Slow Learner is a collection of short stories written by Thomas Pynchon. Released in 1984, it collects five of Pynchon's early writings.
Stories within[]
- Introduction - an introduction in which Pynchon muses over these stories and his inexperience as a writer while writing them. It is one of the few times that Pynchon has published anything examining his own works.
- The Small Rain - a short story about the aftermath of a hurricane in Louisiana
- Low-lands - the first story to feature recurring character Pig Bodine. Shows a married man travelling to a junkyard.
- Entropy - a short story about a party
- Under the Rose - a short story about two spies in Egypt, made into part of Pynchon's first novel, V.
- The Secret Integration - a short story about the escapades of a gang of children
Publisher's summary[]
Compiling five short stories originally written between 1959 and 1964, Slow Learner showcases Thomas Pynchon’s writing before the publication of his first novel V. The stories compiled here are “The Small Rain,” “Low-lands,” “Entropy,” “Under the Rose,” and “The Secret Integration,” along with an introduction by Pynchon himself.
See also[]
| Title | Author | Release date | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories | John Updike | 1962 | A collection of short stories written around the same time |
| Interzone | William S. Burroughs | 1989 | A collection of short stories from a similarly inventive author |
| The Angel Esmeralda | Don DeLillo | 2011 | A collection of short stories from a similarly inventive author |
| 13 Stories and 13 Epitaths | William T. Vollmann | 1991 | A collection of short stories from a similarly inventive author |
| Nine Stories | Vladimir Nabokov | 1947 | A collection of short stories written by one of Pynchon's influences |
| Dubliners | James Joyce | 1914 | A collection of short stories from a similarly inventive author |
| The Short Fiction of Norman Mailer | Norman Mailer | 1967 | A collection of short stories from a similarly inventive author |
| Girl with Curious Hair | David Foster Wallace | 1989 | A collection of short stories from a similarly inventive author |
| Works of Thomas Pynchon | ||
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Early works (Collected in Slow Learner) | ||