Mason & Dixon for non USA people? I love Pynchon, I've

>>8229505
inb4, read it and find out. Come one now, I'm trying to have a conversation here. See if someone could share his/her experience, etc

>>8229505
I don't think you realize the state of the US education system. You likely know as much as or more than the typical person your age in the United States. Just jump in.

>>8229505
yes you fucking idiot. I'm Canadian. instead of thinking about it as the USA, just think about it as a new blossoming country. any country for that matter.

>>8229514
don't be so mean, anon.

>>8229505
>will I still
Yes. Early US history actually has (and this is surely going to horrify our good US posters here) very little to do with its modern day state, and I can't imagine it being much less remote to Americans than it is to us. The main difference would be that you don't give a shit about their presidents where they are somehow crazy about them, and that is very superficial.

>>8229519
no your fucking stupid. kys

The first third of the book takes place in the uk, st Helena's, and South Africa and doesn't even mention the us. It might one pinecone's least American novels.

Ok, OP here, thanks very much everybody, I'll order it next week.
>>8229511
You have a strong point here. Still, maybe the average young man in the US doesn't read Pynchon to begin with, and I'd guess that those who do, maybe have a little bit more education to appreciate the historic references.

/t

>>8229505
You can basically read a couple of wikipedia entries about people like George Washington and Ben Franklin without missing out on much of the context. Also read the entry on the American revolution.

I'm not even kidding or exaggerating in the slightest when I say you'll be about as well-informed on these topics as the average American if you do this.

It's less about the USA and more about a love for the beauty of colonial language. If you can read and enjoy the history and beauty of the English language, it's completely worth it.

>>8229556
Yeah thanks for the encouragement. I was half sold on it anyway :)
I guess reading with the Pynchon wiki at hand in my phone can prove very helpful too. I'm doing that in this re-read of GR and it comes pretty handy. You don't even have to read every entry of the wiki, just a few here and there for the occasional particularly puzzling cryptic reference. I recoomend it.

>>8229642
Pynchon used a fictionalized version of what he imagined English to be like back then.

>>8229642
Actually I forgot to mention english is not my first language, and though I read Pynchon in his original language, it's not without some effort, so 'old style' english might be more of a chore than a pleasure to read

>>8229662
Wow.

>>8229662
If you read historical documents from colonial America they're very similar to how Mason & Dixon is written.

>>8229699
>>8229662

Wait. So this book is completely written in an 'old style' fashion? All of it? How different or distant from modern english is it?

>>8229725
5

>>8229725
Fairly different. He uses words, grammatical conventions, and constructions you don't see in modern English. But it's not middle English or anything, so it's not that hard to understand if you're familiar enough with the current form of the language.

>>8229699
Pynchon's language isn't trying for reconstitution, though, so much as stylization

Pynchons my fav writer for sure because my fav thing in books is goofs, gags, jokes and rambunctious behavior, and his books are full to the brim of it. Every novel is like one of those novelty snake cans, you open the book & POP you get a face fulla snakes and you fall back cackling. The mad mind, the crack genius, to do it! and then you think hmmm whats he gonna do next, this trickster, and you pick the book back up and BZZZZZZZZZZ you get a shock and Hahahahahah you've been pranked again by the old pynchmeister, that card. "Did that Pynch?" he says, laughing yukyukyukyuk. Watch him as he shoves a pair of plastic buck teeth right up into his mouth and displays em for you- left, right, center- "you like dese? Do i look handsome???" Pulls out a mirror. "Ah!" Hand to naughty mouth. And you're on your ass again laughing as he snaps his suspenders, exits stage right, and appears again hauling a huge golden gong.

I absolutely MUST assert that Pynchon is an absolutely FABULOUS writer, because my absolute FAVORITE thing in a book is a goof, a gag, a joke, silly and boyish behavior, which his books are FULL to the BRIM of. Every novel of his is like an absolutely gorgeous novelty snake can, in which you open the book and (Pop!) you get a face absolutely FULL of snakes, and you fall back absolutely c

If Pynchon is for non-Americans at all, then yes, M&D is
Vineland and Against the Day are both spectacular and spectacularly underrated, hurry up and read them

>>8230361
I read the first hundred pages of Against the Day. It didn't seem to have the same sort of poetic language I loved in MD and GR. The Chums of Chance stuff feels stilted to me. I liked the Lew Basnight and Dally stuff though. Should I keep on reading it if I read Pynchon mainly for the high flying passages?

>>8229523
>Doesn't start sentence with capital letters
>your
>Calls others stupid

You really are a gimpy demon

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Not really related but what's the best place to start with pinecone

Started reading lot49 but found it quite difficult, I've got IV At home but not sure if I should start there

>>8232104
I'm on the Internet who cares your a faggot to