The Office Without Interviews

I edited this episode (S4E4) to remove those interviews the characters do in front of that window with the blinds down. There weren't that many actually so I don't think the flow was disrupted. I would've done something from Season 1, but of course that's mainly available as a 16:9 crop of the 4:3 original. So it'd have been some legwork to track down the 4:3. Season 4 is when they switched to 16:9.

https://mega.nz/file/dLI1zJKL#1qJqeJEO4nC4C5k4t-tIZhneuPXR61H7lNorlXphwKE

Short Stories #6: Robert Silverberg and John Updike

Thelme and and the Ghayrog Robert Silverberg

This such new terrain for me. I had incredibly high expectations. I imagined a work of persistent novelty. A barrage of newness. It ended up being more simple. Plain. But it still was a look at something real. Like what is going on with Thelme. What is this person.

It took me a bit to work through (it's 40 pages). But it gave me a sense of what I want here. I just want the world-building I think. Like when Tyrion, Maester Pycelle, Cersei, and Varys discuss what's been going on. Skeletons increasing glow in the darkness for a moment or two; then receding. The story did do this for a few brief gasps, but too much was just ordinary bare plot-hole-patching conversation. 

I think I'm done with Silverberg for a while. But I see why he's got a reputation. Seems deserved. 

A Sense of Shelter John Updike

Ah remarkable. I don't know what I've been doing with my life. I've been reading books with empty characters in them. These are what I want. This is my interest. Rabbit Run doesn't seem as good as the short stories I've read, but what if it is... 

I'm not sure what's next. Surely another Updike is coming. But my new London and De Maupassant books arrived today, so I could dip into those. To Build a Fire has been on my mind lately. I liked it as a child. Call of the Wild was big for me as well. I loved an abridged/illustrated version of White Fang too. Maybe reading the real thing will be just as good.

Best MLB Uniforms

Oakland A's home white

Chicago White Sox home pinstriped

New York Yankees road gray

Kansas City Royals home white

St. Louis Cardinals home white

San Francisco Giants home tan

New York Mets alt blue

Los Angeles Dodgers home white

Chicago White Sox alt black

New York Yankees home pinstriped

Short Stories #5: John Updike et al

A&P  John Updike

Horses--One Dash  Stephen Crane

The Worm in the Apple  John Cheever

Fever Flower  Shirley Ann Grau

Leaves  John Updike

Short stories seem like a bit of a hack. A guaranteed honeymoon effect. But why've I been so afraid of them?

Who is this Updike guy? He was in the gang of American males (mostly Jews?) who wrote totems in the 60s and 70s. Back when novels mattered. Roth, DeLillo, Bellow, Updike, Cheever, Coover. I learned their names in college. The guys who wrote serious literature. Who won the National Book Award. Updike was just another one of the group. He seemed kinda like the one you didn't get to.

But in Lipsky's book-length interview with Wallace, he's brought up more than a few times. Wallace really got a lot out of him. Easy pleasure. He's described almost to be an airport novelist. I'd forgotten until recently this all went on.

I've had some hesitation with Updike because he calls all his novels Rabbit. But that's less of a drag now. Rabbit Rich and Rabbit Run sit on my bookshelf. Might be a right fun time. But my compass points nearer his short stories. I can read one a day. It's just 10 pages. Plus any novel I start is a mistress. A short story is the bride.

I want more short stories on the shelf. I have a 1966 anthology Points of View, then collections from Saul Bellow, John Cheever, Leo Tolstoy, and Alice Munro. I might have some others tucked away. There's a James Crumley book mixed with essays and short stories. I'd like more variety. 

I went to the local book shop yesterday; sadly there were no appealing volumes. There was Twain, and a few forgotten others. A couple Best Short Stories from 2013 type stuff. I didn't even bother opening. Post-2010 stuff seems apocalyptic, maybe excepting some translated material. 

I'll need to make a more ambitious trek to fill out my shelf. The obvious choices are Chekhov, Flannery O'Connor, Updike, Faulkner. It seems foolish to not have Dubliners nearby as well. Flannery's openers don't really pull, but the level of acclaim is not easily cast aside.

I landed an Updike volume from the library. Flipping through was powerful. More frequently than not my gaze landed on words of promise. 

I read Leaves first. The power of his prose is something. Subject matter is just supplement. The flourishes work easily. I expect there'll be another tonight.

The Crane story I liked too. He feels like a modern writer--easy imagery. I could definitely read more. 

The Cheever story wasn't a total success, but interesting. A year ago I read some of The Swimmer, to disastrous result. I bet I'd like it more now, but his prose just lacks. The Worm of the Apple had a nice narrative concept. Most everything blooms some now. I'm still familiarizing with the form. And the big red volume certainly has a nice loom to it, though I doubt I'll open it again soon.

Another that grabbed flipping through Points of View was Fever Flower. Sort of remarkable, but a bit depressing. I want to be plugged in to this feeling again. I haven't said much about A&P. It's the type of story that grabs everyone. Feels legendary. There's little to say. Love opening a book and being in the grocery store. One of the greatest narrative settings.

