While Thomas Pynchon’s second and arguably most accessible novel thematically “singl[es] up all lines” (

20) with the overarching leitmotifs of his oeuvre, it really stands as the odd one out in terms of length. With its roughly 130–180 pages (depending on edition),

might appear as a relapse towards the brevity of Pynchon’s first work, the short stories later published in

Particularly when compared to his other major works,

,

,

and

which tend to incorporate a plethora of such micronarratives and knot them into a byzantine tapestry,

at first sight seems to avoid polyphonous voices and prefers linearity and order.

Published in 1966, The Crying of Lot 49 won the Richard

3462 words

Citation: Huber, Sebastian. "The Crying of Lot 49". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 December 2010 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1139, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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