Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon REVIEW

Lengthy review indeed, but it's the kind of book that requires one.
In case the video didn't make it clear enough, Against the Day is pretty fucking good.
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[@Wampumloaf]

I'm not sure I've ever experienced the level of thrill-of-reading I experienced while reading this book, in any other book.

[@christiansidjani]

Thanks, bookchemist, for verbalizing what I was just feeling reading "Against the Day". When it comes to review books I always kind of lack the right words (or so I think), but you nailed it. Definitely. As always! And of course, I'm happy that you like the book so much. But ... here's a great but: The best is yet to come, as you've mentioned in your video, as I am one of your viewers who think "Mason & Dixon" is Pynchons best and most accomplished work to date. I mean, it took him about 25 years and he dedicated it to his wife and son. He even did research in England until they threw him out of the country when his visa was expired. Maybe all that means something, maybe it doesn't. But "Mason & Dixon" is plain awesome.

[@TheBookchemist]

+Christian Sidjani You're not the first one mentioning that - I really can't wait to read that book!

[@mantisamygdala]

I've read Mason & Dixon, too. It's great. But Against the day is a classic. It's humanistic (like Mason & Dixon) and it is universal (Mason & Dixon not...)

[@elliotwalton6159]

A friend of mine told me he felt Against the Day was written personally for him. nothing but goodness.

[@Deep.Dungeon2e]

This book made me weep. Its true that the first few chapters are difficult to read or, mock the strut of unreadable, I think he was trying to do a portrait of the artist kind of thing, changing the idiom to match this halcyon airship with talking dog childhood type thing, but he drops that pretty quick.. Its such a humane and organic novel I love it

[@keithwittymusic]

I really do need to give this one another shot. Really after 400 pages I was totally lost. I think I am a much better reader now, though. The move past-irony for Pynchon appears pretty prevalent in Mason & Dixon. That it surfaces again in Against the Day is fantastic. That was what made Bleeding Edge such a masterpiece in my eyes.

[@benjaminrevol54]

Thank you for all your reviews, you really helped me turn into a Pynchon reader (and Eco). So I would like to return the favor and suggest you read one of my favorite authors, George Pérec. You may have already read Life A User's Guide, but if you haven't you should. It's a lengthy and thick read with a lot of intricately threaded narratives and it is just marvelous

[@80085word69]

Definitely got the bio shock infinite vibe from it as well. Never got bored reading this and agree that it is "easy" to read just long. Not sure if it's my favorite Pynchon but in my top three for sure. If you loved the sentimental side of Pynchon in Against the Day, Mason & Dixon will blow you away.

[@TheBookchemist]

+80085word69 I'm sure it will - I can't wait to read it now!

[@adrianac3258]

Never even heard of Pynchon , but your review is so engaging and detailed I feel I need this book in my life!!!

[@TheBookchemist]

+adriana adriana Glad I managed to do that :)! As I said in the video, I suggest you start somewhere else with his bibliography (I warmly suggest Inherent Vice) but if you like that one, do pass to Against the Day, it's utterly awesome.

[@adrianac3258]

I will follow your advice first the more accesible one "Inherent Vice" then "Against the day" ,since I haven't read this author I guess is better to start slowly ;)...

[@fashizzlebadizzle6552]

You should also watch the movie Inherent Vice, it's fantastic.

[@adrianac3258]

+Fashizzle Badizzle Thanks for the advice I will certaintly do it ...

[@jamescresswell319]

I reread it recently and as much as I enjoyed it this second time round (all Pynchon books are beautiful to re-read, I've learned), you're definitely right about it not being a book to read when distracted. A book about a particularly anxious time in human history is maybe not the wisest book to read *during* a particularly anxious time in human history! (but I guess it scans with the fact that I was reading the Airborne Extinction Event section of 'White Noise' at the specific time they announced that COVID was a "global pandemic")

[@mantisamygdala]

It is my favorite book after 50 years reading. When I started, I had problems with the chums of chance, because, as a woman, i have no experience with young boy's adventure stories. Later I understood their role in the story, when I met other styles, western, thriller, crime, adventure etc. I've read it two times, in English and in German translation (to be sure, that the translation is as good as the original - if I want to recommend it to my friends), both times I was glad from the first page to the last. Ok, I have to confess, the first time (in English), when in the first third of the book one of my beloved figure is killed, I've had to pause for a year. It is true: I was thinking / mourning one year about this book. The sorrow had me. Yes, one year, I was mourning for a fictional person. After that, I could go on with the book. It is a book to guide you through every emotion. But overall it makes you happy. Because Pyncon is a humanist. Under all this postmodernism is a unique humanistic approach. "true colors, that's why I love you..."

[@TheBookchemist]

A beautiful comment! I very much agree.

[@Deep.Dungeon2e]

You said it 👏 👏 👏

[@brendanwhelton]

Thank you sir! I just ordered a really cheap used copy online! I am psyched! I liked Gravity's Rainbow, loved Mason & Dixon, got halfway through V...

[@zingrook_]

When I have to choose an account security question and one of the question choices is "what is your favorite book?", I always choose that question, and the answer is "Against the Day".

[@CugnoBrasso]

That's great man! What was your username again?

[@justinhughes619]

Good review! I just started the book during the holidays and I'm intimidated by its length and complexity, but I'll give it my best shot

[@asherdeep8948]

I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one shifting from DFW to Pynchon, or moving away from DFW in general. And man! You are really loving modern Pynchon, aren't you? It's making me excited to read the modern stuff as well. I'm reading V. right now, and this review is just well-timed and fascinating. I'm going to the read your much loved Bleeding Edge next. Also, when do you plan on reading Mason and Dixon? And which Pynchon books do you have left to read? Thanks! :D

[@TheBookchemist]

+Asher Deep We are not alone man! You find these ex-Wallacians around every once in a while :) (not that I hate the guy or anything of course); I guess for some people DFW is kind of a phase-thing! I actually still have to read V., so let me know how it is once you finish it! Apart from that one I got Mason & Dixon (I'll read that one between April and May I think!) and his short stories collection, Slow Learner!

[@unidentifiedvoice4801]

+The_Bookchemist "V" is the only Pynchon I have read so far, and it was a very interesting book. I can't really comment in how it compares to the others, but on its own it was, if quite uneven, often brilliant. The book keeps going between the "modern day" (1950s) and chapters, which are short stories disguised as chapters really, set in the past. V is just a framing device for these chapters, as they are where the book's strengths are, while the modern day bits aren't as interesting (hope I didn't reveal too much about it)

[@asherdeep8948]

Gus Bambridge-Sutton I just finished V. a few days and I couldn't agree with you more. You nailed it: the historical vignettes are best parts of the book, I think. And it is a bit uneven, sure.

[@lwilson9383]

I've made it past the half way point in this book and LOVE IT thanks for your commentary

[@geist_czasupostrach]

Thank you for this review. I've started with Pynchon's works with The Bleeding Edge and I loved it! After books from Burroughs, Joyce or William Gibson it was unavoidable to go further. I read BE in polish as well as I'm reading The Crying Lot of 49 now also in translation (GR waiting for me as well, it was hard to buy but I found it! Oh and Vineland) but we don't have Against the Day in our language (there are some chances in this year but publishing house are doubtful and I'm not surprised, it's very long book) so your review gave me an hope and encouraged me to buy the original. Fortunately for me I've found it in very good and rare price as somebode here made ad for it - I don't have to overprice for shipping from other country :) It will be double challenge for me - to understand the book in english and understand the book's themes and plot but I feel it will be brilliant trip. Thank you!

[@bedet]

It's been about a month or two since I finished this, and it's still occupying my mind on a regular basis. I've been on "Team Bleeding Edge" now for a while, but this one might take its place as my favorite Pynchon. I'll need more time to decide...also I still have to read M&D and Vineland. M&D I plan to get to over Christmas break, but who knows when I'll get around to Vineland. Also, I second the request for a readers guide!

[@therightsofthereader6094]

just finished two days ago and my brain is still experiencing antiexplosions to the nth.

[@PhilboBaggins11]

I've been putting off buying my first Pynchon novel for a few years, now. No real reason for doing so, seeing as I've always been excited about jumping into his bibliography (and love a lot of the big post modernists), but after watching your video I finally ordered up the Crying of Lot 49. Maybe you should go into marketing!

[@TheBookchemist]

+Philip Wilson Seems like a place with more money around than Literary research :P! Glad I made you order 49 :)

[@Earbly]

Did you read Crying of Lot 49? How did you feel about it? I didn't find it very compelling and the prose felt kind of flat and kind of "tied up". But, his other short book, Inherent Vice, is one of my favourite books ever, and I think it is incredibly written, it's super funny, well-paced, and the characters are well-fleshed out and presented as lively, human characters with depth (or if they're shallow people, they at least feel like real people). I just think it a high-quality book on so many fronts. Highly recommend if you haven't picked it up. Also if you're up to challenge, Gravity's Rainbow is insane and punishing, but ultimately, rewarding.

[@bighardbooks770]

Whelp, I'm in Part Four, "Against the Day" and loving it, so far, but he introduced yet another character: Cyprian! I shall finish by year's end.

[@Shimmy8]

Just started this book after finishing 2666. A bit challenging at first but a ton of fun. Had to switch to kindle because of Pynchon’s word choice.

[@bighardbooks770]

Now, you've got me wanting to read Bleeding Edge first, lmao!

