Abstract

Thomas Pynchon is considered a major representative of American postmodernism, and hardly a discussion of postmodernism fails to mention Gravity's Rainbow. It is important, however, to see the extent to which Pynchon adheres to a surrealist aesthetic if one is to better understand the measure to which his postmodernist writing is shaped by the earlier movement. Elsewhere I have pursued Pynchon's own remarks in the preface to Slow Learner about his commitment to surrealism by tracing connections between V. and the surrealist presence in New York City. Here I merely note a West Coast connection between Pynchon and surrealism, and a further connection between Gravity's Rainbow and the general surrealist context of Pynchon's work.

How to Cite:

Vella, M. W., (1989) “Surrealism, Postmodernism, and Roger, Mexico”, Pynchon Notes , 117-119. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/pn.298