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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!edison!steinmetz!putnam
From: putnam@steinmetz.UUCP (jefu)
Newsgroups: net.books
Subject: Re: Thomas Pynchon
Message-ID: <672@steinmetz.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Mar-86 07:36:19 EST
Article-I.D.: steinmet.672
Posted: Tue Mar  4 07:36:19 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Mar-86 07:37:19 EST
References: <25@rtgvax.UUCP> <105@sdchema.sdchem.UUCP> <259@mplvax.ARPA> <1316@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Reply-To: putnam@kbsvax.UUCP (jefu)
Organization: GE CRD, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 43

In article <1316@brl-smoke.ARPA> floyd@brl-smoke.ARPA (Floyd C. Wofford (MMW) <floyd>) writes:

>I was able to pick up copies of both "V" and "Gravity's Rainbow" in
>a Goodwill outlet a couple of years ago for about 10 to 15 cents a copy.
>One might wish to try keeping a look out in their local outlet.

Also the Salvation Army, which sometimes has real bargains in among the junk.

>I am curious about anyone's comments about John Barth.  I got a copy
>of "The Sot-Weed Factor" in the same way.  Having not had enough time
>to read either of them (time..   I never have the time to read all
>the stuff I would like to) I am interested to find out if I should
>make the effort sooner.

I liked "The Sot Weed Factor".  I think it is worth reading sooner.  This
does not so so much for the rest of Barth, which gets very difficult with
not a lot of reward.  I once heard someone say that he expected nobody
to actually finish "Giles Goat Boy" and he thought it might be better 
that way.  From an english professor, that was amusing.

>Somehow I have Barth and Pynchon labelled in the same general class
>as I have Richard Brautigan, Kurt Vonnegut, Tom Robbins, etc.  This
>is a rather vague and arbitrary grouping I understand, but they all
>seem to have a similar feel to them.  That's all that is implied here,
>so please, no flames.  I would much rather read a juicy book list.

This is not intended to be a flame, but i would never put Barth and
Pynchon in with Brautigan, et al.  I _might_ class Barth and Pynchon
together, and throw in Gunther Grass and Gabriel Garcia Marquez and ...
but only with reluctance.  Certainly anyone reading Vonnegut or Robbins
and enjoying them should not assume that they will like Pynchon or
vice versa.  Both Barth and Pynchon are a good deal denser than any of
Vonnegut, Robbins, Brautigan and similar types and require a lot more
work to read.  Of course, you can get much more out of them.  Barth,
for example, like to steal plots and characters from all sorts of places
and dump them in together, and stir well.  If you dont recognize where
he stole them from, the story wont be half as much fun.  


-- 
               O                   -- jefu
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