Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Gravity’s Rainbow” was published in 1973. It was a controversial book at its release, and the controversy continued to build the next year. In 1974, Pynchon’s novel was selected for a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The Pulitzer Advisory Board, highly offended by the novel’s content, overrode the Pulitzer prize jury. As a result, no Pulitzer prize for fiction was awarded in 1974. The Advisory Board called parts of the novel unreadable, turgid, over-written, and obscene. Of the four labels they bestowed on Pynchon’s work, my favorite is ‘Turgid.’ We can return to these labels in a bit, but first, the opposing view. Time Magazine named “Gravity’s Rainbow” to its list of All-Time 100 Greatest Novels. So, there you have it: Turgid or one of the greatest American novels ever written.
Setting aside the censure and accolades, what is “Gravity’s Rainbow” about? In essence, the novel is a story, both literal and allegorical, of the parabolic arc of the V-2 rocket. In 1944, World War Two was going badly for the Nazis. The V-2 rocket was developed as a weapon of vengeance, a random arc of destruction that could be hurled at London or Amsterdam. As the allied invasion of Fortress Europe progressed, the V-2 facilities were pushed further and further into Germany itself. When the war ended, Allied recovery crews fanned out across Germany in an attempt to recover both Axis technology, and the Axis scientists who created it. Wernher Von Braun would be the most famous catch of Operation Paperclip, but not the only one. Yes, but what about the novel?
Enter Lieutenant Tyrone Slothrop, later to be know as Der Rocketmensch, the Rocket Man. Slothrop’s sexual escapades across war-torn London seem to coincide with the impact of V-2 rockets. A pattern develops, and very, very shadowy government agencies are interested in the pattern. Can Slothrop lead them to the mysterious Nazi rocket sites? Slothrop is dispatched into the chaotic ruin of post-war Europe. This bizarre fictional character is interwoven into the tale of Operation Paperclip, and “Gravity’s Rainbow” is born.
Shifting back and forth across time, across the Atlantic Ocean, and across the ruins left by the war, “Gravity’s Rainbow” is a strange and fantastic journey. The journey crosses real landscapes, as well as the dark landscape of Slothrop’s very twisted psyche. Everyone is looking for the V-2 rockets, and for the V-2 scientists. Everyone is following Slothrop, and not all with good intent. The cast of supporting characters is large, twisted, and mostly nefarious. Will he find the rocket? Will they find him? Will he survive if they do? In the meantime, can they keep the wild party going?
Back to our friends on the Pulitzer Advisory Board. “Gravity’s Rainbow” is not unreadable. I can personally attest to this, as I have read it twice; once in Germany and once in Austria. Pynchon’s seminal work can be, without a doubt, a difficult novel to read. It is, at times, convoluted and obscure. The plot is not laid out in a nice, neat linear fashion. I would be lying if I said otherwise. But the story, as difficult as it can be at times, is truly wonderful. The Pulitzer folks were not completely wrong when they called this work obscene. Depending on ones definition of obscene, there is much within these pages that could be called just that. Somewhere along the line, a reader will probably be offended by some of Pynchon’s prose. I am fairly certain Pynchon was aware of that as he was penning these lines. My advice would be to take it in stride, admit that one is offended, and keep on reading. I will leave it to the reader whether this novel is over-written. It is certainly a very long novel, complete with lengthy and, dare I say it, obscene streams of consciousness. If one wants to go along with Slothrop on this wild ride, his dark and obscene psyche is one of the passengers. Think of it as the price of admission.
And now, my favorite: Turgid. Look up ‘Turgid” as applied to language and you will find words such as Bombastic, Pompous, and Overblown. These are perfect descriptors when applied to Pynchon’s protagonist. As the crafter of this gargantuan romp, Pynchon can lay claim to all of these adjectives as well. And, guess what: he gets away with it. The reason he get away with it is because he is such a damned good writer. He is courageous, gifted, audacious, funny, and, yes, obscene and offensive. As a writer, he has knack for knowing when to push a reader’s button, or mash the button, or hold the button down and cackle like an insane monkey.
I highly recommend this novel to readers willing to take up the challenge. I recommend “Gravity’s Rainbow” as it is; warts, obscenity, turgidity and all. Is is as wild a ride as that of an errant rocket.
And, in a quick pause for the cause…