[@severalgecko]

I ended up finishing Bleeding Edge after I initially decided to give up about 70 pages in. I don't regret the decision although there were a few things which bothered me about it. The incessant references and colloquialisms didn't sit too well with me, mostly because I only really got some of the movie and video game references. Also, I know nothing about business and economics (and I'm not interested in those topics even a little bit), which the plot centered around quite a lot. My question is, are Pynchon's other novels (such as Against the Day) different in their approach? I think I'd really like to read more Pynchon if I knew his other books didn't have the same problems I encountered in Bleeding Edge.

[@TuanLeKreuk]

I had this same problem, I had to dig through the jargon to get the good stuff

[@TheBookchemist]

+severalgecko I see what you mean, and I know how all those references can be a turn-off. Paradoxically, it's one of the things I love the most about Pynchon, the way he builds his books with a texture of references and intertextuality that is so thick you forget it's even there. That, I am afraid, is something he does pretty much all the time; but never as extensively as in Bleeding Edge (which I loved so much for that very reason!). For instance, Against the Day talks extensively about issues in 19th Century mathematics, and Gravity's Rainbow too features quite a lot of maths, but you don't need to get 100% of it - you'll have to make your way through a few difficult passages, but after a while you'll understand what he is aiming at. All the scientific jargon in Pynchon is usually a way to talk about very human, spiritual, even religious issues. So yeah, do expect some more of that, but not as much as in Bleeding Edge. Crying of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice both intertextualize a lot too, but they do so way more easily than Edge (especially Vice), and they are almost entirely free from business or mathematical mumbo-jumbo :)

[@Earbly]

Late reply but I thought i'd throw my 2 cents in, if you gave up on Pynchon. Personally I understand completely what you mean. I think some aspects like the cyberworld her sons make, and a lot of it just didn't mesh really well for me although I thought the last 60 pages or so of Bleeding Edge were very well-written. In my opinion, if you want to read peak Pynchon, at full concentration without the intense, brain melting complexity and puzzle/maze-like insanity of his monster sized books like Gravity's Rainbow or Mason & Dixon, I highly recommend Inherent Vice. It's more upbeat, light-hearted (although it certainly gets dark), it has one of the best protagonists in all of Pynchon's work in my opinon. Goddamn I love Doc Sportello as a protag lol. The book's damn funny, damn engaging, his writing is really on-point. Also I think because he lived in this era as a late 20s-early 30s man, that being southern California in the 60s, his references to the time, the music, the culture, all that, is much more natural feeling and integrated. Organic if you will. Also I saw the Paul Thomas Anderson film adaptation for Inherent Vice before I read the book, and can say that PTA captured the weird, paranoid, strange, hilarious mood of the book very well on film. Joaquin Phoenix does a perfect job too as Doc. Just be prepared for a very different movie with different pacing. But if you just settle in and let the film take you on *it's* ride, it's most definitely worth it. It will then be greatly rewarding. Just like most of Pynchon's books, PTA's film deserves a second watch and personally I laughed even harder my second time, and that's when it really became one of my favourites. Both film and novel.. Man I've watched it like 5 times now. Whereas in Bleeding Edge, he was pretty old by that point and was writing about a culture that, while he was alive in, was an old man and not growing up as a part of it. I think he probably got a lot of help from his sons in "getting with the time". Thus I share you sentiment that he went overboard with references . TL;DR Definitely give Inherent Vice a read before writing Pynchon off. It's a really great read and will likely remain one of my favourite books ever. Hope you enjoy!

[@josetxulopezcasado2521]

Currently reading it. Having a blast! All hail Pynchon!

[@marcosviniciusoitauna6071]

I'm finishing that book, I also read Inherent vice, Mason & Dixon, Gravity's Rainbow and Bleedig Edge (All books in portuguese). For me the best was Mason & Dixon, second place: Bleeding Edge and Inherent Vice, third Gravity's Raibow.

[@lentas08]

Very good review of a marvelous book, Pynchon is in this book akin to Joyce

[@85ORESTIS]

My favourite Pynchon's novels are GRAVITY'S RAINBOW and V. I will start reading this after finishing Collin's ARMADALE. Do you think that punchonwiki would help enough?

[@svalliere55]

Thanks for reading this book. I’m over half way through and my copy is completely vandalized with coffee stains and notes, sketches and highlights etc. I can only imagine the distressed state of this book when I finally reach the end. Might you please consider reading and reviewing The Big Sleep?

[@javiz9947]

thank you again! just the first 100 pages of against the day!

