Vineland East

[gilbert at sfu.ca]

> 
> Well, as long as the Pynchon list's getting a little more active, I was
> wondering if anybody could give me some good tips on how to work my way
> through _Gravity's Rainbow_ for the first time. I'm about 50 pages in, and
> have found it really tough sledding. Would one of the readers' guides
> help, or just bog me down further? Should I be trying to follow everything
> closely as I go along, or just let it wash over me and figure some time
> I'll read it again and figure out what was really happening? 
> 
> -- Ted Friedman
> 
> 
It took me 3 years of false starts to get through the first 50 pages.
Now it's my favourite book in known space.  I've read it 9 times.  I'd
advise just reading it and don't worry about it making *sense* the first time.

==============================================================================

John (Jody) K. Gilbert
Department of English
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C. Canada
office phone (604) 291-3220
dept. phone  (604) 291-3136
internet     gilbert at sfu.ca