Do you ever realize partway through reading a book that you haven't

it seems like one of those books whose main goal isn't to be understood as it is experienced. kind of like ulysses.

that probably sounded pretentious but i think it gets the point across.

>>10003256
i felt that way when i was reading Pride and Prejudice, and Madame Bovary - two books i was forced to read in high school

>>10003256
I felt that way after reading "the grand Inquisitor"
But luckily it was short enough I could reread it

>>10003256
Jesus mate, just enjoy the fun of the book. I'm on Pokler and Mondaugen in part 3 and sometimes feel that with the science parts but holy shit the scenes with slothrop as rocketman have been fantastic.

well yeah... you're reading Gravity's Rainbow...

>>10003768
right? i'm in near the same area, a bit past, page 483, and though i'm blinded with the science, i just shrug it off and wait for Raketemensch to come back. he just fucked some kid, i guess. pretty disturbing. I really only enjoy the whacky pieces of pynchon's works, like the rats in the sewer in V.
it's strange, it always feels like he's pouring out the technical shit in some sort of purge, to get rid of some part of himself, some obsessive part. I dunno. I want to read M&D and I hear it's a lot more straightforward. I'm more curious about Against the Day, however. anyone read it and other pynchon works?

to OP, just say fuck it. you're not a genius, and even many geniuses don't know what the fuck Pynchon is talking about. Just go with it, try to connect what you can, do some research if you really want. That's the beauty, you can look this shit up. whatever pynchon writes about science in general is hardly anything he didn't have to learn himself. there is the sense of being willing to progress, to learn, to further the self. otherwise books like this would present no challenge. I read it mainly for entertainment, I personally don't want to know all that pynchon knows. I have my own shit to worry about, and other interests to fulfill. but when i do want some interesting puzzle, or historical reference, archaic or obfuscated, to toy around with, interspersed with a pornographic looney tunes episode, Pynchon is my man.

>>10003256
I'm about on page 700 and I will say that the last 200 pages have been up and down. Some scenes I'm on the edge of my read what happens next and some I'm sitting there wondering what is actually "happening."

This guide has helped a lot though, it pretty much gives a general summary of what's actually happening and sort of helps suggest certain parallels and some of the symbolism, without coming right out and hitting you over the head about it.
https://www.ottosell.de/pynchon/rainbow.htm

>>10003822
Ahhh, thank you, this is a Godsend

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47KB, 860x482px

>tfw no one read Against the Day

i follow the plot of novels in maybe 20% of cases. i get fixated on prose and feels, i can't retain details or pluck out 'key ideas' for the life of me.