Mason & Dixon Reading Group

As previously discussed we start today with our Mason & Dixon Reading Group by reading the first 4 chapters until Wednesday next week. I hope everybody has managed to acquire a copy.
report ITT when you're still participating. Remember to bump and keep the discussion alive.
Also:
>is this your first Pynchon experience?
>what else have you read?
>what do you expect from M&D?

Attached: mason-dixon-line.gif (438x291, 11K)

Other urls found in this thread:

masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Dinn's_Notes
strawpoll.me/15385213
b-ok.org/s/?q=mason dixon&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=&extension=&t=0
twitter.com/NSFWRedditGif

>is this your first Pynchon experience?
No. I've read TCoL49 and GR. I didn't really love the former even though some parts stood out, but the latter really captivated me. I've read it twice now, once with the companion.
>what do you expect from M&D?
I'm not sure. I've tried to get into it before and it seems wildly different from either book I've read. Apparently the characters of Mason and Dixon are among his best. The framing narrative irks me, but we'll see how it goes.

>tfw copy is coming in tomorrow
The anticipation is killing me.
>is this your first Pynchon experience?
No, I've read Bleeding Edge and about a third of Lot 49.
>what do you expect from M&D?
Madness. Extremely thick, nearly impenetrable prose.

>one week to read 4 chapters
Wat.
>is this your first Pynchon experience?
Nope
>what else have you read?
Everything except Vineland
>what do you expect from M&D?
Fun. I've been meaning to reread M&D so this is a good opportunity for me.

>is this your first Pynchon experience?
I've read TCoL49
>what do you expect from M&D?
A convoluted epic about the enlightenment. I've read the first 5 chapters so far and it has definitely caught my interest.

>is this your first Pynchon experience?
Yep
>what do you expect from M&D?
Goofy humor, maximalist digressions, something something intertextuality, something something metatextuality, a fuckton of characters and that typical postmodern world-embracing empathy.

whoa, glad that people actually returned to the reading group...

Ive read everything except against the day and M&D, I am sort of scared about the language as english is not my mother tongue, but I managed the other books so I hope it will be okay...

couldnt you guys start with TCoL49

I think we should have a more detailed schedule guys

Wew this is exciting. Hopefully we can keep this going.
>First Pynchon experience?
Yes.
>What are you expecting?
A wild narrative, A+ characters, and the Pynchman humor I've been hearing so much about.

>10909951
>first 4 chapters until Wednesday next week
we should to more that 4 chapters per week
>is this your first Pynchon experience?
yes
>what do you expect from M&D?
honestly don't know what to expect.

I'm not too sure of your frame of reference, but the prose in this book is not nearly as complex as youre expecting. The most difficult thing for so far has been getting over how awkward some of the archaic grammar and the odd capitalization are. This book, at least for like a plurality of it, is no more difficult than say, Moby Dick. There definitely isn't too much madness here.

try this: masondixon.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Dinn's_Notes
post suggestions if you like...

we had a strawpoll in the last thread, around 30 voters, 4 chapters was decided on, the second most votes were for 8 chapters i believe, some user said that as there are a lot of students on this board this time of the year some might have a busy schedule...

not much use having a reading list for such a short book, we would be through in 2-3 weeks top...

I should finish moravia's boredom before starting with M&D, but I feel obliged to start straight away as to keep this thread alive...

I've been 100 pages in for a month and this is just the excuse I need to dive back in. Thanks, guys :).

Agreed, 4 chapters seems a bit low. I saw how many people agreed in the last thread but maybe they were talking about per day?

im just getting back into reading. i have a stack of about four short novels at home.

would i be overwhelmed taking on this book also?

Not at the rate we're going through.

There are 78 chapters; 4 every week is 16 chapters a month.
It will take us over 4 months to finish this at this rate, can we bump it up? With this knowledge, here's another strawpoll:

strawpoll.me/15385213
I recommend 8. A week is a long time and reading so slowly may negatively affect the group AND interest.

i'll second eight, I didn't know chapters were this short they're about 10 pages each

Anyone got an ePub link by chance? Deadset too broke to pick up a copy in Melbourne and the libraries don't have any copies at all, shit's expensive b.

>posting the wrong border
lemme fix that for you pennsylvaniacuck

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>is this your first Pynchon experience?
Kind of, I got about 100 pages into GR but had to stop due to schoolwork.
>what do you expect from M&D?
Hopefully comfiness.

>>is this your first Pynchon experience?
Yes
>>what do you expect from M&D?
Humour. America. American Humor. Tons of new words. Goofy prose with strange punctuation.

Should I drop GR to pick up M&D with you guys? I’ve barely put a dent into GR.

>is this your first Pynchon experience?
sort of?
>what else have you read?
Inherent Vice, but I heard it isn't quite like the rest of his work.
>what do you expect from M&D?
A great time.

Maybe let's stick to 4 for the first week, people will have a better idea how many chapters they can handle once they actually read some, for me a chapter a day would be best...
check the sticky.... b-ok.org/s/?q=mason dixon&yearFrom=&yearTo=&language=&extension=&t=0
I've never even been to the states...

>Is this your first Pynchon experience?
It will be the first complete one.
>What else have you read?
Parts of TCOL48 and Gravity’s Rainbow
>What do you expect
Some top tier prose and 18th century stockingboi gags

Sounds good