Tag Archives: Thomas Pynchon

Russian Rockets and Male Insecurity

Putin bombing Kyev is more about proving masculinity than conducting effective military strategy. It’s like Hitler’s V-2 rockets, as described in “Gravity’s Rainbow.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

The USPS and Conspiracy Theories

As controversies swirl around the postal service, Pynchon’s “Crying of Lot 49” seems relevant. So does Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments closed

Postal Service Under Attack (Again)

Trump apparently would like to see the U.S. Postal Service die. Pynchon has a novel that helps us understand rightwing opposition to what others regard as a treasure.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

Lit vs. Fabricated Reality

What are serious authors to do when they care confronted with fabricated realities? Author Kakutani reflects on life under Trumpism.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

You Never Did the Kenosha Kid

An aide to Ohio governor John Kasich recently labeled Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus a “Kenosha political operative.” This gives me an excuse to revisit Thomas Pynchon’s extended riff upon “the Kenosha Kid” in “Gravity’s Rainbow.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , | Comments closed

The Elaborate Plots of Conspiracy Nuts

Conspiracy theories bear a lot of resemblance to literary plots.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , | Comments closed

Paranoid Postal Service Fantasies

Pynchon’s “Crying of Lot 49” helps us understand rightwingers who want the USPS to fail.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , | Comments closed