[@frankreynolds4413]

Reading gravity’s rainbow at the moment but I also have this novel waiting in the wings 😬

[@emilioocchialini6094]

Ehi Bookchemist, i'll recommend you 11/22/63, which i talked you about in other previous comments and it has been my real serious English reading (even if i'm talking about length, i've found it very accesible) after In watermelon sugar (that you recommended me 2 months ago and it has been a perfect start). It's an amazing book, very fluent and addicting, but most of all because while i was enjoying it and noting down the best moments i've founds many references in the themes with Gravity's Rainbow (indeed the book is set during JFK Government, thus Cold War and Missile Crisis of Cuba). Soon after having finished it I've started Cat's Cradle, as a soft reading, and it's very funny, but at the same time I feel a certain nihilism. All this to say that I've started the suicide adventure to read Against the day in english, instead of rereading Crying of lot 49 (at first i thought "well it's the shortest Pynchon and i've already read it in Italian, maybe a better start", indeed...) However it's fucking awesome the first part with the Chums of Chance, Lew Basnight, the story of Merle and Dahlia (you're right when Pynchon is a honey-bear when there's the family in the middle) and Webb Traverse (the first pages of him, with all the description od dynamite, recalled me of Sergio Leone with "Giù la testa"). I just read the first 100 pages and i've noted down almost characters... such a drug, obviously the only difficulty is the rich english vocabolary that i don't know and some passages that i'm used to lost without the translation. But I think "Keep On Keeping On" ;)

[@TheBookchemist]

Do keep on, Against the Day is fucking amazing! Just reading about it makes me want to start it all over again :) and you'll find several other chapters on Webb and his family are reminiscent of Leone-style Westerns, which I love! Thanks about the recommendation, I've always wanted to read that one actually - hopefully soon! And I felt the same about Cat's Cradle, most of Vonnegut's books are hilarious on the surface but terribly sad underneath

[@ricksanborn6629]

What might we make of Lew Basnight's unremembered past? Any thoughts?

[@GaeaRage94]

I wish you could make a reader's guide for AtD

[@TheBookchemist]

Yeah, why not!

[@Fractilion]

I am about 2/3 of the way through this book. One big thing that confused me was at the end of Part I, the Chums of Chance are going into the center of the Earth. But at the beginning of Part II, they appear somewhere in the South Pole or something, and have that encounter with their Russian arch-nemesis? I wonder what went on during their expedition at the end of Part I? Because later on in Part II, while they are in Spain, Chick Counterfly shows off some alien device to a lover of his. It also seems that they go from having a hot air baloon to having an airship instead. Is there something i'm missing here? Or is Pynchon just being weird with the narrative?

[@TheBookchemist]

Those are the questions every Pynchon reader ask themselves sooner or later :) you make what you want of the plot, but yeah - that is not the only point in the book where the Chums seem to move to a different reality, or do some other sort of weird shit. Opinions vary widely over whether the Chums at the end of the book are in the same world/timeline as the ones in the beginning.

[@omarelric]

Woah, I wish I had the attention span to notice these sort of things (or anything at all 😂)

[@TheBobbybare]

I agree with everything you said but the only thing about Against the Day is that it lacks the wackiness (except for the Mayonnaise scene) of his past novels.

[@alexanderrowe3676]

Do you think that Pynchon is an anarchist? He seems to put it in a sympathetic light in most of his books.

[@TheBookchemist]

I try as much as I can to keep separate books and their human creators, but yeah, Pynchon as an author is definitely a very political writer, and there are strong anti-capitalist and even anarchist overtones in all his books (especially from Vineland onward). Still, a scholar called Bernard Duyfhuizen wrote a paper on Against the Day claiming how Pynchon's defence of anarchist violence in the novel is a way to problematize our current understanding of terrorism as "quintessentially bad" and unjustifiable.

[@Fractilion]

The life-changing experiences that Lew Basnight undergoes while investigating an anarchist gathering near the beginning of the book really made me think that there's a lot of admiration Pynchon has towards that movement.

[@unclesam997]

I loved BioShock Infinite (I play it way too often lol) and I’m loving reading Gravity’s Rainbow right now so I really want to read Against the Day

[@therightsofthereader6094]

this is Great. I'm trudging through this novel, half way in at this point. it's a lot more life affirming than Gravity's RAINBOW. I get exhaustedly happy when pondering it. one prefers it not ending. so it is difficult to finish. I'll have to read bleeding edge soon.

[@TheBookchemist]

I can totally relate with your experience, and I too believe it's way more optimistic (or at least hopeful) than GR, while still being a very lucid portrait of some of history's greatest horrors.

