Abstract

Few of the so-called postmodern novels have caused a great deal of discussion about the so-called referent, be it history or American society for example. Even when writers like Barthelme, Coover and Abish apparently depend so much upon good old "reality" to compose their fictions, only exceptionally do the critics (so far at least) focus their attention on the referent that is pointed to or torn apart. Pynchon's The crying of Lot 49 is clearly an exception. Many scholars--taking their cue from 2 0edipa, who suddenly discovered "that the legacy was America" --have been tempted to study the book as a reflection of media-maniac America and have experienced great difficulties in extricating themselves from the referential snare.

How to Cite:

Couturier, M., (1987) “The Death of the Real in The Crying of Lot 49”, Pynchon Notes , 5-29. doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/pn.331