Known for his enigmatic writing and his mysterious lifestyle, Thomas Pynchon has excited and puzzled readers and critics for years. Living as a recluse, he has been largely unavailable to help critics understand his works, and therefore, many different interpretations and opinions circulate regarding the complex network of symbols and themes that permeate his writing. Due to the mystery surrounding him, he has developed a cult following of readers who have produced unreliable and contradictory information, especially on the Internet.
This pathfinder acts as a guide to sources for scholarly research on Pynchon, his works, and his impact on American culture. It leads to information regarding the author's life, literary criticism, and credible Internet resources. Most of the selected literary criticism discusses themes common to Pynchon instead of focusing on specific works. The older selections were chosen because those critics have been influential to understanding Pynchon, and recent criticism builds from their contributions. The material listed in this pathfinder, unless otherwise indicated, can be accessed through the library system of the University at Albany.
| Library of Congress Heading | Browsing Area |
| Thomas Pynchon | PS 3566 Y55 |
| Call Number Abbreviations | |
| ULIB | University at Albany Library |
| Per | Periodical Section |
Knowing a little about an author's background can help a reader understand where the author is coming from in his writing. Many rumors circulate Pynchon's life, so distinguishing fact from fiction poses some difficulties. However, a few facts are known with certainty and are included in the following selections. Though there is some overlap, each article focuses on a slightly different aspect of Pynchon's life. All sources are available through SUNY Albany libraries.
- (2004). Thomas (Ruggles) Pynchon Jr. Contemporary Authors Online. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center database.
Profiles Pynchon's personality through the comments of those who have known him and how it might relate to the themes of his works. Bibliography of criticism through books and periodicals, including popular magazines, is included. - Giles, J. R. & W. H. Giles (Eds.). (1996). Thomas Pynchon. Dictionary of Literary Biography, (vol. 173, pp. 177-201). Northern Illinois University, Gale Group.
Cost: $ 205.00
ISBN: 0810309084
Call Number: ULIB REF PS 129 D53X V.173
An extensive profile of the known events in Pynchon's life, detailed annotated bibliography of his works, including his major short stories, and an overview of related criticism. Bibliography included. - Hart, J. D. (1995). Thomas Pynchon. The Oxford Companion to American Literature. sixth ed. New York: Oxford University Press.
Cost: $ 70
ISBN: 0195065484
Call Number: ULIB REF PS 21 H3 1995
This includes a sketch of facts about the author's life with some identification of the sources of those facts. A short overview of his works and themes, a bibliography and references to other areas of the Companion are included. - Helterman, J. & R. Layman (Eds.). (1978). Thomas Pynchon. Dictionary of Literary Biography (vol. 2, pp. 411-417) University of South Carolina, Gale Group.
Cost: $ 205.00
ISBN: 0310309149
Call Number: ULIB REF PS 129 D53X V.2
This highlights especially the early part of Pynchon's life and possible inspirations for his novels. It includes an overview of his novels and major critical interpretations of them. Bibliography ranging from 1965-1992 is included. - Mote, D. (Ed.). (1997). Thomas Pynchon. Contemporary Popular Writers. Detroit: St. James Press.
Cost $ 185.00
ISBN: 1558622160
Call Number: ULIB REF PR 478 P66 C66 1997
This compiles what amounts to excerpts from other biographical accounts of Pynchon. It also includes an annotated bibliography of Pynchon's works, a list of authors he has influenced, and a bibliography of critical sources. - Winston, M. (1975). The Quest for Pynchon. Twentieth Century Literature, 21(3), 278-87.
Cost $195.00
ISSN: 0041-462X
Call Number: ULIB Per PN 2 T8 v.1-
This profiles Thomas Pynchon's early life and his family background. Winston gives reasons for his interest in unorthodox Calvinist theology and how spirituality is reflected in his works. The article also includes information about his educational background.
These present a list of books, parts of books, journal articles, reviews, and magazine articles regarding the works of Thomas Pynchon. They include Pynchon's body of works, primary source materials and other articles.
- Chambers, J. (1997). Thomas Pynchon. In Twayne's United States Authors. New York: G. K. Hall.
Available through Twayne's Author Series datatbase - Herzberg, B. (Ed.). (1975). Selected Articles on Thomas Pynchon: An Annotated Bibliography. Twentieth Century Literature, 21(2), 221-25.