[@therightsofthereader6094]

+The_Bookchemist yes. the lucidness and the strangeness. I am reading it alongside THE FAMILIAR VOLUMES 1-3. Danielewski is a huge Pynchonite so it helps me understand hid authorship so much more. because against the day is also very much about the medium of the physically bound book. it does things that other art forms can't do, which might make it more accessible. I don't know. I just feel books, the aesthetic experience feed an intimacy I cannot reach outside of reading. have you read TF VOLUME 3 yet? I think it'll make up for your doubts concerning VOLUME 2. I felt that small sense of doubt about the project but I've started to have faith in MZD. like all the things that seem insignificant or overindulgent or pretentious will make sense later. Pynchon is actually helping me read TF differently, and also cultivating a lot of patience and joy in the journey of ATD. does things one didn't know literature could achieve.

[@TheBookchemist]

I waited anxiously for Volume 3's release date but when it actually came I couldn't make myself fork out the money to buy it, but you've made me wanna read that too and give the series another chance. I'll definitely check it out within the next month!

[@therightsofthereader6094]

+The_Bookchemist >^..^

[@Bryanseas]

The Rights of The Reader youre finifugal

[@StankPlanks]

Really need to get around to this. I was keen before but your review made me much keener.

[@ghost2031]

I'm currently reading Against the Day and it's definitely not an easy read. Infact i have to slow down reading but it tickles my intellect very nicely. Awesome book.

[@Brewmaster757]

If I've only read Lot 49 and Inherent Vice would you recommend I read Against the Day or Gravity's Rainbow next (or something else?)

[@TheBookchemist]

Depends! Which one of the two did you prefer? If you preferred Lot 49, go with Gravity's Rainbow, otherwise choose Against the Day. Against the Day is a much better book on all fronts if you ask me, it's more enjoyable and easier and more awe-inspiring and incredible, but Gravity's Rainbow is way more famous and influential, and has left a deep mark on American literature since it came out. Long as it is, it's also substantially shorter than Against the Day, which is pretty endless. If you're *really* undecided, go with Against the Day.

[@ardayesildag3769]

Really nice review. Have you ever considered reviewing Mason&Dixon by Pynchon?

[@ardayesildag3769]

...aaand I read your note :)

[@TheBookchemist]

+arda yeşildağ ;) I think I'll read that one between April and May!

[@bookcase1624]

I was excited to read M&D but man I am struggling with it. I find it for the most part boring. I do like the two main characters M&D and how they interact.....those parts are entertaining and make me chuckle at many parts but the rest I don't know besides boring I get lost. I mean at some point there is a talking duck/bird can't recall and things like that just annoy me bc it takes it somewhere else. I have ATD but it's huge so I'll wait a couple of months. After I do finish M&D I just want to read shorter books.

[@Nick-im8df]

I'm on about page 550, in getting a little stuck but don't want to give up, I want to finish it, any suggestions? Thank you! As always, great video!!

[@TheBookchemist]

Don't give up man - there are some breathtaking passages in the second half of the book, and lots of amazing and horrid stuff happens to everyone in the novel! But if you really, really feel like stopping, then that's fine too - just do yourself a favor: write a summary about what happened in the book and about who each character is; so that if a few weeks or months from now you feel like finishing the book, you can refresh your memory on what's going on ;)

[@Nick-im8df]

Thank you! I'll try! I'll keep going through it!

[@useraccout1635]

Hey Nick! This might be a bit late, although I doubt it with a book like Against the Day, which easily takes years to digest. Some tips: get the audio book version of the book provided by Audible and read by Dick Hill. That is literally the only audio book I listen to because it is incredibly done. Second, use the Pynchon Against the Day wiki. Third, there was a reading group for this book when it first came out and it spans a year. Google Chums of Choice and you'll find it. There you'll have several readers providing lengthy and informative discussions/summary of all the parts of the book, page numbered. And lastly, take your time. There is no point in rushing to the finish. The author knows what he's doing. If you have the Kindle version, you can easily search which characters did what where and where they pop up in the book.

[@andrewmatthews9753]

Hey does anyone have a recommendation for a guide to help with the scope of this book. I’ve been to the chums of chance blog as well as the Pynchon wiki, those resources dive deep into the obscure references or brief summary of the absolutely massive number of characters. So what I’m trying to find is something geared for newer Pynchon readers I’m not trying to analyze every obscure historical reference in this behemoth. I really just want to make sure I’m following the story and making connections between the vast array of characters that come and go throughout the novel as well as the major themes. I ve been dutifully recording every character and big event, but now I’m 400 pages in and starting to lose my grip on all the connections. So any thoughts on a more elementary website or resource to check just to make sure I’m keeping everything straight.

[@csscszcsgv]

Oh god... Ok... I loved The Crying of Lot 49, wich I read because of your recommendations, so I'll read this book next (unless you have another convenient recommendation (and by convenient I mean shorter and not as hard as Bleeding Edge (don't judge me, man, I am just a journalist, not a literature student)))

[@csscszcsgv]

+The_Bookchemist yaay, nice. will read it. Thank you, man.

