Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49
This thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in English at the Department of English and Humanities of BRAC University, 2014.
| Glavni autor: | |
|---|---|
| Daljnji autori: | |
| Format: | Disertacija |
| Jezik: | English |
| Izdano: |
BRAC University
2014
|
| Teme: | |
| Online pristup: | http://hdl.handle.net/10361/3327 |
| id |
10361-3327 |
|---|---|
| record_format |
dspace |
| spelling |
10361-33272019-09-30T04:21:02Z Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 Easmin, Sabina Islam, Syed Manzoorul Department of English and Humanities, BRAC University English and humanities This thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in English at the Department of English and Humanities of BRAC University, 2014. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis report. Includes bibliographical references (page 58-59). My paper examines the idea that in the novel The Crying of Lot 49, the obscure plot is mostly interpreted as the post modern adoption of a world famous fairytale Rapunzel. In The Crying of Lot 49, there is an odd sense of detachment which is not so much from reality, but it is certainly the case too, as from itself. In my view this detachment from itself is mainly caused by an ontological contingency, an absence of truth. But, it is also owing to a layered thematic structure, where the different layers are presented not as sediments but rather as a palimpsest rendering each layer perspicuously transparent but lacking in cohesion. Reading Pynchon’s novel is a peculiar experience as the story unfolds, the reader is made increasingly word-conscious as each word becomes, figuratively, more conscious of both its etymological roots and its semantic field, so that eventually each word potentially suggests a whole knotty cluster of meanings .This tends to perplex the reader, mainly because every thematic is overly emphasized; e.g. almost all the names are linked to Freudian psychology, they have psycho sexual connotations and connotations of paranoia. All thematics pertaining to religion are somehow related to death. They are juxtapositions of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and ancient Egyptian theology and mythology picked randomly and served as a bowl of magic soup. A well-known fairy tale frames the story, whereas the story itself is set up as a detective story with its protagonist Oedipa Maas in the role of the classic private-eye who struggles to discern reality from appearance in a world where every clue is prepared and laid out by her former, dead lover. All she has to do as executor of his will is follow the dead man’s instructions whatever they are and wherever they take her. The names, religious instants, fairy-tale and detective story of this novel are foregrounded thematics that have all been transformed into free flowing states disengaged from their usual marks of identification. They have become simulacra. In my view, the constant conflict between the dichotomy of reality and appearance and its eventual breakdown is a strong theme in this story. The plot of Pynchon’s story is presented in the form of a detective story which is epistemological. The protagonist sets out on a quest to unravel what seems to be an extensive conspiracy revolving around an underground postal service system. My thesis proposes that this epistemological quest conceals an obscure plot, which permeates and supports the entire story. This obscure plot is the well- known fairy-tale Rapunzel, but presented in a postmodern variation, which, contrary to more modern representations, seeks to up-hold the traditional formula for fairy-tales: an innocent story on top and underneath deep, dark murky waters of meaning that may or may not be penetrated. M. A. in English 2014-06-23T10:48:22Z 2014-06-23T10:48:22Z 2014 2014-04 Thesis ID 12163011 http://hdl.handle.net/10361/3327 en BRAC University thesis reports are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. 69 pages application/pdf BRAC University |
| institution |
Brac University |
| collection |
Institutional Repository |
| language |
English |
| topic |
English and humanities |
| spellingShingle |
English and humanities Easmin, Sabina Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 |
| description |
This thesis report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in English at the Department of English and Humanities of BRAC University, 2014. |
| author2 |
Islam, Syed Manzoorul |
| author_facet |
Islam, Syed Manzoorul Easmin, Sabina |
| format |
Thesis |
| author |
Easmin, Sabina |
| author_sort |
Easmin, Sabina |
| title |
Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 |
| title_short |
Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 |
| title_full |
Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 |
| title_fullStr |
Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Let down your hair Mrs. Maas: interpreting Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49 |
| title_sort |
let down your hair mrs. maas: interpreting pynchon’s the crying of lot 49 |
| publisher |
BRAC University |
| publishDate |
2014 |
| url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10361/3327 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT easminsabina letdownyourhairmrsmaasinterpretingpynchonsthecryingoflot49 |
| _version_ |
1814309321959276544 |