Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon REVIEW 

That theory is actually true. I read in an article that after Lot 49, Pynchon was working on two-three books. It's just more compelling evidence that he is an alien.

+Miss Shadowy Sure, I've read the collections Fictions and The Aleph, simply amazing. A great starting point with Pynchon is Inherent Vice, which is 100% Pynchonian and terribly engaging while being a bit easier and more accessible than most other of his books. Thanks for the suggestion too, I'll look into that FAQ thing!

This book is amazing. It shows how beautiful and entertaining language can be. No one strings words together like Pynchon.

I loved your review of my absolute favorite book. I wanted to say that you articulated the American author thing of loving/hating this country VERY well. It's a major tension in all of his novels and you just said it perfectly.

After 7 years of struggling to get through the first hundred pages, I finally finished M&D a couple of weeks ago. I had to read his 2 most recent books first apparently, before allowing my mind to embrace his use of antiquated vernacular. That being said, I agree with your review, that 18th c. style of writing combined with Pyncon's unique style and his awareness of current (c. mid-90s) style and pop culture, is a very exciting combination... Equal to how compelling the story and side stories are... I also cried at end of the final page... I also compared the side stories, in my mind, to video game RPGs (the Final Fantasy series, my point of reference), these were all or mostly fascinating, my favorites being the duck & chef, the Canadian interlude "story within a story within a story..." which then merges with the book's "story within a story" in an indescribable way... almost like a moment that mirrors Kurt Vonnegut's breaking the 4th wall in Breakfast of Champions, but the way Pynchon handle's these surreal changes of narrative without overtly pointing it out, is one of the most inspiring things I've ever read in a novel... I also liked the tale of the two Chinese astronomers starting a chapter, which immediately proceeds as a reflection after an absurd side story about a competition between a "were-beaver" and Swedish tree chopper... This book makes me want to write endlessly, about it. Such a joy to read! I love these characters. I love Ben Franklin in it! I love the brilliant final two chapters to the section in America, to me that was the perfect ending to the book and the final section of chapters was more of an extended epilogue, though also brilliantly told... As of right now, Mason & Dixon is my favorite novel I've read.

I've watched all your reviews of Pynchon, and you've inspired me to take a stab at his work. Keep up the fine work! P.S. I greatly enjoyed your "James Joyce As A Vlogger" parody.

Great review! I'm on page 562 and I agree the French chef and the mechanical duck is a great story. Pynchon always has me torn because I love the imagination and the intertwining of the stories, but the characters never seem completely realized. But I relate more to Mason than Dixon....

Fantastic! I LOVE this book -

I have yet to hear or read a critique that says this book puts them in mind of The Sod Weed Factor by John Barth. It did so with me. Similar setting, similar time, similar humor

This is one I haven't read yet, but I love your comparison to quests and side quests in modern rpg games. That really is a great way to explain the flow. You never truly leave the main story/quest but other things can temporarily take precedence and add to the overall experience in a cumulative way.

This sound like my first Pynchon...

I just finished it earlier tonight and all I want now is to talk and listen to people who've also read it. Pynchon is already my favorite author...but I didn't know he had such an empathetic, affecting, human side until finishing this beautiful novel.

Jus finished it a couple of days ago, It was bitter-sweet yet up beat. The book is unforgettable and I really grew to love Mason and Dixon, I loved Dixon for his humour and optimism,but I could relate to Mason much more in that I'm of the darker sort. Fantastic novel, being from Philadelphia I enjoyed the Benjamin Franklin sub-plots very much(esp. the grim reaper bit) can't wait to read it again some day!

I kept waiting for this to show up in my notifications. I really don't have much to say since you know my over the top love for the novel. The rpg comparison is apt. I always felt like it was an extremely strong take on an American, Pomo Canterbury Tales. But anyway, the book is a masterpiece of the highest caliber. I can't imagine a world without it.

I'm still reading it. Have alot on my plate. I am reading it alongside Against the Day--so who knows how long it'll take for me to finish them lol

Great review. Just finished it this evening.Listening to your comments on the theme of America I'm struck by the fact that neither M&D nor Cherrycoke are native Americans, so providing Pynchon with a means to view his homeland through foreign eyes

I've never had the chance to read through this, but I love the comparison to side quests. I'll definitely have to consider adding this to my to-read list.

I’d enjoy your take on some William T. Vollman.

I love Thomas Pynchon,I've read all of his work,2-3 times!Except Mason and Dixon,I couldn't read it.I've stopped 2-3 times around page 100 or something!

Would you recommend reading some 18th century novels before Mason and Dixon? If so which ones?

i've got Mason & Dixon arriving in the mail on saturday and am absolutely dying to start reading it!

I agree with you, Bookchemist. Mason and Dixon are compelling characters. When I finished the book it got me a bit sad. Also I enjoyed the intromission (is that the correct word?) of Rev Cherrycoke who is the narrator of the framing story and his nephews and nieces askings. The longing of Mason of his dead wife was very touching. And some extraordinary characters like the Mechanical Duck and the Dog are simply unforgettable. I've read it in spanish but I will read it in english in the near future. Recommended book.

Yes, I'm going to read it. But first I'm going to read some of the secondary literature on it. The essay you mention sounds first rate.