[@jasonusborne8629]

No it is beautiful. I read it out loud to the ghosts. I think the author deliberately writes so because it is enjoying to him personally to spin words thusly. Side effect is that it tunes out the attention deficit folks. Very readable for people who appreciate this style.

[@T4wsi5w47w7]

Read In Search of Lost Time

[@old3nglish_234]

I was looking for a book to read and this review convinced me - I'm only 100 pages into it, but it's fantastic so far.

[@TheBookchemist]

+old3nglish _ Brace yourself, it gets better and better ;)

[@enigma9306]

I just saw some video (which I thought was absolutely obnoxious and b.s. but anyway) that gravity's rainbow is just Slaughterhouse 5 but longer. He was also saying that Pynchon, Wallace, DeLillo and all those guys are terrible writers. Just wanted to ask what you think of that, I personally was outraged.

[@TheBookchemist]

Of course opinions are always subjective and there's lots of people (even major scholars and critics!) who don't like these writers, and some of them articulate their thoughts pretty clearly and definitely have a point. If you ask me, I understand why people might not like Pynchon and Wallace, but DeLillo? He's pretty untouchable, he's got one of the best careers in literary history and has written effortlessly and brilliantly everything from the thriller to the encyclopedic masterpiece to more artistic, abstract stuff. As for the comparison, I believe they are unbelievably different books because of their nature and styles and aims, and if they share several similarities (setting, quirkiness, paranormal stuff) these are mostly macroscopic. It's a bit like comparing, I dunno, a Hardy's novel to a George Eliot's, or Hemingway and Steinbeck: they look similar from the outside, but when you look closer they are quite quite different.

[@enigma9306]

+The_Bookchemist There are many people who dislike these authors who I respect, but these guess were just saying that they are actually just terrible authors and write garbage, and they were acting like they need to share the news so that their fans can finally realise this and they'll rid the earth of authors everyone loves but are actually bad. Face palm. The thing is I think sometimes the criticisms of a book for being pretentious or obnoxious can be far more pretentious or obnoxious themselves. It's easy to say everything's shit, but it does not show any real taste.

[@hdfjdjify]

+ENiGMA I know the video which you are referring to. The worst part of the critic's sentiments was the diatribe on MFAs and graduate schools.

[@enigma9306]

+dog_gazed_ duct-tape They don't allow comments or likes/dislikes because they know what they'll get if they do haha

[@knicksfule]

Nailed it. Final Fantasy

[@Nick-im8df]

Love your channel, I'm gonna attempt to read against the day soon, it will be my 2nd Pynchon novel, any suggestions? Thank you!!

[@TheBookchemist]

Just go with it! And keep in mind that some characters disappear for hundreds of pages and come back later in major roles; but that's pretty much the only difficulty in the novel. Plus, its first 100-200 pages are among its best, so it should be a sweet journey from the start :)

[@Nick-im8df]

Thank you so much!

[@blaze34]

What would you suggest to read first: Gravity's Rainbow, Against the Day or Bleeding Edge? I've already read CL49, and loved it.

[@TheBookchemist]

+br34 I'm not sure but of the three, I definitely prefer Day and Edge. Keep in mind that I hugely prefer post-Vineland Pynchon to its earlier self, also because GR (as glorious and important as it is) is not nearly as entertaining as the other two - it is in fact one of the most difficult books I have ever read, and most disturbing. I'd say you should pick Against the Day first, unless its length is a turn-off - in that case go with Edge ;)

[@blaze34]

As a nerd, (some of) the themes of those two appeal a lot: steampunk and videogames! Guess I'll go with Against the Day first then, since there's a Portuguese translation of it (I prefer originals, but I write in PT---gotta boost vocab!)

[@blaze34]

Shit, I decided to read GR. So much things going on... it's fucking excessive.

[@TheBookchemist]

It is indeed! Insight info: I'll be posting a video about tips on how to read Pynchon in a few days if you're interested ;)

[@blaze34]

Sure! I'll watch it. One other thing that stroke me about it just yesterday: there are many scenes that are fantasies of a better life, and those are really sad moments because you can feel that war kills so many things so hope is all that remains. Or those fantasies can be of other kind, to show perversion...hell!

[@underlinedluke]

I can't watch your videos without wanting to read >all< the books you mention! I love the little Pynchon I've read (Inherent Vice and Gravity's Rainbow) and I got Bleeding Edge because of your review (haven't tackled it yet, will start it soon), and now I'm about to check out Against the Day on Amazon, lol! I really like your taste in books so I'm curious: have you read french writers like Raymond Queneau, Georges Perec, Robbe-Grillet? I love Perec and I think you'd really enjoy his books. He's one of my favs. Great video btw! :)

[@TheBookchemist]

+underlinedluke I'm glad I can do that and I hope you'll enjoy both Bleeding Edge and Against, they're both fucking masterpieces! I don't know any of the authors you mention (I'd really love to read more European literature!) but I'll keep their names in mind! One French writer I'd like to check out in the next few months is Houellebecq (I probably mispelled that) since everybody just can't shut up about how good he is :)! Thanks for the feedback man ;)

[@stews9]

Brilliant, excellent review. Think of it as a mini-series if the length daunts you. Academics are idiots, as noted.

