FAQ: Thomas Pynchon FAQ
Jorn Barger
Stonehill (or someone like him)]
Pynchon FAQ (draft 1.1)
jo...@mcs.com March 24 1995
- Pynchon resources on the Net: mailinglist, hypercard stack, concordance
- What are the facts and speculations about TP's next book?
- Which title by Pynchon should I read first?
- Biographic timeline for Thomas Pynchon
- Pynchon-watching: references, sightings
- Where is the 'real' setting of Vineland?
- Vineland plot-summary (spoilers)
- Who else should I read, if I like Pynchon?
- Bibliography of Pynchon's writings
- Bibliography of writings about Pynchon
- Gravity's Rainbow chapter-by-chapter index of events
-- Pynchon resources on the Net -------------------------------------
John (Jody) K. Gilbert of Simon Fraser University runs a
frequently-lively mailinglist on Pynchon. Subscription requests go to
majo...@sfu.ca with "subscribe pynchon-L" as the message body (not
just the subject!). Postings go to pync...@sfu.ca. (That's pynchon
dash ell, not pynchon dash one)
There are rumblings about a rec.arts.books.pynchon newsgroups being
created, once we get an RFD drafted.
Stuart Moulthrop (the hyperfiction wizard) has created a HyperCard
stack of Gravity's Rainbow, called "Hyperbola". You can get it by
anonymous ftp from ftp.gatech.edu in /pub/lcc/. It used to be
available by anonymous ftp from mephisto.gatech.edu, but the men in
black may have come for that machine. You can also send a disk to
Stuart Moulthrop c/o School of LCC, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA
30332-0165. Send 2 disks and receive a bonus audio track. If you
have questions or problems getting the stack, contact him directly
(sm...@prism.gatech.edu).
There are (partial) concordances for GR and Vineland available from:
Tim Ware <tim...@crl.com>
A longer version of the GR summary at the end of this FAQ is available
from Alec W Mchoul (mch...@csuvax1.murdoch.edu.au).
-- What are the facts and speculations about TP's next book? -------
It was announced in April 1994 that Pynchon's next book would be
published in 1996 by Henry Holt. There's a persistent rumor, dating
back even before the release of "Vineland", that TP was working on an
epic about the American Civil War, and more specifically about the
Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania (North) and Maryland (South).
It's quite possible that such a work could have been set aside
temporarily in order to 'crank out' Vineland-- a parallel relationship
has been hypothesized (but not confirmed) between GR and Lot 49.
(David Streitfeld said in the Washington Post on August 9, 1992 that
he had seen a copy of the Vineland manuscript three months before
publication and that "It was basically a rough draft, meaning he did a
lot of work at the last minute. This certainly didn't take 17 years.")
Probably irrelevant is the fact that Pynchon approved a reference to
***a forthcoming work called "Pandemonium of the Sun"*** on "The John
Larroquette Show" on NBC in spring of 1994. Larroquette is a known
Pynchon fanatic, and the show described a 'sighting' of TP. Pynchon
requested that his T-shirt be described as bearing a picture of Roky
Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators.
-- Which book should I read first? ----------------------------------
The majority opinion seems to be that "The Crying of Lot 49" is the
best startingpoint for newcomers to Pynchon. It's short, funny and
clearly plotted (for TP, anyway), and it introduces many of his
characteristic themes: paranoia, conspiracy, drugs, science, etc.
"Vineland" is longer, more conventional, more hopeless, less rich in
ideas. GR is Pynchon's masterpiece, difficult, but not as difficult
as Joyce's "Ulysses". "V" is his first novel, sprawling, awkward, but
with many rewards.
A thoroughly enjoyable book of TP's early stories is available as
"Slow Learner", with a painfully honest self-evaluation in the
introduction.
-- Biographic timeline for Thomas Pynchon --------------------------
17th C Paralleling the Slothrops of GR, early Pynchons settle Massachusetts
1937 Thomas Ruggles Pynchon born May 8 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York
1940s Avid reader of spy novels: John Buchan, Oppenheim, MacInnes, Household
1953-59 Cornell U engineering major, took? a class w/Nabokov, met R. Farin~a
1955-57 Two year stint in Navy provides background for V, etc.
1959-60 Greenwich Village bohemianism, pot smoking, idolizes Monk, begins V.