Commentary on Modern Library's 100 Best Novels

I was wondering what the list for books is. Like the equivalent to the S&S list. Modern Library seems the closest? The voting for this was in 1998 and 1999. There's a best nonfiction list too but I'm ignoring that.

1. ULYSSES by James Joyce

Still feels far off. Now that I'm into short stories I may return to Dubliners

2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Didn't like this, think I read it in college. Might've avoided it in high school? That doesn't seem possible...

3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce

Wow Joyce again! 

4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov

This seems like a difficult mindspace to occupy. In a recent search for chess books, I uncovered The Luzhin Defense. So that's a more probable entrypoint

5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley

I've like completely forgotten this

6. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner

Every time I open a Faulkner it doesn't look great. But at some point when it happens this'll likely be the book

7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller

Doesn't seem appealing, but who knows

8. DARKNESS AT NOON by Arthur Koestler

Is this like Kafka?

9. SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence

Seems like Lawrence is for gays and women?

10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck

For some reason I still feel there's a lot under this rock

11. UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry

I know nothing about this. It's linked with Tropic of Cancer for me--not sure why

12. THE WAY OF ALL FLESH by Samuel Butler

Assume this is 18th century or something

13. 1984 by George Orwell

I just picked up a volume of this plus Animal Farm today. Could be fun to revisit it (and get around to the other)

14. I, Claudius by Robert Graves

Hmm what is this

15. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf

Woolf's intimidating to me. I associate her with the lyrical styles of Morrison and Plath that haven't gone well for me. Maybe I'm just talking about women. I think Hurston feels similar? I like McCullers but that felt like a different thing. And she seems more tomboyish? So maybe a different archetype

16. AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser

Hmm

17. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers

Not surprised

18. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut doesn't seem appealing anymore

19. INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison

This could be fun to return to. It might have more layers similar to say COL49

20. NATIVE SON by Richard Wright

Seems like a tough hang

21. HENDERSON THE RAIN KING by Saul Bellow

Interesting that this is the top Bellow. I recall a podcast ep I listened to (while mopping Farwell) where the hosts praised this one, and perhaps Mr. Sammler's Planet as well. They trashed Herzog, which colored my perception of that book for quite awhile

22. APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA by John O’Hara

I might've come close to reading this once or twice. Iirc it's one of the thinner options on this list

23. U.S.A.(trilogy) by John Dos Passos

People seem to love this

24. WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson

Idk

25. A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster

Could be interesting

26. THE WINGS OF THE DOVE by Henry James

I wonder which Henry James is the least impossible

27. THE AMBASSADORS by Henry James

This is one of the ones I've considered attempting

28. TENDER IS THE NIGHT by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Not really into Fitzgerald

29. THE STUDS LONIGAN TRILOGY by James T. Farrell

Never hear of this

30. THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford

Nor this

31. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell

For some reason this novel has always seemed goofy. Like an allegory in an extreme way that doesn't escape the bit

32. THE GOLDEN BOWL by Henry James

Phenomenal title

33. SISTER CARRIE by Theodore Dreiser

Wow this guy's second appearance

34. A HANDFUL OF DUST by Evelyn Waugh

Idk

35. AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner

why does Franco like this

36. ALL THE KING’S MEN by Robert Penn Warren

Apparently great

37. THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY by Thornton Wilder

Haven't heard of

38. HOWARDS END by E.M. Forster

Hmm

39. GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin

I once read the beginning of this and was super into it

40. THE HEART OF THE MATTER by Graham Greene

So this is the top Greene! I'm really interested in him at the moment. The Human Factor was great. This won't be next, but could come at some point

41. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding

One of the books that got me into literature

42. DELIVERANCE by James Dickey

Interesting. I always assumed this was more of an airplane novel

43. A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME (series) by Anthony Powell

Haven't heard of

44. POINT COUNTER POINT by Aldous Huxley

Nor this

45. THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway

This brings me such a cozy summer feeling. The wine drinking in this novel...

46. THE SECRET AGENT by Joseph Conrad

Hmm. Conrad's sort of interesting. This might be an angle

47. NOSTROMO by Joseph Conrad

Never heard of

48. THE RAINBOW by D.H. Lawrence

Great title

49. WOMEN IN LOVE by D.H. Lawrence

First chapter seems sort of appealing

50. TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller

Not into the goofball thing

51. THE NAKED AND THE DEAD by Norman Mailer

I liked the movie. Though a long war novel is a tough sell

52. PORTNOY’S COMPLAINT by Philip Roth

Not really interested in reading about masturbation

53. PALE FIRE by Vladimir Nabokov

His most intimidating work?

54. LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner

Maybe?

55. ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac

Didn't like so much. But nostalgia helps it. And now I have a Denver frame of reference...

56. THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett

I'm not really into mysteries

57. PARADE’S END by Ford Madox Ford

Another one from this guy

58. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton

I've thought about reading this

59. ZULEIKA DOBSON by Max Beerbohm

Hmm never heard of

60. THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy

Ah. Is this guy better than Faulkner? It seems like his reputation is largely based on this novel. The others are cast aside

61. DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP by Willa Cather

A woman recommended this in the Decorah thrift shop. So I was peer pressured into buying. So it's one of the lesser items on my shelf. I assume it's for women

62. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY by James Jones

Maybe I'll see the movie instead

63. THE WAPSHOT CHRONICLE by John Cheever

Would've thought Falconer would appear first. His prose is a bit plain so I'm not too interested at this point

64. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger

I lost/gave away my copy of this. I miss it. It might've been a casualty of the Gomersall exchanges

65. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess

Not so appealing. 70s Britain is among the scariest periods

66. OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham

Another one highly recommended on that same podcast ep

67. HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad

Has to happen at some point right? It's not that long

68. MAIN STREET by Sinclair Lewis

Babbit seems more likely

69. THE HOUSE OF MIRTH by Edith Wharton

I wonder what this is about

70. THE ALEXANDRIA QUARTET by Lawrence Durrell

Hmm what is this

71. A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA by Richard Hughes

I've only heard of the movie

72. A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS by V.S. Naipaul

This guy's pretty famous

73. THE DAY OF THE LOCUST by Nathanael West

Didn't like. Think I checked it out at the Litchfield library

74. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway's prose is a tough hurdle

75. SCOOP by Evelyn Waugh

Surely the Woody movie was an adaptation of this?

76. THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE by Muriel Spark

Spark was also recommended on that podcast

77. FINNEGANS WAKE by James Joyce

Once I reviewed the opener of each Joyce and found this most appealing

78. KIM by Rudyard Kipling

Not a great title

79. A ROOM WITH A VIEW by E.M. Forster

Another entry for this guy

80. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh

Hmm

81. THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH by Saul Bellow

Saw this at the local bookshop today. Not too seductive

82. ANGLE OF REPOSE by Wallace Stegner

Stegner isn't ideal. But the most appealing one is The Spectator Bird

83. A BEND IN THE RIVER by V.S. Naipaul

Surely the Mann movie wasn't adapted from this!? I'm not sure it could capture the charm of that though? But what if it did!? (I checked. Sadly no relation)

84. THE DEATH OF THE HEART by Elizabeth Bowen

Hmm what is this

85. LORD JIM by Joseph Conrad

Conrad wrote a lot about boating seems like

86. RAGTIME by E.L. Doctorow

I want to watch the Jim Cagney movie

87. THE OLD WIVES’ TALE by Arnold Bennett

The origin of an idiom?

88. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London

Think I read this and really liked it? Might jump into his short stories

89. LOVING by Henry Green

Hmm. what is this

90. MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN by Salman Rushdie

Magical realism type author?

91. TOBACCO ROAD by Erskine Caldwell

Maybe I'll check out the John Ford adaptation

92. IRONWEED by William Kennedy

Only know about the Meryl Streep movie

93. THE MAGUS by John Fowles

what is this

94. WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys

Or this

95. UNDER THE NET by Iris Murdoch

She's well regarded

96. SOPHIE’S CHOICE by William Styron

Isn't this sort of an airplane novel? Maybe it's middlebrow

97. THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles

Ah. I've only heard about the movie. It's Bertolucci, so might check it out

98. THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE by James M. Cain

This was pretty boring :(

99. THE GINGER MAN by J.P. Donleavy

Intriguing title

100. THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS by Booth Tarkington

I assume this is 1000 pages

An Investigation of Pynchon's Openers

Gravity's Rainbow (1974) - No
The Crying of Lot 49 (1965) - Yes!
V (1961) - No, but equivocally
Mason & Dixon (1997) - Yes!
Vineland (1990) - Yes
Inherent Vice (2009) - Yes
Against the Day (2006) - No
Bleeding Edge (2013) - Yes!
Slow Learner (1984) - Yes

This is my main assessment tool for books. I'm now in my 30s, so I've been wracking a little harder about it. Like there must be a way to finetune this instrument to be more predictive. 

I'm glad I went through all of these. Some have that baseline style that really lifts Pynchon's floor. Even if you don't understand what all is going on, that's there to fall back on. I don't think all his books fall in the same place on the complexity scale. Inherent Vice wasn't complicated at all. The Crying of Lot 49 was pretty complicated. In fact thinking back on when I read it, I don't have a great feeling. I want to read it again; maybe I can get below a few more layers. 

So that could be my next one. Or Bleeding Edge. That might be a safer bet. It appears less complex than COL49. Vineland makes a lot of sense on paper. PTA likely loves it (like he loves IV), so maybe it holds some similarity with that book as well. I'm not sure how labyrinthine Vineland is, so I'm cautious there. Mason & Dixon seems like an extraordinary commitment. The bit is great, but would I tire of it? I did read like 30 pages of it once before? I think that went well. 

Those are the options. I can't read Inherent Vice again. It wouldn't be an awful time, but it'd feel performative or something to re-read it.