[@crutonkid]

Where should I start with Pynchon? Should I start with the crying of lot 49?

[@TheBookchemist]

Lots of people start there but I don't think it's a very good starting point; it's short, sure, but super dense and quite difficult. I'd definitely suggest you start with Inherent Vice, which is light, fun, enjoyable, and waaay deeper than it might superficially appear. It's also 100% Pynchon, and it should prepare you well to some of his more challenging works. From there, I'd move to Bleeding Edge or Against the Day, or Gravity's Rainbow if you feel real brave.

[@crutonkid]

awesome, thanks for the response. i understand pynchon novels can be exteremly hard to read. I am 19 and i have only gotten into reading for pleasure the past 3 months, so i hope inherent vice is on my level. it sounds awesome though.

[@TheBookchemist]

Enjoy the reading, and let me know if you like it ;)

[@chanm01]

Adding my voice in support of those who would enjoy a reader's guide for AtD. I'm doing my own study, but the input of a better reader would be very helpful, of course. Over his now nearly six decade long career in writing, TRP's works have been accused of committing all sorts of literary sins. But the one that might bother me the most is the claim that his books comprise a "boy's book" genre - and not in the fun, campy way that such a label might be applied to, for example, the Chums of Chance books. It's a type of critique that you also often see being made of DFW's work, and especially of his fiction. These accusations bother me because I think they put people off reading the works of these two authors - which is a real shame, because I feel that their commentary is too important and wide ranging to be relegated to just a corner of the reading community. In this regard specifically, I wonder if AtD may be important. Particularly, does Dally Rideout stand out to you as a new type of Pynchonian female, more fully fleshed out, more aware (both of self, and of the world she inhabits), more dynamic, and treated by TRP with less allegorical distance than his previous female characters? With respect to the point about awareness, at least, I believe examples are manifest in the text - she's inquisitive, self-directed, "does" as much as she is "done to", and (for the msot part) tries to resist being used. What's less clear to me is how she compares with TRP's previous female characters. My paper napkin (rough sketch, undeveloped, unresearched... pure conjecture) sense is that they are largely cartoonish, hypersexualized, mythologized. But I'm actually hoping that there are more who fit in Dally's category that I've actually just overlooked. On the contrary, examples of the other type of Pynchonian female (oversexualized, etc.) are almost too obvious (in fact, this is exactly the problem). And chief among them are Melanie l'Heuremaudit from V., who, you may recall, Pynchon actually killed off by having her _impaled through the vagina_. Curiously, however, you may have also noticed that in the very last section of AtD, TRP actually resurrects Melanie in the form of Dally's Perisian friend, Jarri (Melanie's stage name in V. was La Jarretiere). Certainly, this isn't the first time TRP has retconned a character death (see the ending of the "Under the Rose" chapter of V.), but like a god who jealously guards his power, he also doesn't allow resurrection to happen often. So... what are we to make of this? Personally? I want to say that it is just TRP rewarding fans who have stuck with him through all his decades of writing, but it seems like the type of thing that is ripe for torturous overinterpretation.

[@TheBookchemist]

So much of Pynchon (recurring characters, plotlines continuing from one book to the other) are precisely the type of stuff you'd expect to find in pop fiction - "fan service" of sorts, though of course they can potentially keep English departments working forever :) . As for his female characters, I know there's lots being written about feminism in relation to his early works; I don't have names and titles in mind at the moment but I can look it up if you need!

[@ardayesildag3769]

I've read Crying Of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice but couldn't finish GR, I'm looking for a Pynchon novel to read. I was going to buy Bleeding Edge but then I saw your review on Against The Day. The longitude doesn't matter for me, I just want to have a nice exprience.(Bleeding Edge is easier to find) So which is better, Bleeding Edge or Against The Day?

[@TheBookchemist]

+arda yeşildağ They're quite different books actually; Against the Day is way more ambitious but also a bit easier to read, except for some passages in which it deals quite technically with 19th Century mathematics. It can also be a bit hard to keep track of the dozens of characters that make up the narrative. Bleeding Edge, on the other hand, is only difficult if you are not too familiar with 90s and 00s pop culture (stuff like rap music, Pokemon, video games, TV series...); even then it's understandable, but it can get pretty obscure. I'd say go with Bleeding Edge if all the pop culture references stir your interest; otherwise pick Against the Day!

