2. Childhood Born May 8, 1937 Glen cove, Long Island New York One of three children Father- Thomas Ruggles Pynchon Sr. Mother- Katherine Frances Bennet As a child attended Oyster Bay High School where he began to write short fictional stories to his school newspaper.
3. Later years…… Attended Cornell University with a study in engineering 1953 He left the University after a few years to join the U.S Navy. In 1957he later returned to Cornell to pursue a degree in english. In 1959 Pynchon received his BA.
4. Early works and published sources Entropy one of Pynchon’s first publications (1960) V (1963)- Pynchon’s first novel The Crying of Lot 49 (1966)- comic relief Gravity’s Rainbow (1973)- most daring and exhaustive effort Slow Learner (1984) Vinland (1990) Mason & Dixon (1997) Against the Day (2006)
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6. Entropy Main character- Meatball Mulligan Sandor Rojas Saul-the neighbor Duke Di Angelis quartet (Duke, Vincent, Paco) Callistro-tenant upstairs A bird Other house guest
7. Plot of the Story Meatball is having a lease breaking party and many guest are in attendance. Meatball’s friends and neighbor encounters many problems that they confide in Meatball about. The night is full of stories, booze, women, and chaos. During the story the guest make reference numerous of times to a bird and the temperature on the thermastatwhich is 37 degrees
8. Continued…. Callistro is a man who is living above meatball and he is living with a dying bird and a strange woman by the name of Aubade As the party goes on Saul the neighbor discusses how him and his wife have gotten into a fight and she may leave him. The party continues and more people come because they believe it is a party along with a whore house.
9. Continued…. Towards the end of the story and the party the U.S Navy broke into Meatball’s apartment with assupmtion that is was a “hoorhouse” (whore house) At first reaction Meatball ran to the closet in hopes that the U.S Navy would leave and the party would calm down Meatball realized he could not hide from his party and returned to the living room
10. Continued…… Duke Di Angelis quartet began to play a musical piece in Meatball’s apartment in hopes of calming everyone down. During that time and also the closing of the story Callistro’s pet bird passes away
11. Thomas Pynchon’s Writing Style Pynchon’s work was very complex and dense Used parodies and imitations in his writings Some writing were used with comic relief Able to catch reader’s attention from the complicated and absurd plots
