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sektabox t1_iti9twf wrote

Ha! Pynchon was the writer of my very serious interest when I was working on my master's thesis back in Poland, with a special focus on the concept of entropy in the English literature.

After I got my degree (in Canada), I gave up literature and I have to say, without much pride or shame, I've never read a single novel or any work of fiction since then. That was over 25 years ago, when I switched to computer science and that's been my field all that time.

Cool post. Brought back some memories.

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RazgrizDoge t1_itiazoy wrote

I watch an episode of the simpsons a day while doing stuff around the house and just today i saw his first cameo, i even asked whats up with the paper bag... and i just got the answer...

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bathands t1_itiepz2 wrote

I'd go into hiding too if I had his fanbase.

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MoreGull t1_itifg8k wrote

There's a connection there. Shake some trees boys, let's get people talking....

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expatred t1_itih6oh wrote

Seems gravity’s pull to the rainbow of colors in the Simpson’s was too strong. Something something only Pynchon novel I read.

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lisiate t1_itijq4v wrote

I really like the way the thumbnail for this post cuts off half his face to preserve his anonymity.

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sleepybrett t1_itiu4yu wrote

He is also apparently i the Paul Thomas Anderson film 'Inherent Vice' which is, of course, based on his novel of the same name.

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Nomomommy t1_itivm5s wrote

I swore and threw "The Crying of Lot 49" across the room when I finished it and then yelled at Thomas Pynchon in a dream. Pynchon puns pack a punch.

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bathands t1_itj7bn1 wrote

In my experience, they are like any other obsessive fan group, albeit sharper and better read. They make a lot of corny in-jokes and assume everyone else in the world shares their interest in Pynchon. Harmless guys overall. Many of my friends who geeked out for Pynchon were also Pink Floyd fanatics, if that gives you any more context. Probably not. Anyway, they were fascinated by the eccentric side of Pynchon, which I found tiresome and juvenile. His books aren't enjoyable to read and sometimes his fans act like their appreciation for him is a sign of their intelligence. To me, it simply means they have the time and patience to slog through deliberately meandering and zany fiction by an author who is gifted and smart enough to know better.

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makemydame t1_itj978s wrote

Contradictory title.

His work is (sort of) famous. He's not

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tetoffens t1_itk3m7m wrote

What? He's one of the most respected authors of the last century. You not knowing of him well doesn't mean others don't. I'd wager more people would be able to tell you he is an author than would be able to name any of his works, so essentially the opposite of what you said.

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FrankieMcGigglefits t1_itk6dx4 wrote

My husband still celebrates finishing gravitys rainbow in college. Shortly thereafter he claimed he's done for awhile.

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BobBopPerano t1_itkbpof wrote

His novels are brilliant, and they’re a blast to read. Comments like this always imply that people who enjoy his writing are pretentious, but whenever you find a discussion about Pynchon, the long and condescending comments are always from insufferable people who feel like it’s their job to make sure no one enjoys his work.

If anyone is acting like their preferences are a sign of their intelligence, it’s the stuffy, enlightened redditors who look down their noses at whatever they don’t like.

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torchictoucher t1_itkdq1m wrote

Weirdly, his first episode was on tv last night

2

Criticalhit_jk t1_itkiqjn wrote

My grandma always had family in Germany send fantastic little marzipan sculptures to her house here in Canada for Christmas. I shit you not they'd send boxes of the stuff - one for eating and one for displaying. They wound up building a bookshelf, basically, that filled up one whole wall to keep them on. Mice, cats, soldier shaped nutcrackers, reindeer, a whole ass nativity scene. All kinds of shit

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NinDiGu t1_itkjq3d wrote

There's a sci-fi author who has never been photographed, and brags about it on his website.

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DelsinMcgrath835 t1_itkrxn8 wrote

Is this the inspiration for J.D. Salinger's "Hollywoo stars and celebrities: what do they know? Do they know things? Lets find out."

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RustedCorpse t1_itl1dvq wrote

See I feel you just described why I like Pynchon and hate Wallace...

I feel Pynchon is funny and plays with you. DFW is the snobby "I shall walk you through the spires of my intellect... Till you see how clever I am..."

