A Ranking of Pynchon's Novels

[Mark Kohut]

Seconded. My inability to self tie-break reveals failure of judgment
and such immersive fandom that almost ever book seems first among equals
when I am rereading it.

So, I will break my own tie-break with a newly cast ballot as well.
And I will be the
only one I think to lead with

1) Against the Day
2) Gravity's Rainbow
3) Mason & Dixon
4) Bleeding Edge
5) V.
6)Crying of Lot 49
7) Vineland
8) Inherent Vice
9) Stories...he knew he needed scope, so stopped writing them. Although
that surprising writer since AtD MIGHT have stories in him? Hewn from other
longer hunks of novels?

I wish Tim Parks NYR pieces on rereading were about Pynchon's works. Or another
thematic thread for us? How rereading changed our judgment of his
work, rank at least?
As I have said, it has been a while since I have reread GR but if I
started tomorrow I KNOW
I would feel it was #1 again.

And this question: How much of all the commentary we know, has
influenced perception, rereading perception.
I know how stupid I felt with every book while first reading EXCEPT
Against the Day because of the wonderful W. A.S.T.E group
read which was my first.





On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 7:27 AM, kelber at mindspring.com
<kelber at mindspring.com> wrote:
> If I hadn't succumbed to the wimpish allure of the tie, this is exactly what
> my list would look like! Since the p-list is more anarchy than democracy,
> I'm just gonna go ahead and plagiarize Heikki's list in my new, improved,
> recast ballot.
>
> Laura
>
>
> Heikki R <situations.journeys.comedy at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 1. Gravity's Rainbow
> 2. V.
> 3. Mason & Dixon
> 4. The Crying of Lot 49
> 5. Vineland
> 6. Against the Day
> 7. Inherent Vice
> 8. Bleeding Edge
>
>
> In fact, on a couple of occasions, the contestants were
> shoulder-to-shoulder. But I decided to avoid ties (perhaps for tactical
> reasons).
>
>
> Heikki
>
> On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 7:02 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Eaux Contraire!
>> Inclusion is de facto non-flame. Love is the answer.
>>
>> David Morris
>>
>>
>> On Tuesday, July 21, 2015, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> ...  speaking of flame wars ...
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 11:04 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> > Elected Officials are all we got in this semi-democracy. Love it or
>>> > Leave
>>> > it.
>>> >
>>> > We need to embrace democracy, with all its warts. We are extremely
>>> > lucky to
>>> > be living in a place where we would want to discuss this abstraction.
>>> >
>>> > David Morris
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Tuesday, July 21, 2015, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> Americans will vote for almost anything except elected officials.
>>> >>
>>> >> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 9:33 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>> >> wrote:
>>> >> > Voting is so American Idol!  I want my choice to win!
>>> >> > Face facts: Votes aren't gunna be backed up by essays.
>>> >> > David Morris
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> > On Tuesday, July 21, 2015, John Bailey <sundayjb at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> No, it just means that mathematical averages cannot capture the
>>> >> >> delightful diversity of our responses! Collating the different
>>> >> >> lists
>>> >> >> into one loses something the way that a plot summary of a P novel
>>> >> >> will
>>> >> >> never suffice.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 12:10 PM, David Ewers <dsewers at comcast.net>
>>> >> >> wrote:
>>> >> >> > I feel so redundant!
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > On Jul 21, 2015, at 6:53 PM Jolly good day we are having, John
>>> >> >> > Bailey
>>> >> >> > wrote:
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> The order seems to remain the same.
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 11:55 AM, David Ewers
>>> >> >> >> <dsewers at comcast.net>
>>> >> >> >> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>> Me too!
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> 1. V.
>>> >> >> >>> 2. Gravity's Rainbow
>>> >> >> >>> 3. Mason & Dixon
>>> >> >> >>> 4/5. Against the Day
>>> >> >> >>> 4/5. Crying of Lot 49
>>> >> >> >>> 6. Vineland
>>> >> >> >>> 7. Inherent Vice
>>> >> >> >>> 8. Bleeding Edge
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> On Jul 21, 2015, at 6:22 PM Jolly good day we are having, Mark
>>> >> >> >>> Thibodeau
>>> >> >> >>> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> I love the diversity of opinions, too, but I'm kind of
>>> >> >> >>> surprised at
>>> >> >> >>> how bad
>>> >> >> >>> V. is faring!
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> MT/J
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 9:08 PM, Ian Livingston
>>> >> >> >>> <igrlivingston at gmail.com>
>>> >> >> >>> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>> Love the diversity of rankings in rating one great author.
>>> >> >> >>>> Rather
>>> >> >> >>>> like six
>>> >> >> >>>> blind men describing an elephant. We each have our opinions
>>> >> >> >>>> and
>>> >> >> >>>> our
>>> >> >> >>>> reasons
>>> >> >> >>>> for them. I love GR, I truly do, and it may be the greater
>>> >> >> >>>> work
>>> >> >> >>>> for
>>> >> >> >>>> all it
>>> >> >> >>>> did to shape postmodernism, but:
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>> 1. M&D
>>> >> >> >>>> 2. GR
>>> >> >> >>>> 3. AtD
>>> >> >> >>>> 4. V. / COL 49  (tie)
>>> >> >> >>>> 5. Vineland
>>> >> >> >>>> 6. BE
>>> >> >> >>>> 7. IV
>>> >> >> >>>> 8. Slow Learner
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 5:48 PM, glenn fuller
>>> >> >> >>>> <glennfuller at sbcglobal.net>
>>> >> >> >>>> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>>>>
>>> >> >> >>>>>
>>> >> >> >>>>> G.R.
>>> >> >> >>>>> A.t.D.
>>> >> >> >>>>> T.C.O.L.49
>>> >> >> >>>>> Vineland
>>> >> >> >>>>> M&D
>>> >> >> >>>>> I.V.
>>> >> >> >>>>> B.E.
>>> >> >> >>>>> V
>>> >> >> >>>>>
>>> >> >> >>>>>
>>> >> >> >>>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >>>
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> -
>>> >> >> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
>
>
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l