Gravity's Rainbow

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I got this for Christmas, and now I'm afraid of it. Not literally, but I just don't want to start it and not be able to finish it. It isn't that I hate stopping a book mid-way through, I do it occasionally when I dislike a book. I do hate it, though, when I stop because I don't get a book. The only book I have done this with is Ulysses. All I've been hearing is how difficult it is, and the fact that it's long doesn't help.

So, what do you think? Is Gravity's Rainbow an endeavor worth tackling?

[Zeniyama]

Hmmm... Well, I haven't read this book, myself, but I'd say that if you have the book already, go for it; I mean, there's nothing to lose in this situation, it seems like, aside from a bit of time.

[Babbalanja]

It was my first exposure to Pynchon, and I thought Gravity's Rainbow was mind-blowing. But as he's always going off on bizarre tangents and describing hilariously overwrought conspiracies, you might find Pynchon as incomprehensible as Joyce.

May I suggest you read The Crying of Lot 49 first? It's a very brief novel, but it has all of the hallmarks of Pynchon's genius: eccentric characters, philosophical slapstick, weird plots, and vivid prose.

If you like that one, by all means, continue to Gravity's Rainbow.

Regards,

Istvan

[Barbarous]

Go for it! Gravity's Rainbow is a great book. It contains probably the most hilariously disturbing scene I have ever read in a book. I'll agree to some extent on the idea of Pynchon as a continution of Joyce's type of novel, but I see both of the writers as continuations of Cervantes, Rabelais, and Sterne's idea of the novel and even their humor.

[sixsmith]

The first thing to do is dispense with any need to understand the thing first time around. It ain't gonna happen. There is an annotated companion available but from my experience they assist more on a second/third reading.

I also agree with Babbalanja. 'Gravity's Rainbow' is not the best place to start with Pynchon. However, I'd probably tackle 'V' as opposed to 'COL49', because I feel that the former is closer in style and tone (and length) to GR. But 'COL49' will certainly give you a taste of what you can expect.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

Cool. I may give COL49 a try first...the title is cool enough on its own to merit a read.