5 Tips on How to Read Pynchon

[@garyscopel6814]

"Don't sweat it with the fucking science." One of my favorite lines ever.

[@UnseenGlasses]

There is a great Pynchon podcast I like called Pynchon In Public. They basically do read-alongs and discuss the book as they go through. It's all super accessible and like having a really good book Pynchon book club.

[@TheBookchemist]

I know the website but I've never listened to the podcast! Thanks for the suggestion though, I'll surely give it a listen now that I know :)

[@UnseenGlasses]

Rad. Thanks for continuing to make such great videos. I always appreciate hearing what you have to say.

[@RyanRabid]

Ohhhh. I just read Crying of Lot 49 for the first time, and I wish I'd have seen this beforehand.

[@RyanRabid]

Also, the "just carry on" tip is exactly what I was instructed to do with Joyce's harder stuff in undergrad, and it's definitely a legitimate strategy.

[@libertyhopeful18]

There was this passage in V, which is a long digression where Stencil is paraphrasing Mondaugen's story of his time in Africa. And I got through that whole chapter (50 or so pages) and finished it, and it was not so much confusing as it was just very dense. I had to stop reading to look up words, look up some of the characters, go back and read paragraphs that I realized I had been skimming due to thinking of the previous paragraph etc.. But there's something in here you said that was "even if you only get a little small bit out of it, and the rest does not make sense then it will be worth it" that really renewed my interest in the book. The part I picked up on was the part of how Mondaugen is talking about this black man that these German soldiers beat to death, and although there is some humor in the passage before and after it, Pynchon notes how incredibly easy it was for them to do , and that it was actually a relief to do. And the feeling I got as I read that was just like one of utter sadness. Not due to the racism, not due to the change to a serious tone, but from the humanist standpoint. People being content with killing when it suits their needs. I'm talking like life changing stuff here for me. It's insane. Will definitely look forward to finishing this book. Thank you for the advice here!

[@chokingmessiah]

I always thought that people who prefer not to read something because they don't fully understand it or think that something is too "complex" have an ego problem- they feel challenged, humiliated, intimidated, whatever. Textual pleasures come easy to some, others must work for it. On the other hand, I agree with personal preference/aesthetic/taste, and if a certain author doesn't stimulate your interest because of their subject matter or prose style...simply don't read them. Anyway, another great video Mattia! Glad to see you're back!

[@Comotellamas131]

From my experience people who choose not to read complex literature simply do not want another challenge to add to their life. It makes sense that people exhausted from their jobs and day to day life wouldn’t want to read Against the Day or Gravity’s rainbow. It all depends on what excites you and gives you energy.

[@GreyoftheSnow]

Death Is Just Around The Corner is a really fucking solid podcast with a killer host that really heavily in depth talks about Pynchon’s themes and how they connect to insane historic stuff. I had never read Pynchon, always seemed inaccessible and academic, but that podcast made it seem desirable and mind blowing.

[@dububro]

Millions of people in the 70s started with Gravity's Rainbow and it worked for them

[@Projeckt]

They started there because they had no choice. Now we do

[@Lmaoh5150]

I read GR via audiobook while working a good delivery job. Definitely not the best way to consume the book, but I got enough to enjoy and let the book stick in my mind well after. Next I’ll read it physically and feel it’ll be so much better

[@liamjaeger]

I'm a big Pynchon fan and Mason & Dixon is my favorite of his and one of my three favorite books of all time. Enjoy!!!

[@ItsFrauLehmann]

I actually love the science stuff, I always feel like it's educating me. I can't do it without making character mind maps to remember that random guy from the first chapter who randomly shows up 500 pages later again.

[@stews9]

I began with Gravity's Rainbow and loved it, was floored. Been a Pynchon reader ever since, and if any writer deserves the Nobel Prize for Literature, it's Thomas Pynchon. Then again, it's degraded lately and never was much of a kudos.

[@SamYurick]

Dead on bit ~6:15 about both how narrow the overlap is between people with the english and scientific literacy needed to maximize scientific bits. I found those sections really engaging, even though I stopped math at 11th grade Trigonometry and probably don't have over 100 level understanding of most of the sciences. IMO, He adequetely explains everything in context and connects it to his other themes and the symbolic web he's weaving elsewhere in the novel, which makes it all hang together poetically. (Even if, like me, you know you'd stall out halfway into trying to actually solve any of the actual equations under your own power.) It also helps that, he dramatizes some of that same stuff with Byron The Bulb in Act 3 and mirrors it different ways, bounces it off some of the stuff about mortality before the book's last crescendo etc.

