Some of Gravity's Rainbow is historically factual and some is not. Research an important aspect of the plot such as the German rocket program, and write an essay that discusses what is historically accurate and what is fictional about the event or series of events in question. Also discuss Pynchon's efforts at satire and supposition about history, including what poses as history but is not necessarily factual.

Give a class presentation about the history of conspiracy theory during the 1960s and early 1970s, when Pynchon was writing Gravity's Rainbow. While you are doing your research, keep in mind the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, the scandals and cover-ups of the Nixon administration, hostility towards the U.S. civil rights movement, and theories about United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

Write an essay about the scientific advances of the...