... I haven't read the story for... maybe 10 years, but since only 2 of my stories have been translated and this one is clearly the better one (since the other one really isn't good), I had no choice but to give you this one. 🙂 - And it also has a questionable connection to Japan. Haha.
@@the3rdpillblog934 I'm going to try to read it tomorrow commuting back and forth from school. If I don't get it finished, I will do the same on Tuesday and that should get it finished. I will let you know!
Never heard of him but might give this one a go - approaching with some trepidation because he sounds like hard work. My TBR list just gets longer and longer. Are you a speed reader?
This book can feel like hard work. He has a strangely dense and fast-moving style. It's kind of nice because it has that 'underground' quality that a few writers had in the 60's. But the paranoia and secret societies gets a little too much for me. Especially today with the world threatened by so many obvious dangers, I don't feel I need to spend time worrying about strange alternate societies in my literature. Even if it's less than 200 pages, I found the anxiety a bit much.
I never quite got Pynchon. He never seemed to be worth the bother. I read this years ago and remember liking it more than Vineland and Gravity's Rainbow. But this vid was clever and insightful and it was fun thinking about Pynchon again, but I feel he's lost a gravitas in the current era that he had back in the day perhaps the conspiracies of the present way surpass what he imagined.
Very true, in this age of flat-earthers, and people putting butter in their morning coffee, maybe Pynchon looks a little pedestrian. As I have been replying to all the comments, I can't fault him for his ability and intellect, really, he blows me away. But it comes down to enjoying the book I'm reading, and although there are moments, and there are several moments, it just doesn't leave me wanting to read any more. People say DH Lawrence is boring, but I'll read Women in Love way sooner than I want to read Vineland again.
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So glad to see you survived the half marathon! Thanks for the review.
It was not a very fun day. It is a shame, if I am in good condition, then half marathon feels like a party at the end of three month of training. If I am not in condition I will really have to work for every one of the 21 km. This year I was NOT in as good a condition as I would have liked.
That's OK, there's always next year!
I studied this book in my Modern Novel class at University in the Seventies. Pynchon is all about paranoia! There's something in Lot 49 about Jacobean drama. Have to read it again.
Hello Jack! There is a long bit right in the middle where Oedipa goes to see a play, something like Hamlet or The Revengers Tragedy, which is all about a character named Trystero, who might secretly have been the originator of this secret society of alternative mail carriers. If only she could get here hands on the original text of the play, she might get some answers!
It is nothing if not imaginative. The layers of intrigue get deeper and deeper.
Hope you are well Jack!
I need to re-read this one.
My first Pynchon was _Inherent Vice._
It's a strange one, and I can't say I loved the theatre scene that went on and one. But it is quite an experience. It sometimes felt like watching a really wild film, rather than reading a book.
"I was about to do the Buddhist monk thing;" explained the executive. "Nearly three weeks it takes him to decide. You now how long it would've taken the IBM 7094? Twelve micro-seconds. No wonder you were replaced." Marvelous writing, even tho it broke my brain. I love when authors do that. P.S. Yes, it was my first Pynchon and i'll stay away for a bit.
I really liked that bit! Once I'd finished recording the video I realized there were about 100 plot threads I would have liked to mention. The Anti-love society was a good one.
Sometimes I feel there are so many incredible books, there isn't any sense in agonizing over an author who wants to make it a task and a chore to get through.
I've always loved the cleanly stated brevity of many Japanese novels. This feels like the opposite. It's like trying to read a book during a riot.
I sort of like paranoia...as like Kafka. So you make this one interesting. But only god knows when I will get through my reading queue, as loaded up by you!
It has a lot of good stuff in it, quite remarkable for 1965. Several times I thought, 'Is this why everyone got so weird in the late 60s?'
But I suppose I will always feel that there are a lot of books to read before I get back around to Pynchon.
Thanks John!
Pynchon is difficult, so as you recommend this is a good introduction to the hardcore if paranoid literature. If you will, a gateway drug.
