Thomas Pynchon in Context

Description

Thomas Pynchon in Context guides students, scholars and other readers through the global scope and prolific imagination of Pynchon's challenging, canonical work, providing the most up-to-date and authoritative scholarly analyses of his writing. This book is divided into three parts. The first, 'Times and Places', sets out the history and geographical contexts both for the setting of Pynchon's novels and his own life. The second, 'Culture, Politics and Society', examines twenty important and recurring themes which most clearly define Pynchon's writing - ranging from ideas in philosophy and the sciences to humor and pop culture. The final part, 'Approaches and Readings', outlines and assesses ways to read and understand Pynchon. Consisting of Forty-four essays written by some of the world's leading scholars, this volume outlines the most important contexts for understanding Pynchon's writing and helps readers interpret and reference his literary work.

Inger H. Dalsgaard is Associate Professor in American Studies at the Department of English, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark. She is the author of numerous essays and articles on Thomas Pynchon and the co-editor, with Luc Herman and Brian McHale, of The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Pynchon (Cambridge, 2012).

'The contents are wide-ranging and include narrative strategies and topics Pynchon frequently uses. Also of value are evaluations of important critical studies available in print and on the internet, and a history of responses to Pynchon's work.' L. Schachterle, Choice