Is Pynchon worth the trouble?

I've always been drawn to Pynchon, and I love a lot of writers who get compared to him (Steve Erickson, David Mitchell, etc.). But his books are so damned daunting. Are they really worth the time investment? Which one would you start with?

(On a whim, I picked up "Vineland" at a flea market. It's staring at me now as I write this. Vineland, comic books, vineland, comic books, vineland ...

Yes, definitely (with the caveat that, like any author, he's not for everyone). You could start with The Crying of Lot 49, which is his "easiest" and shortest work; I started with V. and was immediately hooked. Don't be daunted -- as with Joyce, nobody's going to get all the references, so just read and enjoy (and there are good websites that can help if you decide you do want to delve into the details...).

Edit: I haven't read Vineland, but others seem to think it's not his best.

Pynchon is well worth the investment, and Vineland is a pretty good place to start. It and The Crying of Lot 49 are comparatively "easy" and both are excellent.

I recommend his latest book, Against the Day as a starting off point. Why? Simply because there are so many blogs (Chums of Choice) and wikis (Against the Day wiki) out there it'll be easy to follow. I've heard it described as his most "accessible" novel. I've mentioned elsewhere before, it does tend to get slow for long (50 page stretches) especially at about pg 400 or so. Chums of Choice is an especially good blog as it takes 20-30 pages at a time and recaps what happened, this is incredibly useful for Pynchon. Wikis and guides exist for his other books, of course, but due to blogging you should have plenty of resources at hand if you get stuck.

And yes, saying he's one of the greatest authors of his generation is not a hyperbole.

The Crying of Lot 49 is completely painless and worth it.
On the other hand, I've started Gravity's Rainbow about 6 times now, getting a little further each time. That I keep trying speaks in its favor. I think.

I started with "V" some 25 years ago and then moved on to "Gravity's Rainbow" where I was hooked completely. The stories within stories, the frission, it was comic books storytelling coming to life. The crazed antics of Seaman Bodine and the whole sick crew resonated a bit with the life I was living. In short I became a fan never mind that half of the allusions passed me by. I reread it a couple of years later and enjoyed it even more. Maybe it's time I read it again after so long. "Mason & Dixon" I passed up on until last year. I didn't finish it. It didn't seem to have the edge of Gravity's Rainbow. I wasn't gripped and I was disappointed. Maybe later this year I'll give "Against the Day" a try. Gravity's Rainbow set the bar extremely high, but also I guess my mind was younger and slightly more agile and now its somewhat jaded!

Crying of Lot 49 is the best way to start, in my opinion. If you read it and don't like it, then you won't be out much. If you like Steve Erickson though, I should think you'll like Pynchon, though Pynchon is a bit more "fun."

I completed V. after one false start and loved it. Absolutely worth it. Gravity's Rainbow on the other hand... I'm still working on that one, though I blame this more on being too busy with other stuff to properly focus on it. Numerous false starts here, but I have to agree with juv3nal on the point that this speaks something in its favor.

I have tried SO HARD to read TP but utterly fail every time. I also like so many authors who are compared to him, and everything seems to point to the fact the "Gravity's Rainbow" would be up my alley. After abandoning GR before page 100 for the THIRD time I have just concluded that his writing doesn't do it for me. I gave him an honest shot, though.

I want to say that he's absolutely worth reading. And I think that gds's post on Against the Day is right on, given the amount of easily accessible secondary material. ATD is also the most fun I've ever had with a Pynchon novel the first time through.

Is sex worth the hassle? Is fucking worth the orgasm?

Pynchon is "the man" (not to be confused w/'The Man') I recommend The Crying of Lot 49 for those looking for an entry/beginning into his books.

If you're a music-lover, start w/his short story "Entropy" in Slow Learner. More modern writers need to learn from this & find their own unique voice.

I'm very fond of V and Gravity's Rainbow and Lot 49 and even Vineland, but Mason and Dixon just didn't do it for me. *shrugs*

That said, I reckon you shouldn't really force yourself to read anything that you're not enjoying or at least appreciating, unless you're young and self-medicated and trying to educate yourself or something. I slogged through way too many books that I didn't really like when I was in my early twenties.

Life's too damn short.

Thanks stav-- the only one Pynchon I've read was M&D and I didn't make it through, so maybe I'll give him another shot.