Slow Learner is a compilation of early stories written between 1959 and 1964, be
fore Pynchon achieved recognition as a prominent writer for his 1963 novel, V an
d containing a revelatory essay on his early influences and writing. The collect
ion consists of five short stories: 'The Small Rain', 'Lowlands', 'Entropy', 'Un
der the Rose', and 'The Secret Integration', as well as an introduction written
by Pynchon himself for the 1984 publication. The five stories were originally pu
blished individually in various literary magazines but in 1984, after Pynchon ha
d achieved greater recognition, Slow Learner was published to collect and copyri
ght the stories into one volume.
