Back in January aught 5 a hardy band of pioneer types set forth on what some say was the very first blog-based literary deathmarch — the so-called “Gravity’s Rainbow Deathmarch,” in which a crew of modern day Lewis and Clark types banded together and managed, over five months, to read an extremely difficult book.
Two years later, we’ve read Pale Fire by Nabokov At Swim Two Birds, by Flann O’Brien, Don Quixote by Cervantes, and To the Lighthouse by Woolf. And now it’s time for perhaps our greatest feat yet. Not only will we read a difficult book, but it will be a difficult book that was published in this century. Specifically: Against the Day
But when’s it start?
The spines crack Tuesday January 30th. All are welcome. We’ll probably need a thousand people to join this time to get three people through, which seems unlikely, but, ya know, tell a friend. If you’d like to join up, this would be a great time to pick up a copy
Dare I ask…prizes?
As ever, we’ll be tackling around 50 pages a week. And yep, there will be the nigh magical lure of mug prizes for up to 30 people who finish and comment every week.
So what now?
Well, right here on this very thread would be an excellent place for you to sound off if you plan on marching, with your excitement, your fear, your loathing, all your strongest emotions. We’ll need to put that behind us soon. For on the ‘march we can only afford ourselves steely resolve. And the occasional donut.
See you on the dirt,
-Cecil
"…something like the supervisor of an entire team of political agents…"
i am no cat. i am deathmarch.
Ok, I’m a good friend of Dan Newman’s (other Dan) and I’m joining the deathmarch.
I’m an avid reader and have been for many years. When I was commuting I would read a book a week. I only read high quality fiction. No cheesy stuff. I read super fast when I’m into a book. I can finish a good book within days.
I like to think of myself as a pretty good reader but, to tell the truth I’m scared to death of this book club.
But, I enjoy a challenge and I’ve been wanting to join a good book club for about a year now so, here I go….
Wish me luck and thanks for having me!!
XOXO,
Xandogirl
C.V.,
You’re a mindreader! Just ordered my copy on Amazon yesterday. But just so we’re clear–I’m strictly in this for the mug. We drink a *lot* of coffee here in Portland & I want to be first on the block with an “I Survived ‘Against the Day'” mug dangling from my sustainably-manufactured backpack.
Ulp & onward …
I’m so excited! In hopes of hanging on to the end this time, I’m being an overachiever. I purchased the book with a Borders gift card over the holidays and started it last week. Not to scare anyone off but the fricking thing is an 1100-page, case-bound doorstop. Not conducive for bedtime reading but oh well. 50 pages a week might be tough though based on how he’s, er, organized the book. I read a review someplace advising to read 15 pages at a time, no more. Anyway, I’m in. Pynchon is up to his old tricks and I’m already entertained. And he used one of my favorite words in the first 5 pages – factotum.
i’m in.
Pynchon is of course, my bread and butter.
New grist for the mill? You bet I’m marching! Trying to bring in a friend or two as well. I must say, the text has some serious heft though. Deathmarch has never been more appropriate, because in an emergency, the book is a potential murder weapon.
Howdy folks.
Lookin’ forward to my first deathmarch, and glad we’ll be reading Pynchon.
See you on the trail!
I’m scared, two years and nothing makes anymore sense, anywhere…oh dear god
The book weighs more than my cat. A veritable Big Gulp of fiction. I’ll need more than the occasional donut to get through this one. I’m taking a box of codeine-glazed crullers and boots with the extra large treads. All I still need to know is: will the mugs be bigger as well?
I’m in as well. Slow, luscious reading–and hard to put down. Not bedtime reading–at least, not for this morning reader.
I found my copy at Costco, believe it or not, and my wife tore it out of my hands to wrap it for the Solstice. I’m so looking forward to this. Of course, 5 weeks from now when I’m trying to juggle 18 concurrent viewpoints (3 of them in my own head from Pynchon induced psychosis) I may feel differently.
I’m not finding the the size so daunting (heck, Lord of the Rings is bigger than ATD) as that author’s name on the cover, and knowing whom I’m up against.
I’ve gotten half-way through V twice, 2/3rds through Vineland, and only 10 pages through Mason & Dixon. But this one, I proclaim loudly, I will beat—with the help of my friends.
Hurrah!
