Against the Day, Pt. 1: "The Light Over the Ranges" (p. 1-118)

[Renato]

Enjoy it, Connie! Yes, Pynchon does combine all that... I also thought many times during my read how great a mind his was and how it must be to sit down and have a chat with him...

[Michael]

Connie wrote: "It's snowing outside today so it was the perfect time to start this thick book. ..."

Someone made a snow map with the accumulation lines demarcating numbers of books read, with Maryland in the last storm marked for a three books. The map would obviously be different for Pynchon books.

Great take on the outset of your journey. The Chicago Exposition indeed was a wonderful point to begin. Funny about the contrasts you note, including the orderly progress of science and the chaos implied in the Anarchy movement. Its hard not to look at the Archduke for signs of precursor events to WW1 like the so-called butterfly effect.

I look forward to any observations or ponderings you come up with as you proceed. I really can't see spoilers as an issue with this read. Its more like a group puzzle party or scavenger hunt applied to all the content and mode of presentation in the book. I have been on a long pause at the 40% mark, and it looks like others may have interruptions in their reading jouney too.

[Sue]

Connie wrote: "It's snowing outside today so it was the perfect time to start this thick book. I read The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by [auth..."

Totally agree re: Pynchon. I read [book:Mason and Dixon|413] last year which led me to read this book. The man's knowledge base and imagination are amazing.

[Connie]

Michael wrote: "My review for Section 1, with an aim to whet fellow readers along and not to spoil any fun:


I had a tough time getting traction in this section. There were too many characters is keep track of, a..."

I finished this first section and will take a break to read some books for my library book groups, then go on to the Iceland Spar section. It will be great to reread your excellent summary to refresh my memory when I return to the book.

[Connie]

Just a few thoughts on doubles:

I had wondered what was pictured on the cover of the book. The pynchonwiki notes about page 114 tells about the Iceland spar's (calcite) double refraction effect on the printed letters.

I'm curious to find out what happens with Miles and Lew since they both seem to be able to slip from one dimension into another dimension.

Foley Walker seems to be a double, or able to stand in, for Scarsdale Vibe (since he fought in his place during the Civil War). He looks like he'll be an interesting character to watch.

The great portal through the inside of the Earth also takes us to another reality.

[Connie]

Light in many forms is mentioned throughout the first section. I didn't note them when I was reading, but here's a few I remember:
The first section title of "The Light Over the Ranges"
The lights at the Worlds Fair
The light from dynamite, Fourth of July
The Michelson-Morley experiments with light
Light--particle or wave
Merle's photography
Skip and other lightning
Telsa and electric lights
Saint Barbara and lightning
Light refraction by the Iceland Spar
Bolts of green light in the portal through the earth
A tiny circle of brightness far ahead in the portal

[Manny]

Has anyone figured out exactly what's going on with the equation

Light + Silver = Photography?

[Ian]

Silver halide!

[Connie]

Here's an article about black and white photography. My brother built a darkroom in the basement when he was a teenager, and it was like magic as the photos developed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelatin...