Pynchons Sound of Music

Pynchon's Sound of Music is dedicated to cataloging, exploring, and interpreting the manifold manifestations of music in Thomas Pynchons work. An original mix of close and distant readings, this monograph employs a variety of disciplinesfrom literary studies and musicology to philosophy, media theory, and historyto explain Pynchon through music and music through Pynchon. Encyclopedic and eclectic in its approach, Pynchons Sound of Music discusses the authors use of instruments such as the kazoo, harmonica, and saxophone and embarks on close readings of the most salient and musically tantalizing passages. Zooming out to a birds eye view, Christian Hnggi puts Pynchons historical musical references and allusions into perspective to trace the trends and tendencies in the development of the authors interest in music. A treasure trove for fans and an invaluable source for future scholarship, this book includes the Pynchon Playlist, a catalog of over 900 musical references in Pynchons oeuvre, and an exhaustive index of more than 700 appearances of musical instruments.