The biggest community of Pynchon fans discussing literature on the internet; r/ThomasPynchon is a sub for all things related to America's pre-eminent postmodern author, Thomas Pynchon, (and a few things that aren't related at all). It's a virtual home for weirdos and others; a gathering place to keep cool, but care.
Hiya!
This is going to be my first time reading a pynchon novel, i'm quite excited for this because i've actually read the synopsis of his books from wikipedia for years but never got the chance to actually read it. I'm thinking of getting inherent vice first because its a far more accessible book and the book that introduced me to pynchon (the movie did but ehh potato potatoe) considering that i am a big noir nerd i am also interested in it.
Any starting book recommendations?
Thanks!
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Bleeding Edge. The references are fresher and it’s a very tight book. it’s hard not to find that book hilarious and ominous at the same time.
Read whichever one interests you most. That's usually a good way to get into any writer's works. And if you like what you read, just hop to the next novel. In that sense, there's no reason to worry about "missing out" :)
COL49 is the only Pynchon I’ve read and I consider it one of my favorite books.
I read V first which worked for me. But since you’re into noir, I’d read IV first then V
Then VI
I started with Vineland. I didn’t love it but I liked it enough to delve deeper. In retrospect I think starting at the beginning of with V is the best route.
I started with V and have no regrets at all— but I’m also a history buff so the history laden throughout the novel captivated me.
just watched dr strangelove for the first time recently
Ok
alright
What did you think think?
Yup
Inherent Vice was my start and it was perfect for me.
Inherent Vice is the place to start.
I started with Gravity's Rainbow and I still say it's a great place to begin...fair warning I had read Infinite Jest first so I feel it prepared me in a way, if that helps
I did the complete opposite. Read GR then IJ and found IJ to be a breeze
I read Infinite Jest first (10 years ago, something like that) and found it brilliant but incredibly demanding. Since these two get compared so much in the difficulty department, I had put off reading Gravity's Rainbow for a while and braced myself when I begun recently, finished it last week, and I found GR to be a lot more accessible than I had thought it would be. I think its reputation isn't really deserved, to be honest (even though I didn't understand everything). But I might need to give Infinite Jest another read, I might find it more accessible nowadays.
I for sure recommend it! You'll probably be shocked at how easy it goes down. It's so damn entertaining!
Nice, since it's in my top 10 novels, I might definitely do so!
p.s. Does your username reference both GR and DFW? :P
Inherent Vice is a great place to start. COL49 is usually the next suggestion. But if you are a noir nerd and you’ve seen the film then IV is a no brainer.