Thomas Pynchon: An American Dante?

During the International Pynchon Conference, held in Malta last June, Charles Hollander presented this article which discusses Dante Alighieri's influence on Thomas Pynchon. Pynchon is regarded as the premier post-modern writer:

Edward Mendelson, in his seminal work, “Encyclopedic Narrative: From Dante To Pynchon,” (1976) points out how both Dante and Pynchon authored works with similar characteristics, what he termed the “encyclopedic narrative,” often works that defined their national literatures. He identifies other authors of encyclopedic narratives as Rabelais, Cervantes, Goethe, Melville, and Joyce, implying that Pynchon deserves to be in their company.

Monika Fludernik, at the end of her arresting study, "Hänsel und Gretel, and Dante: The Coordinates of Hope in Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow,” (1989) adds: “It will be clear from the above that I emphatically endorse a religious reading of Gravity’s Rainbow.”

I agree with each of them as far as they go, but I, in my hubris, would ask; “To what end does Pynchon employ the Encyclopedic Narrative form, and the hope of salvation?” Paraphrasing Orwell’s title, “Why I Write;” I’d ask: Why does Pynchon write? Why does he write as he does?
I propose a series of hypotheses here and spend the rest of this essay in an attempt to justify my conclusion: from his undergraduate days, Pynchon saw Dante as his literary ancestor.

Weblog dedicated to the works of Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon Links

Pynchon's first novel "V" is about a search for a mysterious woman that from New York leads to Malta - from Norlos.com/weblog