The majority opinion seems to be that The Crying of Lot 49 is the best starting point for newcomers to Pynchon. It's short, funny and clearly plotted (for TP, anyway), and it introduces many of his characteristic themes: paranoia, conspiracy, drugs, science, etc.
"Vineland" is longer, more conventional, more hopeless, less rich in ideas. GR is Pynchon's masterpiece, difficult, but not as difficult as Joyce's "Ulysses". "V" is his first novel, sprawling, awkward, but with many rewards.
A thoroughly enjoyable book of TP's early stories is available as "Slow Learner", with a painfully honest self-evaluation in the introduction.
17th C. Paralleling the Slothrops of GR, early Pynchons settle Massachusetts 1937 Thomas Ruggles Pynchon born May 8 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York 1940s Avid reader of spy novels: John Buchan, Oppenheim, MacInnes, Household 1953-59 Cornell U engineering major, took? a class w/Nabokov, met R. Farin~a 1955-57 Two year stint in Navy provides background for V, etc. 1959-60 Greenwich Village bohemianism, pot smoking, idolizes Monk, begins V. 1960-62 Writing PR for Boeing in Seattle, model for Yoyodyne 1962 Moves to Mexico to finish V. 1963 "V." published, wins Faulkner Award; cultivates habit of privacy 1964 "The Secret Integration" in Sat. Eve. Post introduces Hogan Slothrop 1965 Living in Manhattan Beach, California 1966 "Crying of Lot 49" published; NYT Magazine article on Watts June 12 1967 Lot 49 wins Rosenthal Award 1967-72 Silent years, California and Mexico, lots of drugs (presumably) 1973 "Gravity's Rainbow" published Feb 28, universally hailed as classic 1974 Joseph Slade's "Thomas Pynchon" 1st booklength critical study (pprback) 1975 Pynchon declines William Dean Howells Medal 1984 Early stories pub'd as "Slow Learner"; NYTBR essay on Ludditism Oct 28 1988 MacArthur Foundation genius grant 1988 "A Gravity's Rainbow Companion" by Steven Weisenburger collects massive annotations 1990 "Vineland" published; TP marries agent? moves to NYC? 1993 NYTBR essay on Sloth: "Nearer, my couch, to thee" Jun 6 1997 Mason & Dixon published by Henry Holt.
Students at Princeton during the second half of the 80s used to stage yearly readings of the entire text of GR.
A possibly-apocryphal Cliff Notes for GR makes an appearance in the movie "Miracle Mile" (a remarkable sleeper).
Kurt Cobain's hit "Smells like Teen Spirit" was supposedly inspired by his reading of GR, possibly by the song on pages V538/B627: "Ah, they do bother him, these free women in their teens, their spirits are so contagious, [indented lyrics:] I'll tell you it's just --out, --ray, --juss, / Spirit is so --con, tay, --juss, / Nobody knows their a-ges..."
The hunt is on for these (extremely rare) Pynchon photos:
This synopsis is intended to serve as an index (to both editions) and a
memory-refresher. It's condensed (by jorn@mcs.com) from a longer version
available from Alec W McHoul
[ To Pynchon Page ]
1: BEYOND THE ZERO, pp1-177/1-207 (W. von Braun quote)
3/3 Pirate's dream and waking
7/8 Banana Breakfast; Pirate's ESP; the giant Adenoid
17/19 Teddy Bloat photographs TS's map
20/22 TS inspects the V2 site; details of his history
29/33 Jessica at seance; Microfilm Drill; Jessica and Roger
37/42 Mexico and Jessica's life together; Pointsman's dogs
42/48 Pointsman hunts the dog; The Book.