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howling_greenie t1_itl6ckq wrote

Happened to me. My bachelors is in English teaching, but I got so burned out in college I will go years without reading a single book. When I was in high school, I read a book every week or two and couldn’t get enough. I think it was the atmosphere of being forced to read or teach certain things that held no interest to me and all the essays that amputated the enjoyable aspect of the reading experience for me. I began to have a subconscious distaste for reading at all. I would love to get a passion for reading again.

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mrpak0 t1_itl73vo wrote

Here’s the popular take on Socal

He’s another east coaster who adopted the hippie life and came to live out west.

Still the books are great.

Lives somewhere in Socal or north Baja ( I’ve heard both). Tied in with the Joan Baez/ Keplers Books crowd

Fun guy to grab a drink with

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makemydame t1_itladu1 wrote

So Banksy isn't famous.

We're getting into essentially substence theory here.

I'll revert back to my original comment.

The work is famous, the person isn't

E Why the block if you think you're winning the argument? Pathetic

−1

Smartnership t1_itlcatp wrote

You’ve painted yourself into a philosophical corner.

Since “Banksy isn’t famous,” you surely didn’t get the reference and had to look up “Banksy.”

Take the L, move along.

Best wishes.

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FrankWhiteman t1_itlmk95 wrote

There was a picture taken of him and his son voting back in 2020.

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PhasmaFelis t1_itlq921 wrote

This is fantastic:

> Of particular emphasis was Pynchon's outright refusal to utter the line "No wonder Homer is such a fat-ass." Pynchon's objection apparently had nothing to do with the salty language as he explained in a footnote to the edit, "... Homer is my role model and I can't speak ill of him."

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999Sepulveda t1_itmb7zy wrote

Years ago I read a local weekly paper story where the writer just looked up Pynchon in the phone book (it was the 80’s), called him and did a phone interview. He wasn’t reclusive, he was just not seeking publicity.

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HPmoni t1_itmekeo wrote

He looked like Tim McVeigh!

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RonSwansonsOldMan t1_itmenms wrote

He did a wonderful job with that publicity thing, because I've never heard of him and don't have a clue who he is.

−5

Dorseywhite t1_itminy3 wrote

I saw an episode of Night Court with Larroquette's character saying something about hunting alligators in the sewers of New York, which I think was likely a reference to Pynchon's first novel "V" (Larroquette's a big TP fan supposedly).

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msw1984 t1_itn4pq5 wrote

I've only read Infinite Jest. Haven't read any Pynchon. Which novel would you suggest I start on of his? Gravity's Rainbow? The Crying of Lot 49? V.? Inherent Vice?

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BobBopPerano t1_itnpiru wrote

I’m not the person you were asking, but I do have an answer! Broadly, he has a few very long novels and a few more not very long novels. Most people would recommend starting with one of the not very long ones.

Personally, I think Inherent Vice would be a good one to start with. It’s funny, super readable, and you have PTA’s film adaptation to look forward to when you’re done. I’ve heard of other Pynchon fans who don’t love that one as much as I do though, so ymmv. The canonical answer is probably Lot 49.

Another consideration is Bleeding Edge—not many (including me) would call it their favorite Pynchon, but r/ThomasPynchon is starting a reading group for it next month, if that’s your thing. If it isn’t your thing, though, I’d still start with IV (but I do think BE is underrated).

Gravity’s Rainbow is great and probably my personal favorite, but a lot of Pynchon fans seem to prefer his other epics (Mason & Dixon and Against the Day), and all three are very distinct stylistically. Mostly, when you see people hating on Pynchon like above, it’s because they tried and failed to get through GR—so I definitely wouldn’t recommend starting with it. I do really love it though.

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msw1984 t1_itntfxf wrote

Thanks for the reply!

I honestly had a hard time with Infinite Jest. Read like the first 100 pages on Google Books preview and was really lost. Decided to buy a used copy and tried getting through that monstrosity of a book.

I eventually did. Took several months. Found it hard to read for long stretches of time. There were definitely parts/passages/lines I liked in it, but man, it's such a beast of a book to tackle.

I've heard similar complaints about Gravity's Rainbow as well.

Maybe I'll try Inherent Vice or The Crying of Lot 49 first.

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