The Crying of Lot 49 Meander, Week 0

by

Welcome back to you, and to me too!

That’s right, friends — after a 5 year hiatus, on Sunday October 5 Meander shenanigans start up again, this time with a mini-Meander™ of Pynchon’s micro-masterpiece, The Crying of Lot 49.

We’ll be doing some slow cooking this time out — 30 pages a week, 5 weeks for the journey. Plenty of time to savor the goodness. Also, there’s a lot going on, right? But who couldn’t use a distraction in a moment like this?

If you’ve Meandered before, the only other difference is that I’m not planning a physical prize (alas!), but there still will be winners (yay!), and I’ll figure out something digital I can send your way to celebrate your glory (woohoo!).

If you’re planning on diving in, drop us a note in the comments to let us know. And I’ll see you back here in a couple of weeks. (early adopters — I might need to approve your comment as we kick off jfyi…)

Optional primer for new folks

21 years ago (!) a bunch of started reading challenging books together and commenting online, and we found joy in the endeavor. At first we called these “Deathmarches” and our first time out was ye olde Gravity’s Rainbow Deathmarch. During Covid-times we morphed these from Deathmarches to the kinder gentler Meanders, starting with the eerily appropriate for the time White Noise Meander.

How this works: Starting October 5, I’ll send out a note to folks on the path, and post a post here on Cecil.

You’ll have a week to read about 30 pages and to drop a comment when you’re done. Comments range from “I’m behind!” to erudite and entertaining observations on favorite passages, cross-cultural currents and more.

All comments are equally wonderful in the eyes of the great Meanderer in the sky. Finish and comment each week and you win! Oh, and don’t sweat it if you’ve never read this before or it’s your first time through — all wanderers welcome….

What happens next? Drop a comment on the thread to let us know if you are going to dive in. And get yourself a copy of the book and hide it somewhere so you aren’t tempted until we flip that first page a few Sundays hence. Any questions, just leave a note…

Thanks all for the company and the community. You are a light.

-Cecil le V.

52 thoughts on “The Crying of Lot 49 Meander, Week 0”

  3. In! Read this the summer of ‘94 – traded a fellow traveler at a youth hostel in Vietnam for the book I just finished. I remember liking it but nothing else…

    Reply

    • Alas, there is no mug prize. But you know where I live and if you come over and steal a mug, I will not press charges. 🙂

      Reply

  11. hi excellent folks! Excited to kick this off in a few days. Here how it works for new folks: Sunday I’ll add a new post here with our target, which we’ll aim to read over the coming week. At some point in the week, drop a comment — a reflection, a thought, or just a “hey!” And then we do it all again. I’ll also email y’all Sunday with a link — room service, sorta.

    have a good few days and see you back here sunday!
    -Cecil

    Reply

  22. One of my two favorite American novels.

    Harold Bloom suggested that Crying of Lot 49 is best when immediately reread. So I’m going to read it through once before the 5th and then start in again along with the group.

    Reply

  23. I would like to meander for a time. When my family asks, “What are you reading?”, this will give me a less embarrassing answer than usual.

    (manga, you sillies, manga)

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Alex B Cancel reply