47/54 Spectro and Pointsman discuss TS; the octopus
53/61 Mexico and Jessica get up; Mexico at work; the two at home
60/69 TS under truth-drug: down-the-toilet, Kenosha Kid
71/81 Jamf's Kryptosam; Pirate and Scorpia "make love"
72/83 White Visitation; Pudding's briefing; Le Froyd episode
83/96 TS's "condition" and Jamf connection
92/107 Katje, Gottfried and Blicero. Pirate, Osbie, dodo
114/132 TS and Darlene, the Disgusting English Candy drill
120/140 Mexico, Jessica, sex, midget-truck, Beaver, Xmas church
136/159 "You" dream; Spectro's death, White Visitation, Pointsman
145/169 White Visitation's freaks; ESP; Jamf psycho-chemistry; Angel
154/180 Leni leaves Franz; Leni's history; seance at Peter Sachsa's
167/195 Pointsman, Gwenhidwy, Xmas-party blowjob; City Paranoiac
174/203 Jessica's sister's; pantomime of Hansel & Gretel; Penelope
2: UN PERM' AU CASINO HERMANN GOERING, pp179-278/209-323 (MC Cooper quote)
South of France, March 1945
181/211 TS, Mucker-Maffick and Bloat go to the beach
189/220 Octopus; TS with Katje, chase, secret gaming room
205/239 TS, Katje, Sir Stephen's Confession; Eventyr, Sachsa, Leni
226/263 White Visitation, rat dance, Pudding and Mistress of the Night
236/275 White Vis.; Casino, TS, Feldspath, Bounce, IG Farben, Shell, ICI
244/284 Party at Raoul's, Waxwing and Sherman tank; TS's zoot suit
249/290 Imipolex G, Tantivy's death, TS to Nice, first mention of 00000
257/299 Zurich: TS meets Schweitar, deal w/Squalidozzi, Geneva, Jamf's grave
269/313 Pointsman at seaside going nuts, end of war, Schwarzkommando real
3: IN THE ZONE, pp279-616/325-718. ("Toto, I have a feeling..." Dorothy)
281/327 TS in Zone, Nordhausen, child, Marvy, Enzian and Geli, Tchitcherine
295/343 TS tours Rocket-caves, architecture, Glimf, chase by Marvy's Men
314/365 Enzian, Schwarzkommando, Hereroes, Blicero/Weissmann, Tchitcherine
329/382 TS and Geli on clifftop; balloon pie-fight
336/391 Tchitcherine, language program, Enzian, singing duel, Kirghiz Light
359/418 TS sick, Schwarzk. find A4, Rocketman outfit; Bodine; Dope Deal
371/432 Rocketman to Potsdam to pick up dope, Max Schlepzig ID
383/446 Argentine U-boat, Squalidozzi in Bavaria, der Springer/von Goll
390/454 Tchitcherine on interrogation of TS, "Black" theme
392/456 TS meets Greta; sado-masochism scene, Bianca
397/462 Pokler; Ilse; Mondaugen, Frieda the pig, Leni interned by SS
433/505 TS in Berlin, chess-knight, Saure's; Greta; Rocketman; dreams
448/522 Toiletship Rucksichtslos; Schwarzkommando interrogate Achtfaden
457/532 TS and Greta; Bad Karma; Anubis; Thanatz, Bianca, orgy scene.
468/546 Bianca and TS, sex. mention of TS's woman in America
473/551 Morituri; Greta hides; Bianca & Thanatz vanish; TS new costume
482/562 Greta's pasts: cowgirl, necrophiliac, Bianca, Thanatz, s&m
488/569 On board Anubis, TS loses interest in his quest
492/573 Frau Gnahb's boat; TS meets Springer; Peenemunde; Mother Conspiracy
505/589 Rescue of Springer; Mondaugen's Law; TS Russian costume; Narrisch
518/604 Maria's abortion; Enzian's speed-vision; Pavel and the Moss Creature
525/612 Swinemunde with Gnahb; Springer gets TS a discharge; raid on Anubis
532/620 White Vis., Pudding dead, Katje watches Osbie's films of her
537/625 PP at Old Firm Conv., PP & Katje; How I Came to Love the People
549/639 TS's dream of Tantivy; Ludwig's lemming; Wm Slothrop; Major Marvy
557/649 Marvy & Chiclitz put TS on to Schwarzk., info swap on S-Gerat
563/656 Marvy and Tchitcherine; Tchitcherine's vision of the Rocket cartel
567/660 Pig fest in Cuxhaven; Frieda leads TS to Pokler
577/672 Pokler reflects to TS: old German movie fetishes, Jamf's lectures
580/676 Lyle Bland, the Masons, pinball, astral travel
591/689 Muffage and Spontoon castrate Marvy; Bodine's Runcible Spoon Fight
610/711 Tchitcherine, Argentinians, Pointsman; Mossmoon and Sir Marcus
4: THE COUNTERFORCE, pp617-760/719-887. ("What?" RM Nixon)
619/721 TS w/harmonica; PP hijacks plane; Saure & Gustav on music
626/729 Mexico in Zone; Pointsman, Prentice; idea of Counterforce
640/746 Colonel's haircut; Skippy, Happyville, Byron the Bulb; Jamf
656/764 Katje meets Enzian - they talk of TS and Blicero
663/772 Thanatz & lightning-struck; homosexual camp; Schwarzk.
674/785 TS & super-heroes; father-conspiracy; Naline's letter; Ass
Backwards; Shit'n'Shinola; sodium bomb; Kamikazes; sun's sound-shadow;
Broderick Slothrop; Imipolex G
700/816 Tchitcherine, dope, religion, Marxism, Jamf, Pokler, Haunting
706/823 Gross Suckling; kazoo quartet; Mexico and Bodine's gross-out fest
717/836 Geli looks for Tch.; Blicero talks to Gottfried
724/845 Schwarzk. and 00001 trek; Rocket theology; Ludwig and Katje
733/855 Geli's spell; Tch. meets Enzian w/o realizing
735/857 TS fragmenting; Mingeborough; W's Tarot; 00000 launch; Zhlubb
Grateful acknowledgements to the Pynchon-L All-Stars: Alec McHoul, Andrew
Dinn, Basileios Drolias, Bob Millard, Bob Orlowsky, Brian Stonehill, Chris
Stoltz, Dana Bordan, Evan M. Corcoran, Greg Garwin, Heikki Raudaskoski,
Jody Keith Gilbert, John M. Krafft, Matthew P. Weiner, Robert M. Unverzagt,
Steve Weisenburger, Stuart Moulthrop, Timothy C. May, and Will Hugot(?)