The captain is correct – the size is not the fear. After all, DQ isn’t much shorter. But the language and story were way easier than much of what TRP writes. I’ve read pretty much everything the man has published (I’ve skipped some of his liner notes and author prefaces) and have a pretty good sense of how to approach him…but the first readings are often difficult.
I just had gall bladder surgery so I’m glad you are asking us to wait until January 30th to get started. Laying this puppy on myself in a comfortable reading position makes me want to scream for my Percocet. By the 30th, though, I’m sure I’ll be raring to go. (According to my calculations, reading 50 pages a week means we’ll be reading this for 23 weeks, or all the way to end of summer. Is that healthy? Is that normal? Is it human? Just asking.)
Computilo: I’ve been thinking ’bout the same thing. 6 months is a lotta months. If we can, I’ll try to pick up the pace here and there, but I figger we should see how we’re holding up at the 50/week clip first…..
Hope the recovery goes well,
-Cecil
Against the Day…at Costco. Will they be stocking those codeine-glazed crullers too?
Why so long to linger on such an easy read ?
I finished it in three weeks without skipping a beat, or breathing heavy.
It’s an imaginative masterpiece, page turner with strong
psychic force surrounding it’s vision of the multitude
defeating the empire.
Sometimes Pynchonauts become self-absorbed fanatics who lose sight the flow of the narrative and the poetry of the language.
Dwelling on every last morsel of word-count, quirk,hidden meaning, spoils the fun.
Just start devouring this freaking book like a good meal after being hungry for three days.
Set your limit at two months-and any one who doesn’t finish
in this period of time-should be abandoned alone on an island with a Mark Danialiewski novel, two condoms, a picture of Paris Hilton, and a luger !
Hey Howard…
we’ll likely speed up a little if it ends up being easy sledding, but a bunch of us are coming out of the Gravity’s Rainbow experience, and if it’s in that vein, well, 50 pages will be good by me.
For all these books we’ve been reading — even Pale Fire, which is certainly accessible stuff — I’ve been enjoying the experience of reading the text at the gentler clip instead of cranking through. It’s never about doing hyper line-by-line research for me. Just about taking it slow and, as ya say, enjoying the flow of the narrative and the poetry of the language.
-Cecil
I cannot in good conscience condone this escalation in the size and length of Deathmarches. But I support the troops.
On the real, half of me lives in fear and dread of this book, and the other half is very excited about it. Probably the smart move is to acquire the book and live with it for awhile, get used to its physical presence. Maybe in the next few weeks we should start an Against the Day training program? Spend a half-hour a day holding it open to some random page to build up the arm muscles? (Upside-down, of course, to avoid spoilers.)
Having been provided a copy of the book as a gift from So-called Bill, I plan to rub some Thera-gesic on my feet & try to keep up with the rest of you young-uns. Since Fox just started the new season of “24” deathmarch, do you think I can read my 50 pages of Pynchon during the commercial breaks?
I am in the airship. All is well so far. More plot than I expected. Characters wacky but nominal. Looking foward to what happens when we touch down. That’s all for now.
#%@! you, CV.
The pull! The pull
to march,
march,
march
to my certain
and untimely
read.
Dear gods.
Whatever am
I doing?
(I’ll pick up a copy, grumble, grumble, and start with you on the 30th.)
May I make one request? May I have magnets instead of a mug if I finish? Or were you referring to something more photography-based than coffee-filled? I might be interested in a picture.
E. (Other one)
Good thing I found you. My sister-in-law (evil?) gave me the Creature for Xmas, and it’s lying facedown on page 23 or so, beaten but unabashed on my bed, too heavy to budge and too big to kill.
Perhaps now, with help and fellow-suffering, I’ll perservere. … It’s quite good, though, y’know, the book… Of course. But big. And full. Big and full. 🙂
i’m not surprised somebody found a copy at costco.
i’m going to pretend you didn’t link to amazon.
for this deathmarch i am equipped with:
two packets of salt
two gallons of wacky watermelon gatorade
firstaid kit
a portrait of my significant other in the nude
a book to read on the road(?)
a slicker
buena suerta to all participants
kudos to the organizer of this joint-feat
accountability is key
Did Gravity’s Rainbow solo this past summer and early fall. Will be nice to have some company for this next big episode. Found out about the march from Rodney Koeneke (thanks, I think!).
game recognize game, i suppose