Mason & Dixon Companion

Mason & Dixon might be Thomas Pynchon's most human book. Its main characters are richly drawn, and they center the narrative. Yet the novel is also packed with historical allusions and an eighteenth-century vernacular that some readers may find difficult to navigate. A "Mason & Dixon" Companion offers this navigation line by line, unpacking Pynchon's puns, his many references, and his pet themes. Brett Biebel provides a contextual map, episode-by-episode summaries, and page-by-page annotations explaining allusions, defining obscure vocabulary, and illuminating the book's major themes. The goal is to help readers work their way through a difficult yet remarkably rewarding novel from one of American literature's most significant writers.

In a voice that's both relaxed and informed, the Companion illuminates what Harold Bloom called "Pynchon's late masterpiece." It crystallizes the prescience of Mason & Dixon, situating the novel within Pynchon's broader oeuvre, while being fun to read in its own right.

Author: Brett Biebel
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 06/01/2024
Pages: 308
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9780820365831

About the Author
BRETT BIEBEL teaches writing and literature at Augustana College. He is the author of 48 BLITZ and Winter Dance Party, and his writing has appeared in SmokeLong Quartlery, The Masters Review, Alien Magazine, Hobart, Wigleaf, and elsewhere. He lives and writes in the Quad Cities.