Well a couple of things you need to know: In 1973 Pynchon wrote a massive novel that was so perplexing the Pulitzer editorial committee declined to give any award for Best Novel that year. Gravity's Rainbow wasn't about any particular character or plotline; what it had were themes and diversions, fantastic costumes and silly songs. That was the last we heard from the author for a few decades.
Not that Pynchon didn't work on anything else during those years, but he certainly took his time weaving together a multitude of storylines and styles for this novel. Quests for revenge bogged down by international politics, international politics bogged down by sexual perversion, and sexual perversion delayed in search of mythical lands. If you want to read it, you really need to get your own copy, since trying to read these 1000 pages during a two week library loan could be harmful. If nothing else, you are sure to learn some actual history, instead of all that made-up crap they sell in airports.
Not that Pynchon didn't work on anything else during those years, but he certainly took his time weaving together a multitude of storylines and styles for this novel. Quests for revenge bogged down by international politics, international politics bogged down by sexual perversion, and sexual perversion delayed in search of mythical lands. If you want to read it, you really need to get your own copy, since trying to read these 1000 pages during a two week library loan could be harmful. If nothing else, you are sure to learn some actual history, instead of all that made-up crap they sell in airports.