[@ardayesildag3769]

+The_Bookchemist Which one is, objectively, a better book?

[@TheBookchemist]

+arda yeşildağ They're very different and it's difficult to tell, but if pressed, I'd say Bleeding Edge ;)

[@ardayesildag3769]

+The_Bookchemist Thank you man, you're really the best book reviewer on KZbin. Keep going !

[@valpergalit]

Would you consider this book (and all of Pynchon's works for that matter) accessible for a high school Senior? I started Against the Day today, but I'm worried I won't "get it" if you know what I mean. I wouldn't consider myself an incompetent reader, but I'm not yet an English major like lots of Pynchon fans, and I know many references in his books will undoubtedly go over my head. Should I attempt AtD anyway or wait until I'm older to truly grasp the experience of reading it?

[@TheBookchemist]

It's a difficult question (I know high school seniors who are tougher readers than me!), but yeah, it's a challenging book. Not necessarily difficult, but still endless and complex and filled with scientific lingo; also, it points at lots of early-20th century literature (Lovecraftian horror, western stories, early science fiction like Verne and Wells) and having read some of that will probably help you navigate Against the Day better. Tell you two things: first, don't be afraid of having references go over your head - that's inevitable with Pynchon, no one gets 100% of his books, not even Pynchon scholars ;) and second, if you're on the fence about reading Against the Day, do check out Inherent Vice first. It's much shorter and easier but will get you an idea of his style. If you like that, by all means go on with AtD.

[@useraccout1635]

Read it but be prepared to work at reading it. And take your time. This is one of those books that last a lifetime, you will undoubtedly re-read it several times. in How to Read A Book, they continuously stress that you should read books "above you", so to speak for reasons I think you can figure out on your own.

[@keithripley3453]

Have you read V by pynchon, I'm curious as to what you think of it.

[@TheBookchemist]

+Keith Ripley Nope, still have to read that one! (And Mason & Dixon, and Slow Learner!)! Will have to tackle sometime soon though I think ;)

[@johannbadenhorst4920]

Hey what shirt is that you're wearing ? Looks really cool.

[@TheBookchemist]

I bought it on Threadless.com :) it should be called "By Appointment Only" and there's HP Lovecraft and Nikola Tesla on it as investigators of the occult! It's my favorite shirt I own ^^

[@johannbadenhorst4920]

+The_Bookchemist awesome. Fits in perfectly with Agains The Day. Very clever.

[@johannbadenhorst4920]

+Johannes Badenhorst thanks.

[@TuanLeKreuk]

when you compare dfw and Pynchon what do you measure them by? entertainment? or meaning?

[@TheBookchemist]

+Malibu Thompson If you're talking about the discussion I mention in the video, I was simply debating with this guy which of the two was more self-involved and which was a bit more politically or socially or humanely conscious ;)

[@Eyeoot]

Comparing Pynchon to Final Fantasy is fuckin rad and is something I think the man himself would appreciate. Great review.

[@abcdefgh1234432]

Hi, I have a few Pynchon Questions and maybe you could help me. Have you an Email that I can write to?

[@noahstorey688]

Just finished AtD. Have Vineland and M&D left to read.

[@TheBookchemist]

Liked it :)?

[@noahstorey688]

+The_Bookchemist I absolutely loved it. IMO it is second to Gravity's Rainbow, but both are absolutely amazing, transcending reads. I'm a huge fan of your channel Mattia, so keep up the good work!

Hey, man, can you do V., pIease? Have finish it here, and my head is stiII spinning.

[@TheBookchemist]

Hang in there, I plan on reading it before next Winter!

Nice! I wiII def wiII check that out!

[@tsvetelinmonchev624]

Quanto tempo ti c’è voluto per finirlo? Troppo curioso; non credo due tre mesi ahaha

[@TheBookchemist]

Un mesetto mi sa, ma leggendo diverse ore al giorno (bei tempi l'università ;)!)

[@Nick-im8df]

I'm gonna resume reading this, I'm determined to finish it. I took about a month off of reading this book to read another, but am ready to start again, I just am having a hard time grasping all of its concepts and plots, any suggestions? Thank you for all the help!

[@TheBookchemist]

Taking notes about who the characters are and how they are related might help, there's a ton of them and they will sometimes disappear and come back hundreds of pages later - it can be difficult to keep track :P ; as for the concepts he uses (about time travel, geometry and mathematics, cinema and photography etc), what I can say is, sure, he uses a lot of technical language and terms, and they might appear very difficult to grasp at first... But if you keep reading the book, and once you find them discussed again and again, you start getting them. Or at least you get why he is using them: Pynchon's science is always used to discuss very relatable human issues, no matter how technical his discussions get.