The Kairotic View of History in Thomas Pynchon's Novels

The Kairotic View of History in Thomas Pynchon's Novels

The Kairotic View of History in Thomas Pynchon's NovelsThe rhetorical concept of kairos (right timing, right proportion, time viewed qualitatively) can expand the understanding of the "points" or decisive moments in Pynchon's historical novels. In addition to timeliness, kairos f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Orbit (Cambridge) Vol. 7; no. 1
Main Author: Thompson, Gary
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge Open Library of Humanities 2019
Subjects:
affect
American literature
Authorial voice
Contemporary literature
Essays
history
kairos
Literary studies
Modernity
Novels
Plot (Narrative)
Pynchon, Thomas
revelation
Rhetoric
Writers
New York
United States > US
Georgia
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The Kairotic View of History in Thomas Pynchon's NovelsThe rhetorical concept of kairos (right timing, right proportion, time viewed qualitatively) can expand the understanding of the "points" or decisive moments in Pynchon's historical novels. In addition to timeliness, kairos for theologians represents the intersection of the sacred with the profane. Kairos also provides insight into the novels' affect, lending rhetorical force to the concept from Marx that "the point is to change [history]." Following the hiatus preceding Vineland, Pynchon's global view of history becomes more restricted, with emphasis instead on smaller social enclaves and human connections.
ISSN:2398-6786
2398-6786
DOI:10.16995/orbit.589