1 post tagged “pynchon”

He's really hard to read.  I know this, YOU know this; and if you don't know who Pynchon is, the people reading him don't care about you anyways.  Which is sort of funny because ALL of his books are about secret/elitist/previously-unknown clubs that the people who read his books want to join/crash/understand.  So I guess the thing about Pynchon is the exclusivity among his readers as it is about the unconventional prose.

My Relationship with the Author

I once read The Crying of Lot 49.  That said, I read all the words between the covers and closed the book when there were no words left.  I did not "read" the book in the way that my 10th grade english teacher wanted me to read Siddhartha.  ANYWAY, I decided to read it after a good friend told me that if he HAD to get a tattoo, he'd probably get the bugle from the cover of book.  Apparently it symbolized something great about his favorite story (Lot 49) and would have the image permanently stenciled to commemorate it.  I was intrigued, so I picked up a copy and 4 years later finally returned it to the bookshelf. 

I'm not the best reader, granted, but I will put in the effort to prove something to myself and to get "jokes" related to said reading project.  There are also people who read things professionally (like English PhD candidates and professors) who agree that Pynchon's work is difficult to grasp, but work it out in their heads.  But will then stipulate that it is difficult because dude is a genius.  Then there are people who read it and totally get it... and those people are liars.

Fine.  He's a genius.  I don't expect me to get it, i'll leave that to the pros.  But i ACT like you get it?  Just don't, it infuriates all the people you are trying to impress.

Long story short, I came across the news that his newest book, Against the Day, just came out.  AND GUESS WHAT?  People are already reviewing it!!! 

That's right!  The same people that write crappy reviews about blenders and cell phones have taken on the small task of reviewing a book whose author confounds the best literary minds today!

*Sigh*  Well if it wasn't for my irrational hatred of these people I would have little to nothing to blog about.  So, I guess I owe a big ol' thank you to those poser DB's:

THANKS GUYS, KEEP ON A READIN' AND PRETENDIN'!