[@keithwittymusic]

I was really, really into Anime when I first started Pynchon and began with Gravity's Rainbow. So far I have yet to encounter a comparison that is better. Pynchon is a lot like watching the wackiest Anime, Kill La Kill and Gurran Laggan come to mind (Evangelion a little, but Pynchon has more jokes). Because I was used to the disorienting effect of those types of Anime Pynchon was not nearly as frustrating to me. When he went off on a tangent or left a character for five hundred pages and prevented any emotional attachment to them it just wasn't a big deal to me. I could accept it. As far as starting points, Inherent Vice is a good place as it is so much easier than the others. I would just dissuade people from beginning with Bleeding Edge or Mason & Dixon. I do think Gravity's Rainbow is actually a decent starting point, as crazy as that sounds, but that is really on a person to person basis. Honestly if you're an Anime fan and enjoyed Kill La Kill and Anime like it then Gravity's Rainbow will actually be a fun experience for you because you will encounter what is essentially the western version of it in traditional novel form. Extremely unique. Also there's a scene where Nazis chase the main character on blimps while they all throw pies at each other, which is in itself rewarding.
I'm so excited that you're finally reading Mason & Dixon! You're going to freak out about it. As soon as you settle in to the 18th century dialect it flows better than nearly all other Pynchon novels. I've always wondered how long that book actually took to write. I suspect he began working on it after GR and took a break to write Vineland. Also, I'm now 500 pages into Against the Day and a little embarrassed I couldn't finish it the first time through. I don't know why it was so disorienting to me because now it is pretty much easy Pynchon. He only usually manages to lose me in the Chums of Chance sections, but even then the most recent one of those I followed perfectly. Great to see this video, I'm falling behind on my posts from simply taking my dear, sweet time with Against the Day. I anxiously await your thoughts on Mason & Dixon.

[@TheBookchemist]

Very interesting reflection, I'd never thought about it that way! (I was a lot into manga once and also anime to a lesser extent, but I only knew the less wacky side of the spectrum ^^) Glad you're liking Against the Day, I'm sure you'll love it all the way to the end :) can't wait to read your review!

[@angespice]

Keith Witty “Thomas Pynchon would love kill la kill” is exactly what I thought when I started reading his books, so this comment spoke to me

[@pattonjeffrey6]

You are such an inspiration! Thank you so much!!

[@dazeofheaven]

Your advice in this video helped to finish Mason & Dixon (after 7 years of trying to get past the first 100 pages, and failing...). Possibly the greatest novel I've ever read, IMO. I felt so inspired by the end of that book, that I read The Crying of Lot 49 over the following 3 days (which was a VERY different experience... feeling quite "abused" by it's narrative, by the end...). Now, I'm 10 pages into Against the Day... Thanks for the tips and encouragement to tackle this brilliant author!

[@dazeofheaven]

Also, for anyone else reading M&D, I do think ALL of the online notes, dictionaries, references (Dinn's notes & the M&D glossary and chapter guides) are almost indispensable, unless you're already a scholar of 18th c. literature. Many words in the book are so antiquated, you won't find them or their proper definitions in any modern dictionary...

[@TheBookchemist]

Glad I managed to do that :)! I finished Mason & Dixon two days ago myself and I was crying like a baby on the last page. So amazing. Will film a review of that one soon ;) good luck with Against the Day, such an unforgettable trip.

[@NiMRODPi]

First off, just wanted to say I've been enjoying your videos a lot! They are well done and your enthusiasm has encouraged me to cast my net wider when it comes to books. Anyway, I really like Pynchon a lot and I know the early struggles, so I thought I could offer some of my own some tips.
1. Think of Pynchon as your vulgar genius friend that, as such friends are, likes to mess with you. I started out reading his work like I was reading Joyce and thought I was too dumb to get what's happening. Readers should take him on like Heller's Catch-22 but with more headiness. It's insane and funny. The more intellectual stuff often bubbles beneath or makes its presence in chunks.
2. Appreciate the sentences. Sometimes a passage is just amazing. Let those moments sink in. Part of his brilliance is he'll pull out an amazing observation with such beautiful language and because he has so much craziness happening it makes its effect all the stronger. Grappling with the language just gets better with practice. Getting a handle on the long meandering (seemingly) sentences is half the battle...then it becomes half the pleasure.
3. Treat all perspective changes like TV/film. Sometimes a scene just moves into another. TV being fast, the viewer is not lost for long once characters and geography come into play. Reading is slow and so is exposition. Give it a few pages if you're lost, you'll find yourself eventually. Usually through the same sort of tricks that TV/film employ, just in written form.
4. So... start with Vineland. It has all his writing style, the crazy characters, contains the many separate threads, but the one thing it does that most of his writing doesn't is it brings all of it together in the end. You WILL get a payoff of sorts in its conclusion, leaving you less obstacles to overcome when starting out.
I've read most of his work now and it's extremely rewarding and worth re-reading. He can start to make other works seem a little dull at times. :)
Best,

[@TheBookchemist]

Great suggestions, man, especially 2 and 3, couldn't agree more ;)

[@eightch1980]

Another fantastic video. Keep up the good work!

