Entropy and the Fantastic in Pynchon's Narratives

Abstract

In her article "Entropy and the Fantastic in Pynchon's Narratives" María Rosa Burillo Gadea postulates that dealing with Pynchon's fiction one is not sure if paranoia is presented as an alternative way of grasping other possible spheres, a more comprehensive vision of the world, or merely a joke. Pynchon's stories try to reproduce reality in different fictional grounds. He uses the notion of entropy, the level of molecular disorder of a thermodynamic system when heated as a metaphor for a disorderly and chaotic universe, necessary, however, in order to avoid the fatality of system exhaustion or death. A kind of disenchantment with the world is presented, together with a challenge to rules, norms, and ingredients of nostalgia, sorrow, and humor. The use of the fantastic in Pynchon is a way to escape, to apprehend different realities, and to fight against canonical stagnation.