"Dying a weird death, the object in life is to make sure you die a weird death..."

[Gravitycollapse]

"Dying a weird death, the object in life is to make sure you die a weird death. To make sure that however it finds you, it will find you under very weird circumstances."















Just finished my second reading of Gravity's Rainbow. The first time I read it, I had almost no idea what was going on. I'm still semi-confused by the ending. However, using a very in-depth companion reader and several books of scholarly papers really helped me understand the symbolism and immense number of allusions.

I don't think I'll be reading it again any time soon. I already have so many other Pynchon books on my list, I could probably go years without reading another author. For now, I'll be taking a break and focusing on literature for school.

Anyway, it's a highly stimulating read that will certainly change your life. I recommend it for anyone insane enough to take on the challenge.

[cliffordu]

1. I've read it 6 or 7 times.

Could be the greatest novel of all time, save Ulysses by Big Jimmy Joyce, the heavyweight champion for eternity.

And yes, it DID change my life.

[In_The_Wind]

2. Sounds like a_buy_that_book recommendation.

[cliffordu]

3. It is, but be ready:

It is incomprehensible at times and he'll develop what seems like a major theme for 10 or 12 pages to end it in a really bad pun or a kazoo solo....

It is madly complicated with, IIRC 180 characters.......It is also one of the funniest goddamned things I have ever read.

I had a friend who wrote his master's thesis on it and there are DOZENS of books explaining what Pynchon is doing at any given stage of the book.

I used to get drunk in the bar in Arcata Ca. where he wrote the thing. He wrote it on engineers quadrille, in longhand.
He was the best man at Richard and Mimi Farina's wedding, and as far as I know that was the last time he was photographed.

[Gravitycollapse]

6. It supposedly has 400+ characters. I wouldn't be surprised if that was true...

My second read was helped a lot by cataloguing the various characters for later reference. Even then, I had a particularly difficult time remembering all of the persons referenced in the various seance scenes.

[Xyzse]

4. That is one of the books I sadly gave up on.

I am going to have to try again soon. I keep saying that though, and I have many others on queue.

[Gravitycollapse]

5. I'm actually afraid of Ulysses.

I pick it up every once in a while at the book store and then immediately put it back.