[@labas9665]

i am a korean fan of Pynchon i really love books of him. unfortunaly it is very hard to get some of his book. thank you for your tip.

[@TheBookchemist]

You're welcome ;)

[@80085word69]

After re-reading gravitys rainbow for the second time and finishing up Vineland recently (only have inherent vice left to read) I would have to agree and say he is the greatest author alive.
The best advice you can give is number two. The more you read in one sitting, the more things make sense.
Enjoy mason & dixon! You get used to the style after 30-40 pages. I remember reading the first page over and over at first just taking in the prose.
Also, V. is probably my second favorite Pynchon novel. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on that as well when you get to it.

[@Abstractreference260]

Just started reading Gravitys Rainbow the first line hooked me straight away... I'm a couple of pages in but I was a bit disorientated with the Giant adendoid sequence could you shed some light on what is happening at a superficial level... pirate infiltrates the fantasy of this diplomat but then I'm not sure what is going on

[@vivastory6425]

Thank you for the Pynchon video! I have yet to read Pynchon, I was planning on starting later this summer. I was thinking about beginning with "Crying of Lot 49" but I am going to heed your advice & ease myself into the Pynchon pool with "Inherent Vice."

[@TheBookchemist]

Let me know how it goes, and I'm glad I could be of help :)

[@johncheek5900]

Mason and Dixon is my favorite. He can weave a tale on the most preposterous premise and not only make me believe it but make me laugh out loud. I take about a year to read the longer ones.

[@davidlean1060]

An avid reader friend who is not necessarily a Pynchon fan absolutely loves mason and Dixon! He cries laughing when he remembers a passage where one of the books fictional characters smokes pot with George Washington!

[@amberreid1059]

Thank you for creating this video, it’s incredibly helpful!

[@levitybooks3952]

Yeah I read The Crying Lot of 49 and then Gravity's Rainbow which probably wasn't wise given I had Inherent Vice hanging around in my room the whole time!

[@tricaurelie]

That was very helpful. Mason & Dixon will be my entry point in Pynchon's works (Steve Donoghue sold it o well in one of his videos!) I just hope it translates well in French, didn't feel like reading that mamoth in English...

[@booksandallthatjazz1654]

Thanks for this video. I will try to read Inherent Vice later this year. I enjoyed The Crying of Lot 49. I am 68% of the way through Gravity's Rainbow. I am generally reading 30 pages a day as I find I lose focus too easily. I have a vague idea of what's going on. There are lot's of entertaining paragraphs. The reason I lose focus whilst reading is the plot is very vague and the characters, whilst fun, don't develop to any level. Even Slothrop is a character that I only vaguely know. I get that one of the novel's themes is to do with paranoia. The word appears so many times. There are so many characters who drift into the plot then disappear. I will finish the novel in the next week. It's an interesting, new, reading experience. However, there are a lot of books that have given me way more overall consistent reading pleasure.
Comparing Pynchon to Shakespeare is a little over the top! Shakespeare appeals to a wide audience. Pynchon's appeal is to a select type of reader. (Bookshops in the major cities in Australia stock lots of Shakespeare books. Pynchon is nowhere near as popular with some bookshops not even having a copy of any Pynchon novels).

[@joseprendes3056]

Love this! Thanks for getting me hyped for Pynchon. Subbed!

[@alfonsomango_suyu]

I have 2 questions for you: what kind of reader could enjoy Pynchong the most? and secondly: what do you expect from a novel ? (are there many kinds of readers ?) Maybe the answers are suitable to be developed in a next vlog.

[@TheBookchemist]

Maybe they are, I'll consider filming a video like that! As for your question, I think Pynchon appeals a lot to people who have been enjoying narratives and stories for so long that they've become kind of addicted to storytelling. With Pynchon is always stories within stories within stories, you have one character mentioned for two lines at the beginning and you find him again 500 pages later and you get his whole life story - it's disorienting to some people, but if you just can't get enough of storytelling, Pynchon is as good as it gets.
As for expectations, I never have any when I approach a novel (also because I try to approach novels knowing as little as possible about them). I just see what kind of story the writer wanted to tell and I try to enjoy it as much as I can.

