I just started part two (Iceland spar). I am beyond speechless so far. It’s incommunicable to describe a book like this in any degree. Though I haven’t finished it yet I can easily say so far that It’s a masterpiece of language and storytelling.
So amazing! I am so glad I read it and, do yourself a favor and do not quit. The end is so satisfying! Incommunicable to describe? Check back tomorrow to see a buddy and I try! 😂🤣🤣
Agreed. For me, Pynchon reaches heights with his writing no other author can even approach, and Against the Day is by far the most satisfying reading experience of any of his novels, or any other novel I’ve ever read - full stop. It represents a refinement and elevation of the narrative virtuosity that all his books contain, with the sardonic humor amped up, the profound insights cutting even deeper, and the earnestness and heart (which could sometimes be lacking in his earlier work) now allowed as much space as the dark cynicism which is so characteristic of Pynchon. Just a staggering, mesmerizing, astonishingly brilliant novel of a caliber I’ve never experienced prior, and which I likely never will again (unless he graces us with one more before he shuffles off this mortal coil! 🤞)
I looked more into this book after your first video, and I was really surprised the year it was released. For no reason, I just figured it was much older. I probably wont be able to get to this one until later in the year, but I have been aware of his work, and after watching these two videos, I am convinced this is a good place to start. Great stuff!
A GREAT place to start. So many big po-mo novels are pessimistic or more, nihilistic. It is awesome to have these fun romps that embody a realistic hopefulness that is inherently human to the core.
So much alternate reality! Against the Day sounds so fascinating, but I just think I would have trouble getting past the erotica 😅 Some may call me unenlightened, but I just know I would struggle with it 🤷♀️
Universally recommendable, I couldn't agree more! I just finished reading it and I'm completely stunned. An epic of the 21st century literature. Amazing in so many ways...
Enthusiasm like this makes my heart glow. I give different intro answers as well & I still think his best is either "Gravity's Rainbow" or "Mason & Dixon." But..."Against the Day" is my favorite. Not just Pynchon novel, but either my 1st or 2nd favorite novel of all time. Dally & Cyprian are my favorite characters. Ah, Dally! And, Pynchon's old love for John Buchan's novels comes through much of Cyps' Balkan intrigue. But Cyps' whole arc really is fascinating. In ways, I think he's the novel's most interesting anarchist. I understand why a very niche amount of readers will relate to Cyps, but his arc does a lot of important thematic work...aside from that, though...as a "sodomite" myself who's read a fair number of gay novels, I never could've expected Pynchon to give me the one fictional "sodomite" I'd most relate to. Crazy. (Also...my other favorite Pynchon is his most unsung, perhaps: "Vineland," and I love how it is a continuation of the Traverse family saga!)
Do you know what that little "diagram" is, page after the Thelonious Monk quote? I never did, till this re-read I've only just started: It's the official Chums of Chance pin, cf. p. 54! (I have to watch your first video, etc) 🤔👍😉
A short discussion of the enigmatic seal you’re referring to on the Pynchon Wiki suggests it depicts a Tibetan snow lion in front of three mountain summits, the middle one being Mt. Kailasch, revered by Tibetan Buddhists as the center of the world. The text surrounding this image is written in the Tibetan umé script and translates as “Tibetan Government Chamber of Commerce”. I don’t really see why this abstruse image would be chosen by the Chums as their insignia, though as the novel frustratingly offers no real insight into the significance of this seal and we never get a real description of just what their organization’s pin looks like, I suppose this explanation has as much potential as any other. 🤷🏻
Thanks for the review, I can’t wait to read it. Time is not my friend but I’ve found it as a library audiobook so I think that might help. Are there any common themes that Pynchon goes back to in his novels?
Even for a 1000+ page novel, it sounds incredibly complex. Especially since Pynchon is able to juggle 5 stories at once. Is the 4th part of the novel all about that 5th story, or do you still get the other stories mixed in?
