GR precis in Beowulf on the Beach

[Peter Petto]

Gravity's Rainbow is one of literature's 50 greatest hits in this book  
by Jack Murnighan detailing what to love and what to skip in each.  
Murnighan has previously written books detailing sex scenes and  
naughty bits from great books. I noticed it on one of the front tables  
in Borders last night after seeing the Harry Potter movie.

Sections for each book include: the buzz, what people don't know (but  
should), best line, what's sexy, quirky fact, and what to skip.

Here are two of these for GR:

> The Buzz: “A screaming came across the sky”—one of the most famous  
> and oft-quoted first lines of a modern novel. But next time you hear  
> someone quote it, ask him (it will almost certainly be a him) about  
> the bananas (which occur on page 4). Don’t be surprised when he has  
> no idea what you’re talking about.
>
> What to Skip: I’m afraid there’s not much you can miss if you want  
> to have any idea of what’s going on in the rest. That said, you can  
> certainly skim Slothrop following the mouth harp down the jazz club  
> toilet (71–81)—it’s racist and utterly baffling (though it  
> prefigures Ewan McGregor’s character diving for the suppositories in  
> Trainspotting). Also skim Roger’s disjointed and uninteresting  
> thoughts during the choir (151–59). And, I hate to say it, but skim  
> or skip the above-mentioned orgy scene, which, unless you’re  
> especially into that sort of thing or want to laugh along at its  
> slapstick execution, is by far the least literary (and downright  
> clumsy) part of the book. Oh, and that crazy banana scene at the  
> beginning—what’s that about?


===

Peter Petto <ppetto at ppetto.com>
Bay Village, OH