1960-62 Writing PR for Boeing in Seattle, model for Yoyodyne
1962 Moves to Mexico to finish V.
1963 "V." published, wins Faulkner Award; cultivates habit of privacy
1964 "The Secret Integration" in Sat. Eve. Post introduces Hogan Slothrop
1965 Living in Manhattan Beach, California
1966 "Crying of Lot 49" published; NYT Magazine article on Watts June 12
1967 Lot 49 wins Rosenthal Award
1967-72 Silent years, California and Mexico, lots of drugs (presumably)
1973 "Gravity's Rainbow" published Feb 28, universally hailed as classic
1974 Joseph Slade's "Thomas Pynchon" 1st booklength critical study (pprback)
1975 Pynchon declines William Dean Howells Medal
1984 Early stories pub'd as "Slow Learner"; NYTBR essay on Ludditism Oct 28
1988 MacArthur Foundation genius grant
1988 "A GR Companion" by Steven Weisenburger collects massive annotations
1990 "Vineland" published; TP marries agent? moves to NYC?
1993 NYTBR essay on Sloth: "Nearer, my couch, to thee" Jun 6
1996 Expected pub. of next novel by Henry Holt (Mason/Dixon epic?)
-- Where is the 'real' setting of Vineland? ----------------------------
Rumors place Pynchon in the town of Aptos, California for about ten
years, supplying locales for Vineland. Santa Cruz, Watsonville, and
the El Porto section of Manhattan Beach have also been mentioned.
-- Vineland plot-summary ------------------------------------------------
Feminist film collective 24fps covers a college revolution led by Weed
Frenesi falls for fascist Brock because of her genetic weakness for uniforms
Brock asks her to set up Weed's murder, she goes along for no good reason
Fleeing Brock, Frenesi marries Zoyd completely at random, Prairie born
Fleeing Zoyd, Frenesi marries Fletch(?) settles into life as gov't informant
Brock entraps Zoyd with pot-bale, releases him (why?) as a welfare-loony
DL enlisted by Ralph to kill Brock, attacks Takeshi by mistake -> partners
[Uneventful years?]
Frenesi freed from gov't obligations due to budget cuts
Brock mounts final revenge campaign (why?), seizes Zoyd's home
Prairie meets DL, learns Frenesi's story
Prairie and Frenesi reunited in Vineland (w/Sasha and Zoyd, etc)
Brock's try at abducting Prairie interrupted by Reagan's serendipitous order
Prairie, too, is smitten by Brock's fascism, even as her family is reunited
-- Pynchon-watching: references, sightings ------------------------------
Students at Princeton during the second half of the 80s used to stage
yearly readings of the entire text of GR.
A possibly-apocryphal Cliff Notes for GR makes an appearance in the
movie "Miracle Mile" (a remarkable sleeper).
Kurt Cobain's hit "Smells like Teen Spirit" was supposedly inspired by
his reading of GR, possibly by the song on pages V538/B627: "Ah, they
do bother him, these free women in their teens, their spirits are so
contagious, [indented lyrics:] I'll tell you it's just --out, --ray,
--juss, / Spirit is so --con, tay, --juss, / Nobody knows their
a-ges..."
The hunt is on for these (extremely rare) Pynchon photos: - As a
pallbearer at Richard Farina's funeral in 1966 in the 1st edition only
of The Judy Collins Songbook (unconfirmed) - Pynchon and Farina in
period costume, duelling in a cemetery, that was published in a joke
edition of the Cornell Sun in the spring of 1959
Pynchon's Ford Foundation grant application of 1959 leaked out, but
has been suppressed. See the article by Steve Weisenburger in
"American Literature" 62.4 (December 1990): 692-97.
-- Who else should I read, if I like Pynchon? ---------------------------
Robert Anton Wilson
Joseph McElroy
Borges
Calvino
DeLillo
William Gaddis
Edward Whittemore
G. Perec
-- Bibliography of Pynchon's writings (partial) --------------------------
"Mortality and Mercy in Vienna"
Intro to Richard Farina's "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me".
NYTBR, review of "Love in the Time of Cholera" 1987?
Intro to Donald Barthelme's "The Teachings of Don B.", 1992.
"Nearer, My CouchOC, to Thee", an essay about sloth, New York Times
Book Review June 6, 1993
Liner notes to the Catalyst CD, "Spiked! The Music of Spike Jones" 1994
-- Bibliography of writings about Pynchon --------------------------------
"Pynchon Notes" has been published twice a year since 1979.