ISSN: 0041-462X
Call Number: ULIB Per PN 2 T8 v.1- - Mead, C. (Ed.). (1989). Thomas Pynchon: A Bibliography of Primary and Secondary Materials, Elmwood Park, Ill.: Dalkey Archive.
Cost $40
Not available at SUNY Albany libraries
ISBN: 0916583376 - Scotto, R. M. (Ed.). (1977). Three Contemporary Novelists: an annotated bibliography of works by and about John Hawkes, Joseph Heller, and Thomas Pynchon. New York: Garland.
Cost $15
ISBN: 0824099486
Call Number: ULIB PS 379 Z999 S36X - Walsh, T. P., Northouse, & Cameron. (Eds.). (1977). John Barth, Jerzy Kosinski, and Thomas Pynchon: a reference guide. Boston: G.K. Hall.
Cost $49
ISBN: 0816179107
Call Number: ULIB PS 379 Z999 W34X
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
These provide extremely general information about Pynchon, his works, and some major themes. Each source discusses a different common theme that he has used. The articles are brief, but provide bibliographic information enabling the reader to further pursue that theme. Each of the sources below is available at SUNY Albany libraries.
- Schlager, N. & J. Lauer. (Eds.). (2001). Thomas Pynchon. Contemporary Novelists. Seventh ed. Detroit: St. James Press.
Cost $200
Call Number: ULIB REF PR 883 C64 7TH ED.v.0
This included mostly plot summaries of Pynchon's works. It focuses extensively on interpretations and themes in The Crying of Lot 49 and the short story "Entropy." The theme of the disintegration of social systems figures heavily. Brief biographical information is included. - Taylor, V. E. & C. E. Winquist (Eds.). (2001). Encyclopedia of Postmodernism. New York: Routledge.
Cost $50
ISBN: 0415152941
Call Number: ULIB REF B 831.2 E63 2001
This provided information on Pynchon in a number of entries. It includes brief biographical information, summaries of his works, and a bibliography of related criticism. Much of the information centers on how Pynchon fits into the definition of postmodern literature, how he helped to define the field, and his influence on subsequent postmodern writers, artists, and critics. - Zimbaro, V. P. (1996). Thomas Pynchon. Encyclopedia of Apocalyptic Literature. Santa
Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
Cost $75
ISBN: 0874368235
Call Number: ULIB PN 56 A69 Z56 1996
This provides a history of the varied criticism regarding Pynchon's theme of entropy. It also includes a section devoted to Gravity's Rainbow, detailing major plot points, characters, themes, and symbols. Biographical information and a bibliography are included.
These books were selected because they include some of the most respected literary critics and the most influential critics of Pynchon's writing. Many older works were included because much of the subsequent criticism uses the earlier theories as a base. The included critics are cited often in newer criticism, though they are not always agreed with.
- Bloom, H. & D. Kress (Eds.). (2003). Thomas Pynchon. New York: Chelsea House.
Cost $23
Not Available at SUNY Albany libraries
ISBN: 0791070301
Chapters include detailed plot summaries of Pynchon's novels, extracts from scholarly critical essays on the novels, a complete bibliography of the writer's novels, and more. (Amazon) - Chambers, J. (Ed.). (1992). Thomas Pynchon. New York: Twayne.
Cost $20
ISBN: 0805739602
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z577 1992
In a book that surveys the author's entire corpus, she nonetheless achieves depth of analysis by pitching her discussion at what she takes to be the fundamental problematic of Pynchon's fiction. In addition, she has produced the first book to take account of Vineland. (The Review of Contemporary Fiction) - Cowart, D. (1980). Thomas Pynchon: the art of allusion. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.
Cost $20
ISBN: 0809309440
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z6
Cowart provides background knowledge to readers regarding topics that Pynchon uses casually in his works to subjects such as physics, mechanics, and literary allusions. He also attempts to definitely establish symbols that he believes Pynchon uses in his works. - Grant, J. K. (1994). A Companion to the Crying of Lot 49. Athens: University of Georgia Press.
Cost $13
Not available at SUNY Albany libraries
ISBN: 0-8203-1636-9
Grant isolates every significant or enigmatic phrase in The Crying of Lot 49 and synthesizes the interpretations of major critics on that phrase before adding his own opinion. Bibliography included. Grant has also written similar companions for Gravity's Rainbow and V. - Hite, M. (1983). Ideas of Order in the Novels of Thomas Pynchon. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
Cost $50
ISBN: 0814203507
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z66 1983
A study of Pynchon's proposition of the dichotomy that reality either is ruled by an externally imposed order or is total chaos. Discusses systems of order from V., The Crying of Lot 49, and Gravity's Rainbow through narrative structure and irony. It includes bibliography. Choice calls it one of two books a Pynchon scholar should own. - Levine, G., & D. Leverenz (Eds.). (1976). Mindful pleasures: essays on Thomas Pynchon. Boston: Brown.