[@christophersienko632]

Thanks again for another great summary! I've been reading Pynchon on weekends (25 pages every Saturday, 25 pages every Sunday, like clockwork) for the past year and a half, approximately. I've been reading in chronological order (counting "Slow Learner" first since the stories were written in the '50s, rather than putting them after GR, since they were published in 1984 [though if I really wanted to be pedantic, I could have read the stories first, and then Pynchon's intro between GR and Vineland, but I didn't]), and I've found it very gratifying -- you can really see Pynchon take lessons from each of the previous works and expand on them, or occasionally stumble in trying to progress to the next level. If you haven't read "V." or "Slow Learner" yet, my advice (maybe you've already heard this) is to read the short stories "Entropy" and "Under the Rose" before tackling "V." "Entropy" isn't directly related to "V.", but its depiction of the late '50s version of counterculture decadence (vs. the more commonly-recognized counterculture mayhem of Lot 49) definitely informs the modern-day thread of V., the frolics of Benny Profane and his posse, The Whole Sick Crew. (GR and V. regular "Pig" Bodine [or "Seaman Bodine," as he's called in GR] also appears in the short story "Low-Lands.")
"Under the Rose" is even more explicitly related to "V.", and should ABSOLUTELY be read at least before you start chapter 3 of "V.", which is titled "In which Herbert Stencil, a Quick-Change Artist, Does Eight Impersonations." I won't spoil why this is, but once you see how difficult the "V." chapter is *and* the way it's tied to the short story "Under the Rose," you'll be glad you did. In fact, I almost feel like "V." reads like if you took "Entropy" and "Under the Rose," combined them, and let them rise like bread dough into an ENORMOUS loaf of a book. To see Pynchon rise even beyond his grandiose ambitions in "V." and expanding into "Gravity's Rainbow" is just that much more impressive....(It also makes "Crying of Lot 49" look like that much more of an anomaly, though I have a very complicated theory about how they all connect...)
When a friend was considering reading "V.", I told him I recommended packing four things for the trip: 1. the experience of reading "Under the Rose" from "Slow Learner," 2. at least a Wikipedia-level knowledge of both the Fashoda Conflict and the Herero uprising/massacre (which also shows up in GR, of course), 3. any glimpses you can get online of 1890s-era Baedekker travel guides (they come up A LOT), 4. Pynchonwiki.
I'm working through Gravity's Rainbow right now (at my current pace, I should be done by the end of July), and LOVING it. I'm also having that surprise moment where I look up for a minute and think "I'm actually understanding this!" I mean, more or less..... With regards to the Pynchonwiki, I personally think their entries for "V." and "Lot 49" are better, more useful, and less spoiler-y than the "official" companions to V. and Lot 49 by J. Kerry Grant. As for GR, I found Stephen Weisenburger's companion absolutely, utterly essential (and 90% spoiler-free!) in my enjoyment and appreciation of GR, while the Pynchonwiki for GR seems reduced to little more than a list of complaints about Weisenburger's book, rather than a stand-alone codex of information. So many sections start with the words "Weisenburger gets it COMPLETELY wrong when he says...." which I can't help but read in the voice of The Simpsons' Comic Book Guy!
And, of course, there's the "Pynchon in Public Podcast," which has done deep-reads into "Lot 49," "Slow Learner," "Inherent Vice," and are now wrapping up part I of Gravity's Rainbow, a project so deep and in-depth, it'll probably take them several years to record. (They're taking a month off before resuming with the Casino Hermann Goering section right now.) I found the "Lot 49" episodes to be as important as anything I read about that book in really getting the more esoteric passages, especially the whole section about both energy-based and communication entropy...
Looking forward to your "V." and "Slow Learner" reviews! Once I finish GR, I'm taking a month off from Pynchon (to read a more recent and similarly long and complex book, Eleanor Catton's "The Luminaries"), then it's on to Vineland!

[@TheBookchemist]

Thanks for the comment and suggestions man, now I'll definitely read Slow Learner before V.! As for the Pynchonwikis, I agree, they can be extremely useful on some fronts but a bit disappointing elsewhere. I lol'ed at the part on the Simpson's comic book guy :D

[@kumaridesilva3992]

these are very good tips, thank you. I would add one more tip besides reading through - which is don't feel bad about reading over. I've been reading the Crying of Lot 49, and it is very short, so I don't feel bad about reading it six times at least. . . it is dense, and yet, as you say, very enjoyable

[@CyriacusSorokin]

I had to study "The Crying of Lot 49" for a postmodernism course at uni back in 2012. At first I thought crying was referring to actual crying (funerals, deaths of beloved persons, crying eyes etc), but it wasn't. I also read "Entropy" for an American Fiction course. The professor tried to explain to us what entropy is, (all Greek to me). I re-read "The Crying of Lot 49" again for the 2nd time in 2013 and still I wasn't 100% sure what the hell I was reading. Then I grabbed "Inherent Vice" (in Greek). I liked it (too many names though, and I think that's a Pynchon-ian technique). I'm reading "Ulysses" in a few weeks and if I survive this, I will grab something from Pynchon probably his most recent one "Bleeding Edge" for the time being.