Subscriptions: North America, $5.00 per single issue or $9.00 per year
(or double number); Overseas, $6.50 per single issue or $12.00 per
year, mailed air/printed matter. Checks should be made payable to
Bernard Duyfhuizen--PN. Subscriptions and back-issue requests should
be addressed to Bernard Duyfhuizen, English Department, University of
Wisconsin--Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004. E-mail for details:
pnotesbd/e...@ofs.uwec.edu
There is a very thorough book-length bibliography from Dalkey Archive
called something like "Pynchon -- A Bibliography of Primary and
Secondary Sources". It covers everything Pynchon wrote through
approximately 1988, including Pynchon's high school newspaper columns,
yearbook photos, advertising blurbs, and selected critical essays
about Pynchon.
The only Pynchon-pal who's talked was Jules Siegel, in an article in
Playboy in March 1977, called "Who Is Thomas Pynchon and Why Did He
Take Off With My Wife?" Siegel relates many personal anecdotes that
TP seems to have reworked in his fiction, claims he's 6'2 and had bad
teeth.
Other critical works on TP:
John Dugdale, "Thomas Pynchon: Allusive Parables of Power" 1990
Tony Tanner, "Thomas Pynchon", Methuen, 1980
A. W. McHoul and David Wills, "Writing Pynchon: strategies in fictional
analysis". Urbana: University of Illinois Press, c1990.
Geoffrey Green, D. J. Greiner, and L. McCaffery, eds. "The Vineland
papers: critical takes on Pynchon's novel". Normal, IL: Dalkey
Archive Press, c1994.
Michael Berube, "Marginal Forces/Cultural Centers: Tolson, Pynchon, and
the Politics of the Canon". Cornell UP, 1992.
-- Gravity's Rainbow chapter-by-chapter index of events ----------------
This synopsis is intended to serve as an index (to both editions) and
a memory-refresher. It's condensed (by jo...@mcs.com) from a longer
version available from Alec W Mchoul <mch...@csuvax1.murdoch.edu.au>.
1: BEYOND THE ZERO, pp1-177/1-207 (W. von Braun quote)
3/3 Pirate's dream and waking
7/8 Banana Breakfast; Pirate's ESP; the giant Adenoid
17/19 Teddy Bloat photographs TS's map
20/22 TS inspects the V2 site; details of his history
29/33 Jessica at seance; Microfilm Drill; Jessica and Roger
37/42 Mexico and Jessica's life together; Pointsman's dogs
42/48 Pointsman hunts the dog; The Book.
47/54 Spectro and Pointsman discuss TS; the octopus
53/61 Mexico and Jessica get up; Mexico at work; the two at home
60/69 TS under truth-drug: down-the-toilet, Kenosha Kid
71/81 Jamf's Kryptosam; Pirate and Scorpia "make love"
72/83 White Visitation; Pudding's briefing; Le Froyd episode
83/96 TS's "condition" and Jamf connection
92/107 Katje, Gottfried and Blicero. Pirate, Osbie, dodo
114/132 TS and Darlene, the Disgusting English Candy drill
120/140 Mexico, Jessica, sex, midget-truck, Beaver, Xmas church
136/159 "You" dream; Spectro's death, White Visitation, Pointsman
145/169 White Visitation's freaks; ESP; Jamf psycho-chemistry; Angel
154/180 Leni leaves Franz; Leni's history; seance at Peter Sachsa's
167/195 Pointsman, Gwenhidwy, Xmas-party blowjob; City Paranoiac
174/203 Jessica's sister's; pantomime of Hansel & Gretel; Penelope
2: UN PERM' AU CASINO HERMANN GOERING, pp179-278/209-323 (MC Cooper quote)
South of France, March 1945
181/211 TS, Mucker-Maffick and Bloat go to the beach
189/220 Octopus; TS with Katje, chase, secret gaming room
205/239 TS, Katje, Sir Stephen's Confession; Eventyr, Sachsa, Leni
226/263 White Visitation, rat dance, Pudding and Mistress of the Night
236/275 White Vis.; Casino, TS, Feldspath, Bounce, IG Farben, Shell, ICI
244/284 Party at Raoul's, Waxwing and Sherman tank; TS's zoot suit
249/290 Imipolex G, Tantivy's death, TS to Nice, first mention of 00000
257/299 Zurich: TS meets Schweitar, deal w/Squalidozzi, Geneva, Jamf's grave
269/313 Pointsman at seaside going nuts, end of war, Schwarzkommando real
3: IN THE ZONE, pp279-616/325-718. ("Toto, I have a feeling..." Dorothy)
281/327 TS in Zone, Nordhausen, child, Marvy, Enzian and Geli, Tchitcherine
295/343 TS tours Rocket-caves, architecture, Glimf, chase by Marvy's Men
314/365 Enzian, Schwarzkommando, Hereroes, Blicero/Weissmann, Tchitcherine
329/382 TS and Geli on clifftop; balloon pie-fight
336/391 Tchitcherine, language program, Enzian, singing duel, Kirghiz Light
359/418 TS sick, Schwarzk. find A4, Rocketman outfit; Bodine; Dope Deal
371/432 Rocketman to Potsdam to pick up dope, Max Schlepzig ID
383/446 Argentine U-boat, Squalidozzi in Bavaria, der Springer/von Goll
390/454 Tchitcherine on interrogation of TS, "Black" theme
392/456 TS meets Greta; sado-masochism scene, Bianca
397/462 Pokler; Ilse; Mondaugen, Frieda the pig, Leni interned by SS
433/505 TS in Berlin, chess-knight, Saure's; Greta; Rocketman; dreams
448/522 Toiletship Rucksichtslos; Schwarzkommando interrogate Achtfaden
457/532 TS and Greta; Bad Karma; Anubis; Thanatz, Bianca, orgy scene.