Cost $20
ISBN: 0316522317 (paperback)
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z72
Levine and Leverenz compile influential essays from the earliest, most cited, Pynchon scholars. The critics touch on subjects ranging from Pynchon's language, themes, and characters. They devote an entire section on Gravity's Rainbow. The collection demonstrates the conflicting interpretations of Pynchon's works that critics hold. - Mendelson, E. (Ed.). (1978). Pynchon: a collection of critical essays. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Cost $20
ISBN: 0137447140
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z8
Mendelson compiles some important, controversial essays on Pynchon. He chose essays that center around Pynchon's themes of entropy and anarchy. He also focuses on ascribing symbolic meaning to objects and events in Pynchon's works. - Plater, W. M. (Ed.). (1978). The Grim Phoenix: Reconstructing Thomas Pynchon. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Cost $17.50
ISBN: 0253326702
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z79 1978
Analysis of Pynchon's fiction up to and including Gravity's Rainbow using not only literary references, but philosophical, mathematical, sociological, and mythological as well. He delves not so much into the structure of Pynchon's dense prose, but the reasons behind it, the ideas behind it. (Amazon) - Schaub, T.H. (1981). Pynchon, the Voice of Ambiguity. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Cost $20
ISBN: 0252008162
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z87
Schaub focuses on Pynchon's overall ambitions for his writing, Pynchon's theme of paranoia, and a section on The Crying of Lot 49. He also provides tips on different approaches to reading Pynchon and a section on authors he feels write similarly to Pynchon. There are extensive notes at the end of each chapter and a bibliography and index at the end. - Tanner, T. (1982). Thomas Pynchon. New York: Methuen.
Cost $10
ISBN: 0416316700 (paperback.)
Call Number: ULIB PS 3566 Y55 Z9
This study of the contemporary American novelist aims to offer an introduction to the writer and his work with critical comments on the texts quoted. Bibliography. an advanced personal survey and introduction. Lucid and subtle, it looks at Pynchon through a perspective that incorporates American, British, and Continental thought. This theoretical range is combined with a capacity for selective, illuminating readings of passages of Pynchon's prose. . . . {Tanner's} work will be of great interest . . . to all who are interested in reader-response criticism. (Novel)
These articles discuss themes common to most of Pynchon's works. The authors are all influential Pynchon scholars and have been cited many times by subsequent critics. Because no one was sure of how to read Pynchon, sometimes the articles are part of a formal dialogue between critics in which they directly attempt to refute each other. All are available at SUNY Albany libraries.
- Cornis-Pope, M. (1999). Rethinking Postmodern Liminality: Marginocentric Characters and Projects in Thomas Pynchon's Polysytemic Fiction. Symploke: A Journal for the Intermingling of Literary, Cultural, and Theoretical Scholarship, 5(1-2), 27-47.
ISSN:: 1069-0697
Available online through SUNY Albany libraries
Cornis-Pope provides and alternate spin on the traditional, postmodern view of Pynchon's works. It is not as technical as the title makes it seem, but discusses patterns in the networks between characters for different works by Pynchon. - McClure, J. A. (1995). Postmodern/Post-Secular: Contemporary Fiction and Spirituality. Modern Fiction Studies, 41(1), 141-63.
ISSN:: 0026-7724
Call Number: ULIB Per PS 379 M55
McClure discusses attitudes towards spirituality used in Pynchon's works. He compares Pynchon's treatment of these views with those of contemporary postmodern writers Don Delillo and Leslie Marmon Silko. - Poirier, R. (1975). The Importance of Thomas Pynchon. Twentieth Century Literature, 21(2), 151-163.
ISSN:: 0041-462X
Call Number: ULIB Per PN 2 T8 v.1-
This explains the importance of literature writer Thomas Pynchon in literature and society. Description of Pynchon's audience; Assessment on Pynchon's fiction; Information on the fiction entitled 'The Crying of Lot 49.' (EBSCO) - Punday, D. (2003). Pynchon's ghosts. Contemporary Literature, 44(2), 250-74.