[@TheBookchemist]

Good luck with Ulysses! And yes it's true, Pynchon has this tendency to name every single character and you never know whether you should keep in mind someone's name, or if you're allowed to forget it ^^ Bleeding Edge's maybe my favorite among his novels, I re-read it recently and loved it even more than the first time

[@mrglen47]

I plan to tackle Bleeding Edge in August, once I finish Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian this month. It's the only Pynchon book I haven't read yet (well, I think I'm pg. 5 or something LOL). I almost don't want to read Bleed. Edge because then I will have read all of Pynchon, and then what will I do? LOL but also a little serious

[@vins1979]

I worship Pynchon. I began with V., in my late teens/early twenties, and I was totally totally hooked. Then I read The Crying of the Lot 49, which disappointed me a bit after V. And then... Gravity's Rainbow! Wow... I mean, wow! One of my favourite novels ever. Finally, I read Vineland (which I did not think was so bad as so many people said) and the short stories. I think I had a sort of 'Pynchon overdose', because I read all these Pynchon's books one after the other and then I just started to explore other writers. After a few years, I actually read V. and Gravity's Rainbow for a second time. I just need to re-discover Pynchon: he's always been in my heart, but I need to read his latest works.

[@mrglen47]

I hope you tackle Against the Day and Mason & Dixon. It takes a little while to get into the narrative style (18th C.) of Mason & Dixon, but it's Pynchon's great "buddy novel," among MANY other things. You should find Pynchon's later books more accessible than the first 3.

[@alfonsomango_suyu]

I did enjoy Slow Learner though I don't remember all the tales except the final (that I think it is the homonymus). I've been reading Mason & Dixon since the last year but I kind of got stuck... I resume the reading from time to time. I guess the novel is not about what it tells but how it tells.

[@bjwnashe5589]

Great video. Love Pynchon's writing, and I think all of the points you make here are right on.

[@flynnjaman]

“Don’t sweat it with the fucking science!” Will be written on my tombstone. Ty

[@elliotwalton6159]

Thank you very much. I've been haunted and pursued by Pynchon since I was 15 in 1973.

[@anthonydimichele837]

I just re-read GR... whew! I imagine I will re-read it yet again. The Wiki is necessary for me. I am looking forward to finishing Vineland... which I am not enjoying as much. But after this I am going to tackle Against the Day. I am a visual artist, and I know that in early days of Photography Against the Day meant taking a picture that is back lit, with the sun behind the subject, leaving only silhouettes... which intrigues me... I read it also alludes to a passage from the bible: 2 Peter 3:7.

[@TheBobbybare]

I agree with you 100%!! .However I think V is a better place to start as it displays the wacky side of Pynchon and yet it's readable, I find Inherent Vice a bit toned down - in my opinion of course.

[@TheBookchemist]

Might be, totally! I still have to read it - it's the only one among his novels I haven't read yet - and so far I've read so many opinions from people who love it, and a few from people who didn't like it all! I'm really curious about it :)

[@TheBobbybare]

Can't wait!!

[@josiahhamilton9601]

Really liked the video however I would disagree with your point about don't worry about not getting the science parts. I get the science parts and you're missing out if you don't understand them. However my background is in science so I probably miss some of the literary minutae.

[@loredanadeblasio]

Hi Mattia, when you talk about scientific passages, which books are you referring to in particular? As a physics student I am used to deal with science and maths topics on an academic level, so I would like to read how Pynchon deals with them. I think I should be fine and able to understand them, or at least I hope hahahah

[@ghost2031]

Just got Against the Day in my mail today. Currently reading Michael Chabons yiddish policemen's union and when i finish it probably will be reading Vineland from Pynchon just because it's more short but after that I'm gonna tackle Against the day or at least try to.

[@TheBookchemist]

Have fun with both Pynchon's! I've started re-reading Yiddish yesterday :P

[@ghost2031]

Thank you. Love your channel. yeah, Yiddish is indeed great.

[@rubychoobeh9824]

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS VIDEO
I am a massive fan and absolutely adore this book. My personal faves are V and Crying of Lot 49.
Love the way you talk about him and this book, that's all I have to say! KEEP MAKING VIDEOS

[@storyinternships9636]

The golden rule with reading Pynchon - hell yeah, the only way is through :) so agree!

[@janlauterbach8204]

Great video, thank you

[@asherdeep8948]

Great video, Mattia!--*;-)* It's been a while since you've posted. How's M&D going on? I've finished all of early Pynchon and Inherent Vice, and so plan on reading Vineland and Bleeding Edge soon. And then the mighty Against the Day and M&D. :)

[@TheBookchemist]

It's going well I think, although I still have to start my full-immersion in the novel! So far I'm digging the language a lot, and the characterization of the two protagonists, and of the narrator. It also switches between narrator's present and story's present all the time very sweetly. Can't wait to get deeper into it, I barely just passed page 100 ;) hope you'll love those novels too, especially Bleeding Edge which is so impossibly awesome! And of course Against the Day :)

[@jordil6152]

I had started with Against the Day. I’m ashamed to admit that until the first musical number I took it literally, like, “holy shit, did that really happen?” He does incorporate a lot of obscure facts in with the b.s. and he’s definitely playing mind games with the reader. Have fun with it.

