A Study Of The Mystery In Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow

Thomas Pynchon,one of the most influential postmodern writers in America,distinguishes himself by his novels of encyclopedic content,various themes,mysterious narrative and black humor style.His masterpiece Gravity’s Rainbow has gained much attention from the public since its publication in 1973,and has won him many awards and honors.In Gravity’s Rainbow,Pynchon constructs a labyrinth of mysterious world.This thesis aims to study the mystery in the novel to help readers find out an Ariadne’s thread to across the labyrinth.It examines the mystery of the text from the plots,characterization and narrative strategies to further understand Pynchon’s reflection on the absurdity of postmodern reality.This thesis consists of three parts,Introduction,body part and Conclusion.In Introduction,I make an overview of Pynchon and the novel Gravity’s Rainbow,as well as of studies abroad and in China.Chapter one probes into the sources of Pynchon’s mystery thought,including the origin and development of mysticism,and the mystery writing in literature tradition.Chapter two is the specific analysis on the basis of close reading of how Pynchon represents the mystery in the novel.Chapter three is the discussion about the value of Pynchon’s mystery thought on literary writing and spiritual guidance for people.From the perspective of postmodern aesthetics,Pynchon applies black humor strategies to reflect on the limitations of scientific analysis and rational inference in exploring the mystery of the world.He asks people to rethink the relationship between human being and the world,thus calling on the returning to mystery.