After Death

I thought I might pick something up from the library, something not involving death. These past few weeks--an essay on Philip Larkin, another on Hamlet, been reading Beckett for fun(?)--just too much death. I pick up Tony Harrison's long poem "v." and read it downstairs in the library (where there are couches), for class on Wednesday. Turns out it takes place in a graveyard. Okay, I need something else. I browse the late-20th century authors and see Thomas Pynchon. I've started his book V. (different book from the long poem), got about 40 pages into it and just didn't get involved, bought and started Against the Day, but after 150-200 pages (it's 1200 pages long) just got exhausted. I've heard great things about Gravity's Rainbow, though, so I pick that one up. I get home, start to read.

The epitaph: "Nature does not know extinction; all it knows is transformation. Everything science has taught me, and continues to teach me, strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death." (Werner von Braun)

One point.