468/546 Bianca and TS, sex. mention of TS's woman in America
473/551 Morituri; Greta hides; Bianca & Thanatz vanish; TS new costume
482/562 Greta's pasts: cowgirl, necrophiliac, Bianca, Thanatz, s&m
488/569 On board Anubis, TS loses interest in his quest
492/573 Frau Gnahb's boat; TS meets Springer; Peenemunde; Mother Conspiracy
505/589 Rescue of Springer; Mondaugen's Law; TS Russian costume; Narrisch
518/604 Maria's abortion; Enzian's speed-vision; Pavel and the Moss Creature
525/612 Swinemunde with Gnahb; Springer gets TS a discharge; raid on Anubis
532/620 White Vis., Pudding dead, Katje watches Osbie's films of her
537/625 PP at Old Firm Conv., PP & Katje; How I Came to Love the People
549/639 TS's dream of Tantivy; Ludwig's lemming; Wm Slothrop; Major Marvy
557/649 Marvy & Chiclitz put TS on to Schwarzk., info swap on S-Gerat
563/656 Marvy and Tchitcherine; Tchitcherine's vision of the Rocket cartel
567/660 Pig fest in Cuxhaven; Frieda leads TS to Pokler
577/672 Pokler reflects to TS: old German movie fetishes, Jamf's lectures
580/676 Lyle Bland, the Masons, pinball, astral travel
591/689 Muffage and Spontoon castrate Marvy; Bodine's Runcible Spoon Fight
610/711 Tchitcherine, Argentinians, Pointsman; Mossmoon and Sir Marcus
4: THE COUNTERFORCE, pp617-760/719-887. ("What?" RM Nixon)
619/721 TS w/harmonica; PP hijacks plane; Saure & Gustav on music
626/729 Mexico in Zone; Pointsman, Prentice; idea of Counterforce
640/746 Colonel's haircut; Skippy, Happyville, Byron the Bulb; Jamf
656/764 Katje meets Enzian - they talk of TS and Blicero
663/772 Thanatz & lightning-struck; homosexual camp; Schwarzk.
674/785 TS & super-heroes; father-conspiracy; Naline's letter;
Ass Backwards; Shit'n'Shinola; sodium bomb; Kamikazes;
sun's sound-shadow; Broderick Slothrop; Imipolex G
700/816 Tchitcherine, dope, religion, Marxism, Jamf, Pokler, Haunting
706/823 Gross Suckling; kazoo quartet; Mexico and Bodine's gross-out fest
717/836 Geli looks for Tch.; Blicero talks to Gottfried
724/845 Schwarzk. and 00001 trek; Rocket theology; Ludwig and Katje
733/855 Geli's spell; Tch. meets Enzian w/o realizing
735/857 TS fragmenting; Mingeborough; W's Tarot; 00000 launch; Zhlubb
Grateful acknowledgements to the Pynchon-L All-Stars: Alec Mchoul,
Andrew Dinn, Basileios Drolias, Bob Millard, Bob Orlowsky, Brian
Stonehill, Chris Stoltz, Dana Bordan, Evan M. Corcoran, Greg Garwin,
Heikki Raudaskoski, Jody Keith Gilbert, John M. Krafft, Matthew P.
Weiner, Robert M. Unverzagt, Steve Weisenburger, Stuart Moulthrop,
Timothy C. May, and Will Hugot(?)