I’ve only read his first three books and that was long ago. I keep meaning to take up Gravity’s Rainbow again - it’s on my self flagellation shelf.
All the best, as always, to you and yours.
I have to admire his ability, but it doesn't give me what I love about literature. And still I find myself more than a little fascinated by what he wants to do with 'the novel.'
I guess it's like cilantro, you either have a taste for it or you don't.
@@grantlovesbooks nice metaphor
Or rather simile.
@@TheSalMaris Thanks!
@@grantlovesbooks Personally, I like cilantro, but I'm not at all sure where that places me on any literary scale.
I’ve never read this one! Still not sure if I’ll get to it before I 🐸. 😂
There are so many amazing books out there... I always say, go for the good ones first, because you never know how much time you'll have later.
I hope, with this channel, I can help guide people to the books that I think are worth finding and reading. If someone is reading 4-5 books a year, I don't want them to waste their time with an author just because he has a massive cult following.
I think Pynchon is doing something very interesting, but it is really for a very select audience who enjoys his type of work.
Still have to read this one.
I don't think Pynchon will ever be my favourite writer. His intelligence is obvious on every page, his weird weaving the story together is sharp and incredibly creative... but I just don't enjoy reading his books. It feels like sci-fi to me. When the paranoia and secret society stuff gets too out of control, I just can't be bothered any more.
@@grantlovesbooks I liked Pynchon ... so 15-20 years ago. But of course he was never my favourite writer. That are/were people like Borges, Cortázar, Pessoa, Leo Perutz and funny enough, Philip K. Dick. ;-) By the way: Did you read my story. And was it horrible? ;-)
@@the3rdpillblog934 Hello 3rdpill, I printed your story yesterday at school, but haven't looked at it yet. I am a little crushed right now by essays and reading for presentations. I will read it soon, I hope within the next week.
I would really be surprised to meet someone who tells me Pynchon is their favourite writer. But sometimes people get stuck on one particular style and can't give it up.
@@grantlovesbooks No hurry. I just was curious. There is always the possibility that you find it so bad that you immediately break off contact (that actually happened to me with a fairly well-known German author; I had apparently given him the wrong story to read) or you don't know how to react to it... I haven't read the story for... maybe 10 years, but since only 2 of my stories have been translated and this one is clearly the better one (since the other one really isn't good), I had no choice but to give you this one. 🙂 - And it also has a questionable connection to Japan. Haha.
@@the3rdpillblog934 I'm going to try to read it tomorrow commuting back and forth from school. If I don't get it finished, I will do the same on Tuesday and that should get it finished. I will let you know!
Never heard of him but might give this one a go - approaching with some trepidation because he sounds like hard work. My TBR list just gets longer and longer. Are you a speed reader?
This book can feel like hard work. He has a strangely dense and fast-moving style.
It's kind of nice because it has that 'underground' quality that a few writers had in the 60's. But the paranoia and secret societies gets a little too much for me. Especially today with the world threatened by so many obvious dangers, I don't feel I need to spend time worrying about strange alternate societies in my literature. Even if it's less than 200 pages, I found the anxiety a bit much.
I never quite got Pynchon. He never seemed to be worth the bother. I read this years ago and remember liking it more than Vineland and Gravity's Rainbow. But this vid was clever and insightful and it was fun thinking about Pynchon again, but I feel he's lost a gravitas in the current era that he had back in the day perhaps the conspiracies of the present way surpass what he imagined.
Very true, in this age of flat-earthers, and people putting butter in their morning coffee, maybe Pynchon looks a little pedestrian.
As I have been replying to all the comments, I can't fault him for his ability and intellect, really, he blows me away. But it comes down to enjoying the book I'm reading, and although there are moments, and there are several moments, it just doesn't leave me wanting to read any more.
People say DH Lawrence is boring, but I'll read Women in Love way sooner than I want to read Vineland again.