The Emersonian Pynchon

Abstract

Ralph Waldo Emerson ajeho postmodernf kolega Thomas Pynchon ... zdanlive neslucitelne spojenf. Tato dimplomova prace si klade za cH prozkoumat neobvykle spojeni mezi temito autory a poukazat na znacny vliv, ktery Ralph Waldo Emerson bezpochyby mel nejen na autory, ktere od nej nedelila takova casova propast, ale i autora naprosto soucasneho, ktery by se podle vetsiny definic toho, co je v literature povazovano za postmodemi mel zcela oprostit od vlivu autora devatemicteho stoleti. Tento spletitY vztah bude prokazan hlavne na nejnovejsim dile Thomase Pynchona, Mason and Dixon, ktere odrazi mnoho aspektU toho, co bylo pro Emersona naprosto kllcove. Za zakladni tema prostupujfci celym dilem Mason and Dixon lze povazovat stanovovani hranic, a to jak v doslovnem, tak velmi abtsraktnim smyslu. Sam Emerson se zab)'val timto tematem velmi podobrobne a je patme, ze Pynchon ma s Emersonem z tohoto hlediska mnoho spolecneho, a to do takove miry, ze samotna hranice mezi postmodernim a romantick)'m cell znacnemu tlaku prehodnoceni, coz je stezejni myslenka, kterou oba auton sdileji.

Ralph Waldo Emerson and his postmodemist colleague Thomas Pynchon ... a seemingly incongruous connection. The aim of this thesis is to explore the unusual relationship between these prominent authors and advert to the great influence which Ralph Waldo Emerson unquestionably had not only on authors who were not separated from him by such a noticeable temporal abysm, but also a most recent author who, according to the vast majority of the definitions of the postmodern, should be entirely free of any Emersonian influence. This intricate relationship will be assessed mainly through Mason and Dixon, the most recent novel by Thomas Pynchon which reflects many aspects of what Emerson found absolutely central. The summation of what seems to be propounded throughout the entire novel is represented by the idea of determining boundaries, in both the literal and the abstract sense. Emerson himself devoted much attention to this subject matter and it is clear that Pynchon and Emerson have much in common from this perspective, which holds true to such an extent that the boundary between the postmodem and romantic is itself facing the pressure of redefinition, which is in turn a fundamental concept which both authors share.