[@thomaspalazzolo5902]

My own suggestion I've found helpful with Gravity's Rainbow: Listen to Irish comedian Dylan Moran and his surrealist stream of consciousness deliveries. Pynchon writes the way Moran talks, and once I associated his cadence with the writing, it stuck in my head better.

[@MarieBergCarlsen]

Great video - Im so glad you did this! I have Inherent Vice on my shelves - Ive tried reading it but put it down again, somehow it didnt really catch my attention.. but I think I shall pick it up again - having your tips in mind! Thank you! :) xx

[@TheBookchemist]

It might help to watch the movie first, to get in the right set of mind - it would of course spoil you the plot! Good luck with your second reading :)

[@MarieBergCarlsen]

Thank you! :)

[@HarrierDubois]

I’ve read Inherent Vice and The Crying of Lot 49. Which of Pynchons books should I read next?

[@TheBookchemist]

Which one did you prefer? If it was IV, go with Bleeding Edge (or, if what you enjoyed so much was the setting, with Vineland); if you preferred 49, go with V.

[@monishgowda5975]

Hello, bookchemist. I started with Pynchon's Mason and Dixon. Let me give my background first. I am from India pretty OKish vocabulary and I don't know much about American history.
First part latitudes and departure was amazing, but the second part (America) is getting really hard to comprehend because of it's obscure references, characters and dialogs ,I know these are the traits of Pynchon.
But,I have to ask. Should I continue with it or take a break and start bleeding edge?
Thank you.
And your reviews and insights on various topiks is amazing.

[@TheBookchemist]

Thanks for the feedback man! It's curious: I'm about to finish Mason & Dixon, and I have to say that I enjoyed the second part, America, much more than Latitudes and Departures! But I completely see what you mean, it's got quite a few cryptic passages (I myself don't pretend I got them all). My suggestion would be: are you enjoying the book? Besides all the references and such, are you involved in the personal story of the characters, are you having fun reading it? If you are, do go on to the end and don't worry if you don't get everything: no one gets 100% of a Pynchon novel!
But if you're not having fun then yes, do feel free to stop with M&D. Bleeding Edge is probably an easier experience, but that one too requires you to be familiar with some background history, in particular with the Tech Bubble of the year 2000. All the same, you can research that pretty easily, also using the Pynchon Wikis. Good luck with whatever you choose ;)!

[@cleandan-p8q]

I took a dive off the deep end with Pynchon and started with Gravity's Rainbow and I found it to be pretty enjoyable because of the movie like qualities it had. It has really entertaining and easy to follow narritive after book 1

[@TheBookchemist]

Kudos for that! You took the book the right way :) I too believe it can be really enjoyable if you read it with the right mind-set

[@austinfarber3438]

I love Pynchon, and your shirt!

[@treyrogge9675]

Thank you for this helpful video! Would you say Vineland is a good introduction to Pynchon, aside from Inherent Vice?

[@TheBookchemist]

I think it might be, though truth be told lots of people consider it his weakest novel (Harold Bloom said its publication was the biggest tragedy in contemporary literature, more or less). I liked it, though I would definitely need a re-read: in themes and setting it's very similar to Inherent Vice, it's perhaps a bit less thrilling and a bit more difficult, but that also means that it's less of a break from Pynchon's early production if you want to move from Vineland to there!

[@frenchjazzplus]

Well done. Thx.

[@Earbly]

Your shirt is hilarious haha. Good video with good tips

[@jackgreendal8814]

Fantastic videos as usual by the way.

[@krisb.9781]

This seems very useful. Thank you.

[@mohitjain45]

What do you think who is a better writer ? Don Delillo or Pynchon?

[@bernabefernandeztouceda7315]

I didn't red delillo but its impossible to write worse than pynchon so...

[@ratherrapid]

Who is the best modern writer after Pynchon?

[@sarahdias6477]

Thank You so much.U don't know how much ur helping me.thank you Bookchemist

[@timwilson8913]

Awesome! Greatly appreciated brother!

[@djpeanutbutterjelly]

What did you think of Vineland? I haven't read it, but I've heard many people say it's a lackluster entry in the Pynchon canon, and I haven't heard you say anything about it.

