Paranoia, Absurd Realism, and the Entropic Collapse of Meaning in Vineland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52783/jns.v14.2704Keywords:
Postmodern culture, Paranoia, Absurd Realism, Chaos and Order, Information Overflow, Surveillance, Resistance, Instability of Meaning, Entropy, Media-Saturated Society, OppressionAbstract
Postmodern literature is characterized by advancements in technology, the emergence of new genres reflecting societal shifts, the influence of popular culture, and themes of disorder and paranoia. This recurring trait is evident in mainstream literature across different eras. Pynchon’s, Vineland elements of mystery, history, pop culture, counterculture, and science are combined to create a parody of the cultural preoccupations of the 1960s. This analysis of Vineland (1990) explores Thomas Pynchon's depiction of paranoia, absurd realism, and the interplay between chaos and order in a world dominated by information overflow. It examines how Pynchon critiques postmodern American culture through fragmented narratives, exaggerated characters, and intertextual references. The novel's themes of surveillance, political repression, and resistance highlight the instability of meaning and reality. Through structuralist and absurdist lenses, the study reveals how language and symbols both obscure and construct meaning. Hence, Vineland reflects the entropic collapse of countercultural ideals within a media-saturated, oppressive society.
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References
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Ceaser, Terry. “A Note on Pynchon's Naming.” Pynchon Notes, vol. 26, 1990, pp. 5-7.
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Pynchon, Thomas. Vineland. Penguin, 1990.
Staiger, Jeffrey. “The Absurd Reality in Pynchon’s Fiction.” American Literary Criticism, vol. 45, no. 3, 2002, pp. 648-672.
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Wood, James. The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004.
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