Author News
“Inherent Vice” by Thomas Pynchon
Is Thomas Pynchon not cool anymore? Is literary relevance chronologically sensitive — meaning, certain things lose their importance depending on when they are published? Do interesting things become boring over time, or is the reading public simply fickle? I ask these questions because nobody seems that interested in Pynchon’s forthcoming (August 2009) Inherent Vice — kinda has a loopy-hippie Vineland feel to it. I must admit I fanned through his latest novel Against the Day like a telephone book with no one to call, sighed, and put it down; and Pynchon is one of my all time favorites.
William Vollman comes to mind, who shares (actually, eclipses) Pynchon’s unforgiving tomb-ish books with a noble kind of ‘fuck you I don’t care if you read this’ vibe. He too is someone I admire — but don’t read. Maybe they are asking for more than admiration, or even devotion. Maybe they aren’t even asking for anything, but simply want to be left alone and write. This brings us to an age old (tweaked) question: if a book falls and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? With the growing online cacophony, maybe lack of sound is not such a bad thing.
I dunno. Publisher Penguin’s synopsis reads like the male version of The Crying of Lot 49:
It’s been awhile since Doc Sportello has seen his ex-girlfriend. Suddenly out of nowhere she shows up with a story about a plot to kidnap a billionaire land developer whom she just happens to be in love with. Easy for her to say. It’s the tail end of the psychedelic sixties in L.A., and Doc knows that “love” is another of those words going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” except that this one usually leads to trouble. Despite which he soon finds himself drawn into a bizarre tangle of motives and passions whose cast of characters includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, a tenor sax player working undercover, an ex-con with a swastika tattoo and a fondness for Ethel Merman, and a mysterious entity known as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentists.
Mason & Dixon was barely read, Against the Day even less so. Pynchon’s paranoia of the 70’s was perhaps justified by the subsequent corrupt decades. We’re back at the 00’s now and it’s simply hard to be that suspicious when governments are so unabashed and explicit in their doings. Raymond Carver’s 80’s brought us back down to ‘reality,’ and we’re still all a little depressed. Bret Easton Ellis gave us drugs in the 90’s, but that didn’t help. At 384 pages, Inherent Vice is more ‘digestible,’ which is an operative word because, well, who’s hungry?
Tags: Inherent Vice, Thomas Pynchon
I’m looking forward to this book. It sounds more like The Crying of Lot 49 or V to me, and less daunting than Mason and Dixon and Against the Day.
I’m looking forward to this book. It sounds more like The Crying of Lot 49 or V to me, and less daunting than Mason and Dixon and Against the Day.
Stupid question, but why is he one of your all-time favorites? It sounds to me like you’ve never managed to get through one of his books.
Stupid question, but why is he one of your all-time favorites? It sounds to me like you’ve never managed to get through one of his books.
He’s one of DFW’s favourites. I bet that’s it.
He’s one of DFW’s favourites. I bet that’s it.
i’ve read everything except for ‘against the day.’ trying to explain why he’s one of my all-time favorites would be like a muslim trying to explain allah — you’ll either buy it or you won’t.
i’ve read everything except for ‘against the day.’ trying to explain why he’s one of my all-time favorites would be like a muslim trying to explain allah — you’ll either buy it or you won’t.
nah, that’s not it.
nah, that’s not it.
i don’t ever remember reading dfw raving about pynchon
in fact, the only ref i can find for him now, dfw called him “a patriarch for my patricide”
i don’t ever remember reading dfw raving about pynchon
in fact, the only ref i can find for him now, dfw called him “a patriarch for my patricide”
this looks interesting. i doubt he’ll ever make anything that comes near GR, but i’m always open to trying
this looks interesting. i doubt he’ll ever make anything that comes near GR, but i’m always open to trying
this is the first pynchon book i’ve looked forward to in years. that’s not to say it’s the first one i should have been looking forward to. but this is the first one that triggers that animal itch.
this is the first pynchon book i’ve looked forward to in years. that’s not to say it’s the first one i should have been looking forward to. but this is the first one that triggers that animal itch.
I’m stoked about this book. I hope he doesn’t play up the noir into camp is all.
I’m stoked about this book. I hope he doesn’t play up the noir into camp is all.
I miss southern California.
what jimmy and blake said. Lots of people obsess about pynchon, I’m not sure DFW is one of them though.
I miss southern California.
what jimmy and blake said. Lots of people obsess about pynchon, I’m not sure DFW is one of them though.
dont.
dont.
Okay, then. So when you described Mason & Dixon as “barely read,” you didn’t mean “barely read” by you? But then when you described “Against the Day” as “less so” (where so = read) you DID mean you? And when you wrote ” He too is someone I admire — but don’t read” that “too” was meant to serve some other function in the sentence than to communicate to a reader “I am talking about both William Vollmann AND Thomas Pynchon right now” ? Dare I even ask what “admire but don’t read” was supposed to mean?
I’m not trying to be a dick, but I’m totally confused by what you’ve written. I guess you’re a Vineland/V/Crying/Gravity’s Pynchon fan?
