The escaping presence of the female en Thomas Pynchon's novels

Abstract

It is the main contention in this paper that Pynchon self-consciously activates a minutely-devised symbolism of the female figure. As socially-committed focalisers, female characters become Pynchon’s narrative tools to carry on a harsh political and social criticism of contemporary America. On the other hand, through a complex gallery of metaphorical female signifiers with multiple –"deferred"– significations, the post-modern novelist enquires into the epistemological impossibility of ever reaching a satisfactory representation of external reality, thus advocating a reconceptualization of classical thought.