Pynchon: Creative Paranoia in "Gravity's Rainbow"

by Mark Richard Siegel

136 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1978

Reviews

[Gage Hoefer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good read- I personally think Siegel misunderstands/misrepresents certain ideas in mathematics and Marxism when establishing his central thesis, but these are not foundational to his argument and therefore can be swept aside. I think he leans too much into Jungian analysis for me to take 100% seriously; however, his conception of the “narrator as character”, a “… contemporary individual trying to invent, to ‘’assemble’’ a self with which to confront our world” is really valuable in trying to understand the novel. While I don’t wholeheartedly agree with his analysis, its helped me to clarify some of my thoughts and understanding in reaction. Very nice.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first full length critical look at Gravity's Rainbow published in 1978. It still holds up extremely well. To me, this is a foundational text in the understanding and explication of Pynchon's masterpiece. And, as an aside, I have read through Gravity's Rainbow 7 times since first published.