ISSN:: 0010-7484
Punday addresses Pynchon's treatment of postmortem characters and his common themes of death and dealing with the past in his novels Mason & Dixon, Gravity's Rainbow, and Vineland. - Schaub, T. A. (1976). Open Letter in Response to Edward Mendelson's 'The Sacred, the Profane, and The Crying of Lot 49'. Boundary 2: A Journal of Postmodern Literature and Culture, 5(1), 93-102.
ISSN:: 0190-3659
Call Number: ULIB Per PN 2 B67X
This is a critical reaction to Mendelson's interpretation of Pynchon's themes, and the introduction of alternative meanings, particularly for The Crying of Lot 49. This begins a series of articles between Mendelson, Schaub, and others debating the meaning of symbols and patterns used by Pynchon. - Tabbi, J. (1984). Pynchon's 'Entropy'. Explicator, 43(1), 61-63.
ISSN:: 0014-4940
Call Number: ULIB Per PR 1 E9
This reports on the evidence of the influence of M.H. Abrams in the book 'Entropy,' by Thomas Pynchon. Structure and choice of words in the literature; Response to the Romantic metaphor in the short story; Integration of the component themes in periodic reinforcement. (EBSCO) - Varsava, J. A. (1995). Thomas Pynchon and Postmodern Liberalism. Canadian Review of American Studies, 25(3), 63-100.
ISSN:: 0007-7720
Call Number: ULIB Per E 151 C352X
Discusses the postmodern liberalist views of American fiction writer Thomas Pynchon based on his novels. `The Crying of Lot 49' and the libertarian challenge; `Vineland' and the communitarian threat; Illustration of the importance of engaged citizenship. (EBSCO) - Young, J. K. (2003). Pynchon in Popular Magazines. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 44(4), 389-404.
ISSN:: 0011-1619
Call Number: ULIB Per PN 3503 C7
Discusses the significance of studying stories by Thomas Pynchon within their full textual history in understanding his place within popular media and his responses to the consumer culture through which he developed his initial authorial image. Background on an argument for the political engagement of postmodernism; Role of materialist criticism in literary scholarship; Examination of Pynchon as a professional author. (EBSCO)
Kraft, J. M. & K. Toloyan (Eds.) (1979-) Pynchon Notes. Middletown, CT.
ISSN:: 0278-1891
This semiannual publication is not currently available at SUNY Albany libraries. Most of the known critics of Pynchon and postmodern literature publish in Pynchon Notes. Often an entire issue is devoted to a particular work or theme of Pynchon's and periodically an issue is devoted to an extensive bibliography of criticism by Pynchon.
For specific information regarding one of Pynchon's works, themes, or certain critics and interpretations, these databases are valuable resources. They direct the researcher to useful articles, books, and sometimes book chapters and book reviews. They also include many sources not available at SUNY Albany libraries. In some cases the database provides the full text of a work online. These databases are all available online through SUNY Albany libraries and have been arranged here in order of usefulness to Pynchon research.
- MLA Bibliography
The Modern Language Association compiles this database. It is solely for scholarly books, book chapters, journal articles, and dissertations related to literature, language, linguistics, and folklore. It includes over 3,000 journals and series from as far back as 1963. MLA Bibliographies contains the most information on Pynchon of any of the databases available through SUNY Albany. It is updated quarterly and provides no full text articles. - EBSCO Academic Search Premier
EBSCO contains over 4,400 scholarly titles from a wide variety of areas and updated daily. About half the titles are peer reviewed and typically date back to 1990. A significant portion of the articles appear in full text and it is possible to browse entire journal issues online. It contains a good deal of the most standard and famous articles on Pynchon, as well as a number of lesser known articles. - Expanded Academic ASAP
This database incorporates journals from a wide variety of fields. Articles date back to 1980 and the database is updated daily. Some articles are included in full text. The database also includes reviews of books, aiding in the evaluation of materials on Pynchon. - Arts and Humanities Citation Index
This is made up of scholarly articles from international journals of arts and humanities, and so includes information on Pynchon from sources other than just literary journals. Articles date back to 1980. The database is updated weekly, but none of the articles are full text.
Dubini, D. & F. Dubini. (2001). Thomas Pynchon: A Journey into the Mind of P. 95 min. Dubini Filmprodukion.
This movie pieces together testimonies and evidence and investigates Pynchon's background and (speculative) motivations, not just for his persistent hiding, but especially for his writing. The sound track is aptly provided by "The Residents", an American underground band who for the past thirty years have only appeared masked on stage and whose members are unknown. (www.imdb.com)