Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day

Sebastian Huber (Ludwig-Maximilians Universität Munchen)

Ed. by Christopher Hugh Gair, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2006

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

For many reviewers, Thomas Pynchon’s sixth novel literally lives up to its title. The novel’s exuberant length, with 1085-1120 pages (depending on edition) by far the most expansive of Pynchon’s works, could thus be said to steer against the day of the (mass-)cultural needs of the 21st century. With electronic media fostering the trend of ever shorter times of attention, the book’s length and weight (“At 3 lbs. 6 oz., Against the Day weighs just 3 oz. less than my toaster”, notes Time’s Richard Lacayo), as well as its complexity of content and style seem somewhat outdated for readers of the late 2000s. Yet, while Pynchon’s concession in 2012 to publish his novels in e-format thus appears as a softening of …

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3270 words

Citation: Huber, Sebastian. "Against the Day". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 April 2013 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21738, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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