MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE
Thomas Pynchon’s novels are noted for their postmodernist characteristics. Some of his novels also include certain features of detective fiction. In The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), the focus of Oedipa –a housewife whose name alludes to Oedipus of Sophocles— shifts to unravelling the mystery of a shadow...
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BİLGİTOY BİLGİ, BİLİM, EĞİTİM,ARAŞTIRMA, GELİŞTİRME VE STRATEJİ DERNEĞİ
2023-12-01
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| description | Thomas Pynchon’s novels are noted for their postmodernist characteristics. Some of his novels also include certain features of detective fiction. In The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), the focus of Oedipa –a housewife whose name alludes to Oedipus of Sophocles— shifts to unravelling the mystery of a shadowy underground postal system, and she turns out to be an amateur ‘detective’. The challenge is that the ‘clues’ do not clarify the case, which may or may not be real. A similar pattern is available in Inherent Vice (2009), in which a professional, sandal-wearing, “pothead” detective, Larry “Doc” Sportello, is at work in 1970s California. Inherent Vice does not provide a clear, definitive resolution to the mysteries. Instead, the novel maintains ambiguity and open-endedness, allowing readers to reflect on the intricacies of the narrative and the nature of the quest itself. Thomas Pynchon plays with the detective genre by parodying generic conventions in both works. A parodic work, characterized by its dialogical nature, comically criticizes its target and simultaneously crystallizes its conventions. While utilizing recognizable tropes and characteristics of archetypal private investigators, Pynchon employs unconventional methods for solving the crime, ironic inversions, and absurdities to subvert the stereotypical portrayal of a detective. In this respect, Pynchon, with his examples of postmodern/ metaphysical detective stories, both nurtures and subverts the detective genre. In this paper, The Crying of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice are examined regarding how Pynchon both validates and questions the established norms of the traditional detective genre by using parody. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4e231765708d47209fadb180104e71df |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2602-4446 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | BİLGİTOY BİLGİ, BİLİM, EĞİTİM,ARAŞTIRMA, GELİŞTİRME VE STRATEJİ DERNEĞİ |
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| spelling | doaj-art-4e231765708d47209fadb180104e71df2025-08-20T03:16:28ZengBİLGİTOY BİLGİ, BİLİM, EĞİTİM,ARAŞTIRMA, GELİŞTİRME VE STRATEJİ DERNEĞİİmgelem2602-44462023-12-0171375377010.53791/imgelem.13904502429MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICEAhmet Koç0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0125-6652RECEP TAYYİP ERDOĞAN ÜNİVERSİTESİThomas Pynchon’s novels are noted for their postmodernist characteristics. Some of his novels also include certain features of detective fiction. In The Crying of Lot 49 (1966), the focus of Oedipa –a housewife whose name alludes to Oedipus of Sophocles— shifts to unravelling the mystery of a shadowy underground postal system, and she turns out to be an amateur ‘detective’. The challenge is that the ‘clues’ do not clarify the case, which may or may not be real. A similar pattern is available in Inherent Vice (2009), in which a professional, sandal-wearing, “pothead” detective, Larry “Doc” Sportello, is at work in 1970s California. Inherent Vice does not provide a clear, definitive resolution to the mysteries. Instead, the novel maintains ambiguity and open-endedness, allowing readers to reflect on the intricacies of the narrative and the nature of the quest itself. Thomas Pynchon plays with the detective genre by parodying generic conventions in both works. A parodic work, characterized by its dialogical nature, comically criticizes its target and simultaneously crystallizes its conventions. While utilizing recognizable tropes and characteristics of archetypal private investigators, Pynchon employs unconventional methods for solving the crime, ironic inversions, and absurdities to subvert the stereotypical portrayal of a detective. In this respect, Pynchon, with his examples of postmodern/ metaphysical detective stories, both nurtures and subverts the detective genre. In this paper, The Crying of Lot 49 and Inherent Vice are examined regarding how Pynchon both validates and questions the established norms of the traditional detective genre by using parody.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3535871thomas pynchonpolisiye kurguparodipostmodernizmthomas pynchondetective fictionparodypostmodernism |
| spellingShingle | Ahmet Koç MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE İmgelem thomas pynchon polisiye kurgu parodi postmodernizm thomas pynchon detective fiction parody postmodernism |
| title | MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE |
| title_full | MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE |
| title_fullStr | MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE |
| title_full_unstemmed | MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE |
| title_short | MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED: DETECTIVE FICTION AND PARODY IN THOMAS PYNCHON’S THE CRYING OF LOT 49 AND INHERENT VICE |
| title_sort | mysteries unresolved detective fiction and parody in thomas pynchon s the crying of lot 49 and inherent vice |
| topic | thomas pynchon polisiye kurgu parodi postmodernizm thomas pynchon detective fiction parody postmodernism |
| url | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/3535871 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmetkoc mysteriesunresolveddetectivefictionandparodyinthomaspynchonsthecryingoflot49andinherentvice |