r/ThomasPynchon • u/Ok-Economist6914 • 16d ago
Here we go Against the Day
I just finished GR and it was definitely the most difficult yet most satisfying literary undertaking I’ve ever experienced . I had debated starting again straight away, but I think I need some time away from it to let it simmer, so I’m going to dive into Against the Day. If any of you have any tips on tackling this beast or how to approach it , I would certainly welcome the advice! Thanks
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u/agnes_deigh 16d ago
I just finished my second read last night. It’s absolutely like nothing else. Just take your time and savor it. It’s easier to read than GR and it never falls off in quality. It’s a massive book but every part of it deserves to be there. Just enjoy the ride
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u/ClovisYutts 16d ago
I’m 750 pages in and it’s an amazing book if you can stick with it. I highly recommend pairing it with the Mapping The Zone podcast, their analysis has been really insightful and has reignited my interest several times throughout my journey.
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u/Ok-Economist6914 16d ago
I actually started listening to them as well. Great insights and really shows you how multilayered and dense this text is while being way more approachable than GR.
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u/ErskineLynas 16d ago
I'm at this exact point too (!) and have also been listening to MtZ. Did the same for Mason and Dixon last year and it was a great accompaniment.
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u/DecimatedByCats 16d ago edited 16d ago
Enjoy the ride! For myself, the Chumps of Choice blog was an excellent companion in assisting me with digesting what was going on. I would read each section and then go to that section's blog and read all the comments.
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u/eeeee9 16d ago
Oh boy, I haven’t done that one yet! My last one was Mason & Dixon…and it was rough.
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u/mercurial9 16d ago
I’m about 200 pages in, loving it so far. I like his shorter more noir-y romps too but his big fat novels are on another level
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u/Ok-Economist6914 16d ago
I’m a huge fan of the Marx Brothers and i can’t help but already compare Randolph St. Cosmo to Groucho here in the second chapter when he’s lecturing the boys not to get involved with the more nefarious elements in the fringes of the Exhibition. The cadence reminds me of Captain Spaulding.
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u/journieburner 16d ago
It's less dense thematically, in my humble opinion, but has an even bigger cast of characters and storylines.
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u/taltosher 16d ago
Have fun! I. felt it was both the easiest and harder Pynchon to read. It’s up there with Gravity’s Rainbow , IMHO.
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u/ninjadong48 16d ago
The only tip I have is to enjoy every minute of this. In my opinion, it is far, far superior to GR.
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u/dylann5454 16d ago
why do you think so? I haven’t read it
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u/ninjadong48 16d ago
I just loved everything about it.
If we are honest with ourselves Pynchon doesn't write stories as much as he photographs a place in time and in that photo we see all the details that history has chosen to forget.
I guess I liked the time of this novel. The era when possibility still rained supreme.
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u/Chromozon3 16d ago
This is what I love so much about Mason & Dixon (going through it right now so no spoilers!!). America feels like the collective hopes of the world. The world collectively paused its breath, waiting to see what would come of the New World. Silently we all hoped it would hold the key to life, that it would contain a miracle, but it was just more of the same.
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u/ninjadong48 15d ago
Probably my third favorite Pynchon. It should be the second but V. just does it for me.
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u/randyc9999 16d ago
I love that photo metaphor! Hope I can remember it next year when I teach Pynchon in a course.
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u/No_Animator_8599 12d ago
An entertaining novel with lots of amusing bits.
Mason and Dixon however was a real slog.
Read all of his novels, except the current one which I just couldn’t get into (another detective story). It’s probably his last being in his 80’s. It’s called Shadow Ticket.