[@TheBookchemist]

I've been careful not to say anything about it because I don't have a strong opinion on the book - I read it several years ago but I remember very little about it (I read it between a cross-continental move and during a very busy moment), I plan on re-reading it before the end of the year. I too have heard people saying it's by far Pynchon's worst (Harold Bloom said it's the biggest tragedy in contemporary literature), but I've also heard from big fans of the novel!

[@Ryan_Ek2]

I liked Bleeding Edge, but I felt like if it wasn't so jam-packed with pop culture references I don't know if I would've finished it.

[@TheBookchemist]

I see what you mean, but the way I see it, the pop references are so deeply entwined in the book's language's texture (and setting and all) that it's impossible to think of it without the references!

[@Flux799]

Love Pynchon. Magnificent head of hair you have my friend lol.

[@McSkankydog777]

what did the subliminal messaging in this vid say?

[@No-one133]

Thanks for the tips!

[@trappintrev9711]

great video!! thank you!!

[@nicholasluu5024]

I'm curious on your opinion: who do you think is the better writer? David Foster Wallace or Thomas Pynchon?

[@TheBookchemist]

This is gonna sound extreme (it is), but despite what I think of Infinite Jest (and my opinion on it has changed a lot during these last few years), I do not think Foster Wallace was an especially good fiction writer. Whereas Pynchon, well, he's the best.

[@nicholasluu5024]

+The_Bookchemist first off, holy shit you replied. I just wanna say I love your videos. And second I completely agree. I feel DFW lacks.... I don't know. I feel he lacks confidence. Thomas Pynchon seems confident in his writing and every bit of esoteric material (rocket science, dodecacaphonic music, Pavlovian psychology, etc) needs to be there for the sake of the theme and story. While David Foster Wallace appears to, at least to me (and I'm just in high school so this is probably really wrong and uniformed) sometimes throw stuff in just so appear smart. I think the confidence shows in the writing and it's why I feel like I like Pynchon more: he doesn't seem like a man trying to appear smarter than me, he just is naturally smarter than me.

[@TheBookchemist]

Absolutely, I completely agree. I think it's clear when you read Wallace's non-fiction, which is fun and informative and insightful and thrilling, that the guy was able to write good stuff; it's just that his fiction is this huge mess in which he tries to be obscure and accessible at the same time, and fun to read while ground-breaking and experimenting and all, and often comes out looking quite pretentious. I think Wallace's main problem as a writer was that he was trying waaaaaay too hard.

[@blaze34]

You're in high school? Holy shit.
Btw: I read CL49 and am currently reading GR.
Until now, I think IJ is way better. Honestly, I'm only continuing to read GR because people said it's very rewarding if you come to the end. God, I'm only halfway through...

[@nicholasluu5024]

+br34 Yeah I'm.... Weird for a high schooler. And Gravity's Rainbow's ending is amazing. It's ending has stuck with me for so long. It's.... Just stick with it. I'm not gonna say it get easier, but GR starts to grow on you. In engulfs you and I gotta say that literature felt pretty empty for a few months after reading Gravity's Rainbow. Only Ulysses and Slaughter House Five had given me this feeling after reading (although those two gave me that feeling for completely different reasons) and I'm only just now moving back from reading philosophy to reading fiction again. Seriously. It's probably my favorite novel.

[@danielvidaurrichavez2236]

Right after your mentioned Lovecraft at 10:36 there is a secret message. All I could read was: "...has...found...before he can complete the ritual" whats that about?
Also, my first Pynchon novel was Inherent Vice followed by Lot 49, I just bought Slow Learner, do you have any opinion on that one?
*Excuse my english. I`m a big fan of your channel, greetings from México!

[@TheBookchemist]

I still have to read most of Slow Learner, but it's worth its price just for the introduction - don't skip it because it's brilliant! As for the message,-

[@williamrobinson6059]

Daniel Quinto I haven't read any Lovecraft, but I'd guess it's a Cthulhu reference.

[@williamrobinson6059]

Daniel Quinto or maybe it's an Easter egg regarding that project he's working on.

[@tinkerspell4850]

your t shirt was makin' me hungry

[@bennyprofane1764]

Mr. Book Chemist Guy....If you love Against the Day and Vice and other "late novels" more than you love V. and 49 and GR. Then you don't Truly love Thomas Pynchon. In my opinion, of course.

[@GayHorrorCinema]

Yeah Well, i Love your shirt.

[@enigma9306]

Entropy is a difficult thing to understand, and I don't think anyone really understands it. The reason is because it isn't actually compressible on any deep level.

[@iambic9poet]

Your hair is amazing

[@18p3pi]

I began Inherent Vice, but Bleeding Edge sounded better to begin, much easier.

[@TheBookchemist]

Bleeding Edge is by no means too difficult (not at all if compared with earlier books by Pynchon), but its plot is still a bit more convoluted than Inherent Vice, and its prose a bit denser. But hey, if you feel like that one interests you more, go for it - Bleeding Edge is my favorite Pynchon novel ;)

[@Denver_Risley]

Same way one reads any other book. Phonics. Sound it out if you have to.

