Article

The Origin of Pynchon's Tchitcherine

Author: Steven Weisenburger (University of Kentucky)

Abstract

His right knee hinged with threads of gold, Vaslav Tchitcherine limps through Gravity's Rainbow bearing a portfolio of a name. Terry Caesar (PN 5, 1981) rightly calls attention to its "multiple puns and arcane allusions," but he discloses no knowledge of what those references may be. Then David Seed (PN 5 again) tracks a red herring when he proposes that the fictional Vaslav and the historical Georgi Tchitcherine are secret sharers, despite Pynchon's warning that "He [vaslav] is no relation at all to the [Georgi] Tchitcherine who dealt the Rapallo Treaty" (GR, 338). Well, why not take Pynchon at his word?

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How to Cite: Weisenburger, S. (1982) “The Origin of Pynchon's Tchitcherine”, Pynchon Notes.(8). doi: https://doi.org/10.16995/pn.459