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A few questions on Thomas Pynchon...
Thread poster: nobitabre82 (X)
nobitabre82 (X)
nobitabre82 (X)
United States
Oct 29, 2020

So I wanted to get into Pynchon and one of my trusted literary friends recommended that I read "Inherent Vice," and I'm enjoying it so far. It's very funny, even laugh-out-loud at some points, but I'm also finding it kind of hard to understand and keep up with, and the story so far isn't all that intriguing. Is that the point? The fact that the main character is completely stoned all the time? Any (spoiler-free, of course) suggestions as to how to approach it?

Also, I've heard that ... See more
So I wanted to get into Pynchon and one of my trusted literary friends recommended that I read "Inherent Vice," and I'm enjoying it so far. It's very funny, even laugh-out-loud at some points, but I'm also finding it kind of hard to understand and keep up with, and the story so far isn't all that intriguing. Is that the point? The fact that the main character is completely stoned all the time? Any (spoiler-free, of course) suggestions as to how to approach it?

Also, I've heard that people consider Pynchon a literary titan, and was wondering what work of his I should pick up next. Gravity's Rainbow? Against the Day? Crying of Lot 49?

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts. ▲ Collapse
 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:42
Member (2008)
Italian to English
illegible Oct 29, 2020

nobitabre82 wrote:

So I wanted to get into Pynchon and one of my trusted literary friends recommended that I read "Inherent Vice," and I'm enjoying it so far. It's very funny, even laugh-out-loud at some points, but I'm also finding it kind of hard to understand and keep up with, and the story so far isn't all that intriguing. Is that the point? The fact that the main character is completely stoned all the time? Any (spoiler-free, of course) suggestions as to how to approach it?

Also, I've heard that people consider Pynchon a literary titan, and was wondering what work of his I should pick up next. Gravity's Rainbow? Against the Day? Crying of Lot 49?

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts.


I have tried Pynchon but find him unreadable. Always showing off at how clever a writer he think he is. Gets in your face. I prefer a simple, direct writing style. Like the great Richard Ford, for instance. Here's the best place to start:

https://amzn.com/0679762108

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/02/richard-ford-takes-aim-let-me-be-frank-with-you

[Edited at 2020-10-29 14:14 GMT]

Baran Keki
 
Shannon Kirby
Shannon Kirby  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:42
Member (2020)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I've been wanting to read him myself Oct 29, 2020

I started watching the movie version of Inherent Vice without realizing what it was but didn't finish it for reasons unrelated to the movie itself. However, I liked what I saw so much that I looked it up, and now I want to read the book. Sometimes I'm really in the mood for authors playing with language and storytelling in crazy ways. When I get around to reading Inherent Vice, I think I'm going to go into it not expecting a traditional novel, form/format-wise. I'll just be along for the ride. I... See more
I started watching the movie version of Inherent Vice without realizing what it was but didn't finish it for reasons unrelated to the movie itself. However, I liked what I saw so much that I looked it up, and now I want to read the book. Sometimes I'm really in the mood for authors playing with language and storytelling in crazy ways. When I get around to reading Inherent Vice, I think I'm going to go into it not expecting a traditional novel, form/format-wise. I'll just be along for the ride. I hope you end up liking it! ▲ Collapse
 
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 08:42
Dutch to English
+ ...
@Tom Oct 29, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

I have tried Pynchon but find him unreadable. Always showing off at how clever a writer he think he is. Gets in your face. I prefer a simple, direct writing style. Like the great Richard Ford, for instance. Here's the best place to start:

https://amzn.com/0679762108

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/nov/02/richard-ford-takes-aim-let-me-be-frank-with-you

[Edited at 2020-10-29 14:14 GMT]


Thanks for the suggestions! I look forward to receiving The Sports Writer in the mail but will also check to see if my favourite bookstore has any of his books. Once I like one book, I may want to read them all. What I find though, is that bookstores often have an author's latest books but not the earlier ones - that's where amzn.com comes in.
 


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A few questions on Thomas Pynchon...







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