Vincent > Recent Status Updates

Love that Pynchon wrote Slothrop’s ancestor William Slothrop to be his own ancestor accused of heresy William Pynchon, the bit about the pigs and the comparison to those passed over by God in predestination is some of the closest this book has gotten to love which it otherwise is fairly absent of. Also the bit where a tree starts talking to Slothrop was fun.

Pökler :(

WOOOOO HALFWAY

In a book chock-full of passages and sections I could call some of the greatest writing I’ve ever read, pages 319-334 stand as maybe the most clear cut example so far.
“The history of the old Hereros is one of lost messages.”

Forcing myself to actually read Pilgrims Progress and Robinson Crusoe in college paying off lmao

Finished part 2 much more straightforward than part 1, lots of great scenes and humor, on to the real meat of this book in part 3.

Every old white Argentinian anthropologist used to be like “we locked these native people up in a cage and put them on display and they’re depressed and don’t rly move around a lot. That must mean their whole race is naturally depressed and lethargic.” And everyone else was like wow that’s fascinating, let’s use this to “scientifically” support our genocide of them.

The funniest, most dense, confusing, paranoid, and insane 180 pages I’ve ever read

So far this has reinforced my avoidance of golden age sci-fi and the whole notion of science fiction creating a better future is bullshit, new wave is where it’s at

Treating as sort of a joint read with gravity’s rainbow cause I can only handle so much of that in one day, excited to learn about something I have only vague ideas about, first chapter is already incredibly insightful and I am a bit out of my depth but you don’t learn how to swim without getting in. Clearly written with a lot of love.

Page long description of Slothrop’s desk, feels so good to be reading Pynchon again I feel like I’m being drugged while reading this. Not as lost as I thought I might be tho

Le Guin is Le GOAT

Van Vogt simultaneously writing a satirical critique of hypermasculine attitudes in the Diamondian settlers yet also (so far) sincerely writing the prostitute revolutionary who “can only use sex to get men on her side” as someone to be seemingly saved by marriage to the main earth man is certainly something. He was born in 1912 so that checks out ig. Also rly funny that payphones exist in the year 3819.

Finished Empire Star, the novella attached to the book in the double. I don’t know which he intended to be read first but I picked Empire Star cause it was shorter. It’s a neat little romp about Comet Jo a “simplex” man and his journey to deliver a message to the galactic capital and into multiplexity which involves recognizing multiple POVs and a cyclical, disjointed view of time. Looking forward to Babel 17

I’m not reading this version, I have the 1831 version but can’t find that on here

Been a bit of a slog but it’s entertaining enough, I can feel a lot going over my head however