[@thomasvieth6063]

I am truly a Pynchon fan, but why do you repeatedly recommend Inherent Vice? I have no living cell that remembers anything of it or the movie

[@deeperthansnacks]

what flashes on the screen at 10:36 ???

[@kanhagandhi6549]

“He has to be found before he can complete the ritual”

[@ST-xg3gy]

I love your shirt!

[@jackgreendal8814]

Hey man. Have you read Zero K yet? I'm reading it and it's pretty great so far

[@TheBookchemist]

Glad to hear that! I'll be reading it during the summer, can't wait ;)

[@Omnishred]

"He has to be,
found before he can complete the ritual" 10:36
A ritual you say?

[@altern4795]

Damn no love for V. in the comments? It probably is the weakest of the original “trilogy”, but I love it so much more than Lot 49 and equal with GR. The pervasive Romanticism is so appealing and attractive even if it does get excessive at times

[@TheBookchemist]

I have to re-read both V and 49, but while some parts of V were very frustrating, the best of it was definitely up there with the best of Pynchon! Crazy to think he wrote it so young!!

[@Jervisdude]

Thomas Pynchon is my 9th cousin

[@xkane]

"No chill" Kukatani😜

[@saintpaulkirch7274]

10:36

[@adamf.4823]

Recent reports claim he might be headed to England.

[@robhugo]

V is so beautiful

[@blaze34]

The science parts are so short that it makes no sense to stop reading because of them.
Pynchon never goes long in any topic, and I think this is a warning to the reader.

[@blaze34]

In my current experience with GR, it's being helpful to "not care about content". You know? Just going with the flow, without paying to much attention to some passages that are nonsensical as fuck.

[@TheBookchemist]

The golden rule! Absolutely :)

[@Cristian.Dorelle]

Recent reports claim he might be headed to england

[@alfonsomango_suyu]

I just read The crying... It was a bit, let's say, like a headache. Less charming than Mason & Dixon or Slow learning. Not a bad book but not so entertaining like others of his.

[@clemandax9242]

I just finished it too, I didn’t find it too bad until the end of the last chapter where there were bits where I had no idea what he was talking about (the paragraph just before the stamp auction beginning with ‘How many shared Tristero’s secret, as well as its exile?’)

[@originoflogos]

Are you ever going to read Mason & Dixon???

[@TheBookchemist]

I'm reading it right now (I think I mention it at the video's beginning!)

[@originoflogos]

Im a troll lol

[@skullcityvideo]

One thousandth like.. no big

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

If nobody understands the scientific passages, why did he write them? Presumably he wrote the book so that it would be read. Seems arrogant or sadistic, to me.

[@johnstewart7025]

I was listening to a lecture that said the Pynchon's typical point of view is that it is an illusion that we can really make sense of the world. There always seem to be layers of conspiracies and hidden meanings all around us. Nevertheless, there is a theme about humanity or at least episodes revealing human value or meaning.

[@justinllo]

i think !V"

[@justinllo]

ATD

[@jakecannon1646]

The best tip I can give on how to read Pynchon and I hope it helps is to start on the first page and work from there until you've reached the end. Tell all of your friends.

[@richardbenitez1282]

I bought GR based on your relentless campaign to read it. I gave up around page 40 or so. I’m an old fart who spent many hours learning about WW2 and holocaust. Then i hated president Raegan with his insane military buildup. Then I hated and went through Vietnam war with all its ugliness and lies. My point is Pynchon has nothing to say to me. I’ve already have a brain meshed as he throws out words and images. Why should I rehash this period in my brain all over again. Pynchon is saying nothing new to me. I’ve been there. I’m disappointed.

[@AlessandroZir]

👍👍🤸🤸🧘💋

[@PEGGLORE]

I was just told by this woman who I'm playing Scrabble with on Facebook, who can't beat me, who I got to read my short true story I wrote about my quadrillion to one impossible misfortune with the lottery I had which destroyed my life, giving me stroke, sent mental hospital etc, told me that my book was really good and was like a cross between Pynchon, Joyce, Hunter S Thompson and of course Jamie (That's me) Guess that's some damn good praise. All I did was write out every element of the event which makes it as incredibly deeply fucked up as it is. It's just by chance that this true event is so complex, multi-layered and connects so intricately like it does. I see what she's saying now though now I heard you talking about him and his books. My book called Farcebook by Jamie Young and is available on Kindle. Go on, read it and see what you think of it and see if you can understand all of it like I do.

[@adrianwallenborg7396]

*cough* David Foster Wallace *cough*

[@Searchinmano]

Recent reports claim he might be headed to England.