Okay, then. So when you described Mason & Dixon as “barely read,” you didn’t mean “barely read” by you? But then when you described “Against the Day” as “less so” (where so = read) you DID mean you? And when you wrote ” He too is someone I admire — but don’t read” that “too” was meant to serve some other function in the sentence than to communicate to a reader “I am talking about both William Vollmann AND Thomas Pynchon right now” ? Dare I even ask what “admire but don’t read” was supposed to mean?
I’m not trying to be a dick, but I’m totally confused by what you’ve written. I guess you’re a Vineland/V/Crying/Gravity’s Pynchon fan?
yah, you have pointed out some tonal inconsistencies with my post.
i guess i failed to distinguish between my sentiments, and my perception of the reading public, the latter which is dangerous ground i know.
i was saying some contradictory things, which is ground work for great stuff when done well; not case in point though. thank you for such a sobering read.
yah, you have pointed out some tonal inconsistencies with my post.
i guess i failed to distinguish between my sentiments, and my perception of the reading public, the latter which is dangerous ground i know.
i was saying some contradictory things, which is ground work for great stuff when done well; not case in point though. thank you for such a sobering read.
jesus
jesus
Against the Day was awesome. So was Mason and Dixon. I’m glad his page count scares people away. When I first tried to read Vineland it seemed like Pynchon Light or like a Tom Robbins (same thing to me) and I finally got thru it last year and loved it. This new one seems to be in that vein. Vineland had characters that were descended from characters in Against the Day, but few people realize that, because Against the Day is thick. Very thick. Why fan thru a phone book when you have the internet?
Against the Day was awesome. So was Mason and Dixon. I’m glad his page count scares people away. When I first tried to read Vineland it seemed like Pynchon Light or like a Tom Robbins (same thing to me) and I finally got thru it last year and loved it. This new one seems to be in that vein. Vineland had characters that were descended from characters in Against the Day, but few people realize that, because Against the Day is thick. Very thick. Why fan thru a phone book when you have the internet?
exactly
exactly
Pynchon’s been dead since 1974. It took Melanie Jackson, his agent, 17 years to put together the Pynchon-Lite that was VINELAND but it was a guaranteed moneymaker with no downside; since then the books have gotten slightly better as Gene Stone or whatever ghostwriter has worked harder at finding the expected groove. Suckers consume.
Pynchon’s been dead since 1974. It took Melanie Jackson, his agent, 17 years to put together the Pynchon-Lite that was VINELAND but it was a guaranteed moneymaker with no downside; since then the books have gotten slightly better as Gene Stone or whatever ghostwriter has worked harder at finding the expected groove. Suckers consume.
what about M&D and against the day? who wrote those?
what about M&D and against the day? who wrote those?
JD Salinger
JD Salinger
J.T Leroy.
why does pr always have a non-reply thing about her posts?
i find it quite unsettling.
and a little settling….
i tried to read gravity’s rainbow, had to put it down. i felt stupid. and i’m not stupid, so i felt bad at the book for making me feel stupid.
the jargon got in the way. only it wasn’t jargon i presume….it was dialectics. but still. i mean, i dug it. the missile and everything. so maybe in a few years i’ll check it out again. ‘cuz the cover as nice.
but until i make out with that book….i’ll peep out vineland. or against the day.
and hey, some things are better liter. (hey, if you’re doing lite, you might as well take it full pantyline).
like… uhh…
why does pr always have a non-reply thing about her posts?
i find it quite unsettling.
and a little settling….
i tried to read gravity’s rainbow, had to put it down. i felt stupid. and i’m not stupid, so i felt bad at the book for making me feel stupid.
the jargon got in the way. only it wasn’t jargon i presume….it was dialectics. but still. i mean, i dug it. the missile and everything. so maybe in a few years i’ll check it out again. ‘cuz the cover as nice.
but until i make out with that book….i’ll peep out vineland. or against the day.
and hey, some things are better liter. (hey, if you’re doing lite, you might as well take it full pantyline).
like… uhh…
it took me four false starts with GR, each time stopping around page 80, before i finally made it through on the 5th time. there’s a slow going to getting started, as there’s so much happening, but once you get past like page 160, its a hump, and its all smooth like ass from there. and worth the init-climb, believe.
it took me four false starts with GR, each time stopping around page 80, before i finally made it through on the 5th time. there’s a slow going to getting started, as there’s so much happening, but once you get past like page 160, its a hump, and its all smooth like ass from there. and worth the init-climb, believe.
GRAVITY’S RAINBOW is great. So too LOT 49 and V.
GRAVITY’S RAINBOW is great. So too LOT 49 and V.
Actually, Pynchon was *not* one of DFW’s favorites. He said something to the effect of: “The Pynchon thing kind of annoys me. [being compared to him] I find a lot of his work shallow at times.” I think he meant post-GR as well.
Actually, Pynchon was *not* one of DFW’s favorites. He said something to the effect of: “The Pynchon thing kind of annoys me. [being compared to him] I find a lot of his work shallow at times.” I think he meant post-GR as well.