Pynchon's novels are so packed with details and references that there is no lack of things to talk about. It may be that younger students, raised on the cascade of associations poured out by such popular entertainers as Jonathan Winters, Robin Williams, and Dennis Miller, will be better able to understand Pynchon's approach to his subject and his technique than will their teachers. But the teachers will be better able to identify and explain Pynchon's historical and literary allusions. Thus the best kind of discussion may take place, one in which everyone learns from everyone else.

1. Pynchon set Vineland in 1984. How does it compare to Orwell's novel 1984?

2. Consider the role of television in Vineland.

3. The U. S. government has more impact on people's lives in Vineland than in Pynchon's other novels. Why, and what does this difference mean?

4. As in The Crying of Lot 49, a rock...