Did Thomas Pynchon Publish a Novel Under the Pseudonym Adrian Jones Pearson?

http://harpers.org/blog/2015/09/the-fiction-atop-the-fiction/

by samclemens • 11 years ago

37 27 11 years ago

ChuckFrank• 11 years ago

According to Linander’s law of headlines, the answer to this polar Yes/No questions would be equal to a coin toss. So maybe yes, and maybe no.

savanaly• 11 years ago

But in this particular case, the answer is either yes with 100% probability or no with 100% probability, depending on whether it was written by Pynchon or not ;)

elektromekatron• 11 years ago

Not if only half of it is written by Pynchon.

JadeNB4• 11 years ago

But that's like saying that the odds of winning the lottery are that you win with 100% probability or you lose with 100% probability, depending on whether your numbers match or not.

olympus• 11 years ago

But according to Betteridge's law we should answer "no."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headline...

Dotnaught• 11 years ago

If only we had some technology that could help...

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/software-helps-iden...

dfan4• 11 years ago

The author presents basically no evidence for this hypothesis.

zygomega• 11 years ago

I disagree. The evidence in quotation, plot detail and story-line convinced me it was either Pynchon or a brilliant mimic. None else does it like this.

dfan4• 11 years ago

I've read all of Pynchon's books and a lot of books whose authors were clearly inspired by Pynchon, and I don't see any reason to assume this doesn't fall into the latter category, especially after reading a few pages online. For one thing, I think it would be the first Pynchon novel written in the first person. The prose also seems markedly less lyrical than Pynchon's.

I mean, if Pynchon put his name on this, I wouldn't say, "I disbelieve this, he must be attaching his name to someone else's work," but I would say, "Huh, he really changed up his style for this one." But he didn't put his name on this.

duaneb• 11 years ago

None else does it like this.

...except for writers that DO write like pynchon (e.g. DFW, Bolaño, Gaddis, Barth, though none of them would HAVE to to imitate him). Pynchon is distinctive but hardly unique.

rrrrob• 11 years ago

Try reading the first few pages: http://www.amazon.com/Cow-Country-Adrian-Jones-Pearson-ebook...

This reads nothing like Pynchon.

I agree that the author of the article managed to convey a different impression quite successfully.

thyrsus2• 11 years ago

The evidence is the quoted prose, which is in the style of Pynchon. If the rest of the book maintains that perspective and entertains me in the manner I expect from Pynchon (as apparently it did the reviewer), then I'll be happy to have read the book regardless of who the "real" author is.

I read little fiction but I read whatever Pynchon produces, because, since high school, I've always enjoyed his work. That is what the name "Pynchon" means to me: a certain manner of story telling which illuminates the distant (or recent) past through idiosyncratic distortions and personalities. Unless the reviewer has a sharply different experience of Pynchon's style than mine, I will be happy reading this book.

tedunangst• 11 years ago

"So much effort goes into credentialing the creator that we lose sight of the creation itself"

Uhm, yes. So now you're here to accomplish what again? This is a strange article. Pynchon (or whoever) went to some effort to publish a book not attached to his name, and all you want to do is attach his name to the book?

firebones• 11 years ago

What better way to generate buzz for your unnoticed novel than to spread a rumor it was penned by a literary luminary, watch it climb the charts as people buy it to "decide for themselves", and then get your 15 minutes of fame as you sheepishly out yourself as the true author who, aw shucks, is just a simple small college professor caught up in this literary whirlwind.

ksnieck• 11 years ago

There's a humorous fake website for the community college referenced in the book: http://www.coweye.org/

Did Thomas Pynchon Publish a Novel Under the Pseudonym Adrian Jones Pearson?

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