A study guide for Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49"

By Gale and Cengage

A study guide for Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49", excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students series. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: May 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781535840996

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The Crying of Lot 49

Thomas Pynchon

1966

Introduction

Since the early 1960s, critics and scholars have recognized Thomas Pynchon as one of the most important writers of his generation. The Crying of Lot 49, published in 1966, is Pynchon's second novel. Scarcely longer than a novella, The Crying of Lot 49 is the story of Mrs. Oedipa Maas, a young housewife who returns home from a Tupperware party one day to find that she has been made the executrix of the estate of her former lover, the immensely wealthy real estate mogul Pierce Inverarity. In her journey to fulfill her duties, Oedipa discovers not only an ancient postal service operated by Thurn and Taxis but also a secret underground organization called the Tristero, dating from the thirteenth century, that opposes all official forms of communication. She begins to see signs of the Tristero everywhere. The novel is thick with clues that lead Oedipa ever deeper into a wide-scale conspiracy, or an immense hoax, or her own paranoia. Neither she nor the reader can be sure.

Tony Tanner, in his book-length study of Pynchon, writes, "The Crying of Lot 49 is one of the most deceptive—as well as one of the most brilliant [books]—to have appeared since [World War II]." The book has been called a quest story, a social satire, an exploration of the sacred and profane, detective fiction, and a conspiracy theory thriller. Decidedly not realistic, The Crying of Lot 49 is dense with allusions from history and popular culture, making it a work that requires close study. At the same time, it is an extraordinarily funny book, often looping out into surreal scenes of chaos.

Readers should be aware that there are sexual references and scenes as well as drug and alcohol used throughout the book, and the novel may not be suitable for younger readers for a variety of reasons. For adults and more mature readers, however, The Crying of Lot 49 offers a rich and ultimately rewarding reading experience.

Author Biography

Pynchon was born on May 8, 1937, the son of Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Sr. and Katherine Frances Bennett Pynchon, in Glen Cove, New York. His father was a surveyor and highway engineer, and also a town supervisor for Oyster Bay, New York. Pynchon grew up in the East Norwich-Oyster Bay area. He graduated from Oyster Bay High School when he was sixteen, having won the distinction of having the highest grade in English in his class, according to Bernard Duyfhuizen and John M. Krafft in the !!Dictionary of Literary Biography.

In 1953, Pynchon began studies at Cornell University in the field of engineering physics, though he later changed his major to English. At the end of his second year of college, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving for two years. He returned to Cornell and graduated in 1959. During his final years at Cornell, he became close friends with classmate Richard Farinña, the author of Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up