Master of Petersburg Reading Schedule

[Richard Ryan]

Has Vineland definitely been chosen for the next Pynchon read?  I thought it was a toss-up between that and V (I was hoping for the latter.)


--- On Wed, 8/27/08, robinlandseadel at comcast.net <robinlandseadel at comcast.net> wrote:

> From: robinlandseadel at comcast.net <robinlandseadel at comcast.net>
> Subject: Re: Master of Petersburg Reading Schedule
> To: "P-list" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008, 12:38 PM
> Laura:
>           The schedule seems fine, except I think we need 
>           a little breathing room after the ATD read.  We 
>           haven't really had a summing up about the
> book.  
>           What, in the end, is it actually about, and what
> do 
>           people think about it?  
> 
> I gave it a couple of shots, albeit the open ended nature
> of 
> Against the Day mitigates against a single interpretation.
> As
> it's part of the whole "Chums of Chance"
> series the book ends
> insinuating potential sequels, though I'm not holding
> my
> breath. But Jem Bluestein has a two word answer to the
> question "What's it all About?: 
> 
>                               String Theory.
> 
> [yeah, yeah, what's "String Theory" got to do
> with it?]
> 
>           The newest theory in physics is string,
> superstring, and                     
>           M-theory.  The new theories use extra dimensions
> of space 
>           beyond the three we are familiar with, but the 6
> extra 
>           dimensions are not observable as they are
> compactified to 
>           such small dimensions, curled up in a tiny space
> less than the 
>           Planck length.  However, M-theory, an integration
> of string 
>           theories and beyond postulates extra extended
> dimensions like 
>           our familiar universe.  The branes that compose a
> universe may 
>           come in multiples and interact with each other
> according to some 
>           theorists.  It is even possible that these branes
> are spherical and
>           compose shells as pictured in ancient Vedic
> Cosmology.
> 
> http://www.astrosciences.info/Multiverse.htm
> 
> [well, ya see, there's all there alternate histories,
> right?]
> 
> In any case, I've a feeling the group done got wore out
> [maybe
> by some of my supersized posts that seemed to go nowhere.]
> If others want to give their final book reports, fine by
> me, 
> meanwhile, here's mine:
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0808&msg=128378&sort=date
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0808&msg=128332&sort=date
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0808&msg=128360&sort=date
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0808&msg=128365&sort=date
> 
> http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=0808&msg=128345&sort=date
> 
>           Laura:
>           Personally, I was thinking that we could all get
> into 
>           discussing that after Labor Day (the dividing
> line 
>           between summer and fall, for us Yanks, anyway).  
>           So maybe the start of your schedule could be
> moved 
>           back a week?  I'd vote for that.
> 
> I wouldn't vote against that. I think I'm gonna
> hang loose with 
> Coetzee, The Master of Petersburg group read will require
> exposure 
> to Dostoevsky, another reading hurdle I've yet to jump
> over. And what
> with Vineland coming up, I really do plan on Tracking down 
> "Anti-Oedipus". So many books. . . .