When does T. Pynchon get good?

I have read Inherent Vice twice and just finished V and both were disappointments of which I got nothing out of.

What book should I choose for last chance?

>of which I got nothing out of.

Go for Mason & Dixon next. It's the only Pynchon novel I like.

how so? different user, but i have struggled with finding humanity in Pynchon's work thus far. Some sort of beating heart on the other side is missing for me when I have read him, so carefully hidden behind gags and heavy engineer jargon. I keep wishing for something more than gimmicks to relate to, and oddly enough the word sincerity flows through my mind.

Have you read other works of his than MD? do you get what i'm saying, and does MD solve that problem? if not, I may postpone his work until I have read some of the others I have lined up. I am currently stalled on GR, just fucking around before i decide to nut up and finish it off. I just stopped enjoying the rhythm, stopped even giving a shit about the rocket. I wonder if Pynchon is just not for me.

If you struggled finding humanity in V., for example, that's probably partially because a major theme of the novel is dehumanization.

But Mason & Dixon is largely a story of friendship, so I doubt you'll have much trouble finding humanity in it.

not the same user, the lack of humanity was in GR, but the same can be said of my experiences with V. I just think I need to read someone other than pynchon for a while. I just don't think I like his work. I'm probably just a pleb, but I'm just not enjoying this.

I'll just come back later. There's no hurry. Besides, I change as a man, and will perhaps grow accustomed to the world Pynchon writes.

I don't particularly look out for themes, but so far the two books have just been whacky hijinks to me and I'm not impressed by his prose or sprawling storytelling.

I guess there's times when recommendations by Veeky Forums just aren't for you. I never liked these types of novels.. pulp/detective like stuff. Inherent Vice was hell for me to get through.

well, neither V. nor GR feel or felt like pulp detective novels whatsoever. rather, seperate stories tied together loosely with central themes, fading interest as technical jokes and jargon floods the page, waiting for some shred, some anchor, but nothing, everything is all jangling, all the time. closure is not to be had. hell, even the idea of closure is silly.
I've read difficult works, never claim to understand them, but never had such trouble with them. either this is a different type of difficulty, or genuinely a wall made of my own bristling dislike. I have nothing against pynchon personally, but my entertainment from his work only goes so far. I doubt that's important to a man of his stature, but i think it says it all, for me, from me, to know that I in no way wish to emulate any aspect of Pynchon's work. every other author in some way ormanother has had some quality I desperately wished to mimic (all of the ones worth a damn, after my childhoo)
I want nothing to do with Pynchon's model of literature.
Maybe Mason & Dixon will be different, I plan to find out, and put it to rest woth some confidence in its finality. No longer will I hem and haw over whether or not I enjoy Pynchon. I will know, and for no one but myself. I don't Know why I give the man so many chances. Maybe because I like the man, I think he's a bizarre and interesting character, straight from one of his books. He probably isn't even real and this is as pointless as anything else I've endeavoured to surmount.

I just didn't personally like Inherent Vice at all, due to dislike of detective novels, noir films, everything about that subculture.

I'm interested in your otake on IJ, if you happened to read it

The Crying of Lot 49

thank me later