Thomas Pynchon has a cult following unlike few authors. His status is only magnified by his reluctance to appear in public and or in media. The guy is almost a myth.
But even though Pynchon is the equivalent of a literary ghost, his work (especially The Crying Of Lot 49) appears all over popular culture.
Some examples:
- The Yoyodyne company, mentioned in the novel and which first appeared in V., is also the name of a manufacturer of starship drives in the Star Trek universe.
- While Lost was on air, ABC created a website for a fictional company called PB-Sales, which owned interest in other corporations, including Yoyodyne.
- During the opening of a Mad Men season 5 episode (“Lady Lazarus”), Peter Campbell is reading the novel.
- Radiohead and Yo La Tengo have included themes from Pynchon’s works in their songs. Plus, Radiohead’s mailing list is named W.A.S.T.E.
- My old friend William Gibson, he the author of Neuromancer, in his novel Count Zero, named a corporation Maas Neotek in honor of Oedipa Maas.
- The writers for Parks and Recreation have also been influenced by The Crying of Lot 49. Notice that the abandoned construction site that appears early in the series is called “Lot 48.”
I’m just getting started here. I’m guessing this could be an interesting essay for a college paper or something like that. No charge for that advice, college students.
The Crying Of Lot 49 is a lot like the W.A.S.T.E. system described within the novel’s pages. It’s everywhere. You just have to look for it–and know what you’re looking for in the first place.