Where to find Pynchon on the Internet

                                
You will need to get your hands on Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 very soon. Here are two places to do so if you haven't already:

1. Powells.com
2. Amazon.com 

Please let me know if you have any trouble getting a copy of the book. I'm happy to help however I can.

As you begin to make your way through Pynchon's postmodern novel, you might need some guidance. We'll certainly do some of this during class, but here are a couple other resources available to you.

The Pynchon Wiki -- This is kind of an insanely helpful guide to the novel. It provides spoiler-free, page-by-page annotations for those of you who don't get all of Pynchon's references (which, by the way, is all of us).

"Embattled Underground" -- This is the original 1966 review of the book, as it appeared in The New York Times.

The Difficult(y) of Thomas Pynchon

Well boy howdy . . . here's Thomas Pynchon! He's kind of a difficult read, no? So anyway, here's an entire "internet page" of advice for how to make your way through Pynchon for the first (and second and third) time. Some excepts:

Steven Maas
I tell Pynchon newbies:

• It's the most fun you can have without risking arrest in many states.
• Leave your preconceptions at the door and enjoy your new and exotic surroundings.
• If something baffles you, read on for the next moment of searingly bright light and don't worry about it. With time and re-readings everything (well, many things) will be made clear.

Difficult, schmifficult!

Lindsay Gillies:
Four short principles for newbies:

• Read each word, one after the other. Gravity's Rainbow is a deeply interconnected stream of jazz — you can't skim it.
• Let the stream affect you without trying to figure it out. Give up to it.
• Commit to getting through the first 50 pages. It's something very different than most other stuff you've read; not harder, just harder to hear.
• If, after 1, 2 & 3, you still don't connect, don't write it off, just put it away for a while.

And as my office mate and fiction writer Dave Nicholas says about writers: "If you've been on The Simpsons, you've achieved something."

Lady Gaga & Postmodernism

As we discussed in class, here's the Lady Gaga video of the song "Telephone." Also as we discussed inc lass, there's sexual, graphic content, etc. (Nothing over the top, in my opinion; it aired on MTV and the like.)

After our discussion on Postmodernism, take a look at this video. If you'd like to do an extra credit post, write a 300-word post on your own blog discuss the video in the context of Postmodernism.

Possible novels for the end of semester

Last class we briefly discussed the possibility of switching out some of the scheduled readings for a longer piece. I really like the idea, but I want to know what you think.

I've posted five possible novels after the break. If you would, please take a quick look and vote on your preference (you can do this in the comments of the post, or you can email me instead). Since everyone will have to buy the book, I've made sure that each novel costs less than $10. In most cases, you can get used copies for about $5.

I'll post a pic of the cover, the number of pages, a two-sentence summary, and the link to Amazon for each book. Please cast your vote no later than Thursday. (By the way, you can always vote to stick with the reading schedule and not read a novel.) We'll come to a decision as a class on Friday.

Continuing blog posts

Post 1
Due: Thursday, 11pm

Initial posts for the rest of the semester will all be open (with the exception of the final blog post). Some requirements—they must be at least 300 words, and they must relate to the reading that we will discuss for the upcoming class.

There are numerous ways to approach these posts. Below are some methods you might use. You can’t go wrong with one of these.

• Analyze and/or interpret the week’s reading using one of the themes we’ve used in the course: gender, narrative structure, irony, imagery, the language of the text itself, or its historical context.
• Compare and contrast the reading with texts we’ve previously covered.
• Write about something from the reading that you found surprising or something that you didn’t understand.
• Try to formulate one or two good discussion questions for the class, and then use your post to attempt to answer that/those question/s.

Post 2
Due: Tuesday, 11pm

Your second post should be a response to a blog from your small group. You should link to the blog that you’re responding to. Your response should in some way build upon, re-think, or disagree with (respectfully!) with the original post. These posts should be at least 150 words.

Your essay and reading schedule

Just some reminders regarding our schedule and the essay:

1. The midterm essay is now due March 9 -- we've moved it back a week to give you time to make it extra special.

2. We've dropped Moore and Millay from the this week's reading. You're still responsible for Stevens, H.D., and Hughes.

3. There are not any blog posts due this week. Please use that time to work on you essays.

4. Just because there aren't any blog posts due doesn't mean you can skip the reading. There will be a quiz -- fair warning.

Questions? Just let me know.

Week 6 Blog assignment

Post 1: Close Reading
Due: Thursday, February 23, 11pm

1. Please pick one of the following poems, and read it as you’d normally would. Write a short description of your understanding of the poem.

Poems:

Frost: “The Road Not Taken” or “After Apple Picking”

Williams: “Spring and All” or “The Red Wheelbarrow”

Johnson: “Black Woman”

McKay: “The Lynching” or “America”

2. Using the handout How to Close Read a Poem, do a close reading. You’ll need to answer all 10 questions on your blog.

3. Once you’ve answered those questions, write a paragraph about how your understanding of the poem changed/expanded/etc.

You can find a copy of the How to Close Read a Poem after the jump.