Love the theory on history. Makes me want to re-read it in the near future. Just finished The Tunnel, which also deals with history in the same way. The main character finishes his book on the history of Nazi Germany and finds himself writing a novel about his own life since he finds he can't bring himself to write an introduction. He hides the pages of this between the pages of his manuscript of the history of Nazi Germany so his wife/colleagues/etc won't find it in the interim.

I did not enjoy 'The Sot-Weed Factor' by John Barth, which also largely takes place in 18th century United States. Is this book similar? I am a Pynchon fan.

That's not to ask, "Which language should I learn," but rather which language to gain fluency would grant me a better understanding of history?

Great review. Recommendations. Please improve on your video editing. Add photos, videos, short clips etc. Make it visually appeal. Overall, good stuff.

because it took 17 years to write and 4 years to edit... can't you see which pages were written when? the language of this book is not entirely consistent. it was written in patches. it would have never been finished, but for the macarthur fellowship.

Great video, very informative and helpful! I would love to read this novel. It sounds fascinating..I'm just afraid I won't understand the language. I have been reading novels in English, but I have trouble keeping up if the language gets too creative or some sort of unfamiliar slang is used very heavily etc.

I had to stop reading Gravity's Rainbow to read Ubik and The Left Hand of Darkness (I'm currently on this one). I can't express how less painful those two are... I liked the Crying of Lot 49 very much. You said it was your least favourite; I suppose Bleeding Edge and c. are awesome, then! I'm reading the translated version of GR, even though I have an original. The descriptive parts are very difficult, even in my native language.

I obviously figured that Mason & Dixon would be a smoother read than Gravity's Rainbow. But it seems Gravity's Rainbow was not hard to read, but hard to comprehend. Comprehend what was happening, who was talking sometimes etc... While it's easy to figure out what's occuring in M&D, I'm having a slow go of actually reading it. The language is definitely throwing me for a loop, and I'm a native English speaker. Since English is not your primary language, did you read a translation? Or did you power through the original English?

I really want to read this! I need to get through The Recognitions (if I like it enough I'll read JR) and Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and then I can finally read this. The language of it, from what I've read of it, is so beautiful. There are only three writers who I'll pick up and turn to a random page and just read to feel better: Joyce, Shakespeare, and Pynchon. And Mason and Dixon is the book I usually do that with.

Always love hearing your thoughts! I haven't gotten around to reading Mason & Dixon yet, but every once in awhile I read the first dozen or ao pages and am blown away by them every time. I'm excited for the special day when I finally sit down to read it. I read Tristram Shandy earlier this year and adored it, so I figured I would also read Tom Jones before M&D to better acquainted myself with 18th century picaresque romps. Maybe The Sot-Weed Factor as well since it's a conceptually simular book and I love Barth just as much as I love Pynchon. So... I probably won't get around to M&D for a few years, but when I do I'll be sure to let you know what I think, haha.

Just finished. The last couple of pages really got to me. I do prefer Mason though, with the Rebekah side story and all.

As a person with a certain understanding of language in its sociological evolution, I'd like to ask you, as a literary nerd, should I learn fluently Greek or whichever language to understand literature as a whole? I hate reading in restriction to the English language. I appreciate your videos and value your perspective

How do I look up this book and find you invoking NEVERWINTER NIGHTS as a comparison? Hot dog that's insta sell for me.

I've started with Inherent Vice, and now I need to choose another Pynchon's book to read. Give me a suggestion Bookchemist.

Excellent over(re)view. I agree that it's definitely not a good starting place for Pynchon but that it is a masterpiece. btw Did you turn in your dissertation yet? Hope all is going well!

Hi. I am curious about how much you knew of the actual story of Mason and Dixon and about the line?. If i am not wrong it is a fantastical version of the story, so i am guessing one would be able to understand the book better if he knows the actual story. Did you?

I'd love to read more of your writing. Do you write more in Italian, or English?

This book has stumped me despite multiple attempts. It seems there are different sects of pynchon fans. I loved lot 49, against the day, and rainbow. But couldn't stand inherent vice, V (though finished them) and wasn't able to complete vineland and mason dixon. Is mason dixon just harder to crack?

I'm half way through, I'll get back to you, fella!

man, i enjoy pynchon, although my acquiescence includes merely GR and M&D. but booooi this dude writes obscurely. i mean, you understand all words in sentence separately, but put together they sort of dont make much sence :D and that keeps on like 40-50% of the book(in gr it's 70 to 80 :D. and that's the only pretension towards pynchon from my side

I thought you'd go DeLillo with Pynchon's brother in American ambivalence, and then you hit us with Stephen King. I wondered why you hadn't reviewed Zero K yet. Little did I know, you were attacking this mammoth of a novel. The language of Mason & Dixon has terrified me from reading it so far.

Reading Pynchon can be like treading treacle at times ,I wish the style could be devoured and flow more readily like Danielewski at his best.

this book is unbelievable. your comments about "america" need to take into consideration what the visto line actually meant to the country from a geo-politico sense. it separated the north of dixon from the south of mason, in england, locally, and pennsylvania from maryland, in the new country.

Ok

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terence mckenna recommended me this book

I'll send you THE FAMILIAR VOLUME 3 it you can't afford it yet.