In Honor of ‘Inherent Vice,’ the Best Thomas Pynchon Character Names, Ranked
With Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice' ready to both wow and perplex audiences at the New York Film Festival, now is as good a time as any to drag that copy of 'Gravity's Rainbow' off the shelf and give it another try. Thomas Pynchon, the author of 'Inherent Vice,' is a towering figure of modern literature, but this is the first time the reclusive author's work has ever been put to film. While many of his books are massive ('Against the Day' clocks in at 1085 pages!) you shouldn't be afraid. They are rather hilarious once you get into them. With any luck, the new Joaquin Phoenix-led film will coax new readers his way.
In an effort to speed along the effort, we've taken it upon ourselves to list our eighteen favorite character names from Pynchon works. Why eighteen? Well, that's a hidden reference to a conspiracy that you need to argue about on message boards for years. Note: with the acres of episodic text that has poured from Pynchon's fingers, this is really just a drop in the bucket. We fully expect angry letters handwritten on graph paper to arrive via Thurn-und-Taxis post.
- Penguin Press
Penguin Press 18Driscoll Padgett
'Bleeding Edge'A graphics designer for hwgaahwgh.com (Hey, We've Got Awesome and Hip Web Graphics, Here.)
- J. B. Lippincott & Co.
J. B. Lippincott & Co. 17Oedipa Mass
'The Crying of Lot 49'The central figure in unspooling a conspiracy of, among other thing, underground postal services.
- Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company 16Zepho Bark
Mason & DixonThe owner of a farmhouse near the Mason-Dixon line who, at full moons, transforms into a were-beaver. Possibly a play on Zeppo Marx.
- Penguin Press
Penguin Press 15Shasta Fay Hepworth
'Inherent Vice'The ex-girlfriend of the Joaquin Phoenix's stoner detective, who leads him into a new mystery. (Played by Katherine Waterston.)
- Viking Press
Viking Press 14Teddy Bloat
'Gravity's Rainbow'Periphery comic relief figure bumbling through WWII. Literally makes his entry slipping on a banana peel.
- Little, Brown
Little, Brown 13Weed Atman
'Vineland'A math professor who improbably becomes a pop culture sensation.
- Vintage
Vintage 12Cyprian Latewood
'Against The Day'A bisexual spy who eventually becomes a monk.
- Bantam
Bantam 11Melanie L'Heuremaudit
'V.'A ballerina (who may or may not have inspired a Stravinsky-esque riot) whose name is a play on “F**king Time.”
- Viking Press
Viking Press 10Tyrone Slothrop
'Gravity's Rainbow'At the center of the most important event of the 20th Century is a bewildered figure with a bewildering name.
- J. B. Lippincott & Co.
J. B. Lippincott & Co. 9Mike Fallopian
'The Crying of Lot 49'Extreme right winger and member of the Peter Pinguid Society.
- Little, Brown
Little, Brown 8Meatball Mulligan
“Entropy” from 'Slow Learner'Washington D.C. beatnik who throws one hell of a party.
- Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company 7Reverend Wicks Cherrycoke
'Mason & Dixon'Narrator of tall tales who does not want to go back into the cold.
- Little, Brown
Little, Brown 6Pig Bodine
“Low-lands” from 'Slow Learner', 'V.' and 'Gravity's Rainbow'A filthy, filthy sailor.
- Bantam
Bantam 5Slab
'V.'Tortured expressionist artist working on 'Cheese Danish #35.'
- Vintage
Vintage 4Scarsdale Vibe
'Against the Day'A vicious plutocrat and mine owner. Scarsdale, if you don't know, is a wealthy suburb of New York City.
- Bantam
Bantam 3Benny Profane
'V.'A “human yo-yo” bouncing around a whole sick crew of gifted and talented weirdos in pre-hippie counter-culture New York.
- Bantam
Bantam 2McClintic Sphere
'V.'Jazz musician based on both Thelonius Monk and Ornette Coleman, whose real names sound like Pynchon characters themselves!
- Penguin Press
Penguin Press 1Sauncho Smilax
'Inherent Vice'Sauncho is a variant of the Latin word for Saint. Smilax are climbing vines with thorny spikes. This character is played by Benecio Del Toro in the film and, man, I just can't wait.
More From ScreenCrush
