Better Pynchon Book

Do we prefer Gravity's Rainbow or Mason & Dixon? Gravity's Rainbow seems like the more obvious choice, but I've heard quite a few people (on here or otherwise) say they prefer Mason & Dixon. Which is it, boys?

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People who say M&D are most likely just regurgitating Bloom's opinion unless they can back it up.

I think Gravity’s Rainbow is pretty handily his masterpiece but Mason and Dixon is great too.

M&D is harder to read imo.

Hey guys sorry to derail the thread a bit but I have a question you might be able to help me with. I have GR and COL49, and I'm about to order a couple more books by Pynchon. What do you think I should go for rn? And also, what are the best editions to buy? I don't like the 'where's waldo' styled covers, so I'll leave those out

GR if you’re in the mood for something wildly ambitious, challenging, disturbing, and thought-provoking. Lot 49 if you want a small, strange gateway into some of Pynchon’s typical ideas and motifs.

We prefer Mason and Dixon

Guilty as charged

Against the Day is my favorite, but between Gravity and Mason, I marginally prefer the former
Crying is way shorter, read that first. also here's a relevant pic for the cover issue

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I enjoyed Mason & Dixon, but it didn't have the clear exegesis that Gravity's Rainbow has. Gravity's Rainbow completely rewired my understanding of how much power a private sector company can have. But Mason & Dixon was just... a story about two guys drawing a line, with some nice prose. Am I missing something??

Slow Learner or V.

Why is AtD your favorite? That and Vineland are the only ones I haven't read by him.

Not him but Vineland is sooooo underrated. It's clever, it's political, it's got wonderful, memorable characters, everything you could want out of a Pynchon novel

Yes, a brain.

BTFO

What's so great about v? I read it once then thought about it, tried rereading it and dropped it after mondugan's villa siege party. It just seems like there's no point in caring about anybody save stencil and paola, but even they don't even seem like they matter either. What am I missing here?

I've only ever read GR to completion. I enjoy the setting and language of M&D but at the time it was just too much for me to digest. Might try to dive back into it again when I have the free time. People underestimate how difficult Pynchon can be, often associating difficulty with vocabulary. M&D taught me a hard lesson on this with the sheer density.

M&D gets really boring at times for a non-American but GR just keeps throwing weird shit at you constantly so it's much more of an adventure.

I have around 100 pages of M&D left. I am beginning to agree with your assessment. It's fucking slow for a Pynchon book. I couldn't care less about muh references and shit.

M&D is an odd beast because you have to simultaneously enjoy hardcore historical fiction on top of Pynchon absurdity. If you aren't completely enthralled with the setting then M&D really fucking drags.

agreed.

I do prefer Mason & Dixon, enjoyed every single page

M&D is maximum comfy, but I suppose GR is far more of an achievement to write