
16: In which Crest the savior is born (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.14-1.16)
From Pynchon Pals by Pynchon Pals
April 22, 2026 · 2h 46m · Episode 16
About this episode
The episode discusses Gravity’s Rainbow while highlighting themes of sadness and societal issues.
GR just keeps getting V .-ier and V .-ier. Luckily, there’s a funny scene about candy waiting for us on the other end. And hey, it’s our favorite couple Jessica and Roger! Oh dear, they look very sad… Next time, Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.17-1.21, or pp. 139-180 in the U.S. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. Support the show and get access to monthly bonus episodes at patreon.com/pynchonpals and follow us @pynchonpals.bsky.social . Show Notes: “Kristen Lopez on FREAKS (1932),” via Turner Classic Movies “Tulipmania: A Garden Historian's Perspective,” via University of Oxford Content warnings: strong language, physical and sexual violence, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, genocide, ableism. --- Featuring Patrick Fiorilli, Andrew Tillett, and Duri Long. Produced and edited by Patrick Fiorilli ( www.patf.io and @patfio.bsky.social ). Our theme music is “Horology,” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives license on the album Polygondwanaland .
People in this episode
Host: Patrick Fiorilli
Guests: Andrew Tillett, Duri Long
Topics covered
- literature
- analysis
- cultural commentary
- philosophy
- social issues
Keywords
- Gravity’s Rainbow
- Pynchon
- literary analysis
- cultural commentary
- social issues
- FREAKS
- Tulipmania
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Turner Classic Movies, University of Oxford, patreon.com
Products: Polygondwanaland
Books & works: Gravity’s Rainbow, FREAKS (1932)
More episodes of Pynchon Pals
- 19: In which this book is sort of like The History Channel meets The Great Mouse Detective meets Severance meets Riverdale meets Dumb and Dumber (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.3-2.5) · June 3, 2026 · 3h 5m
- 18: In which Patrick finally finds an excuse to do his Jimmy Stewart impression (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 2.1-2.2) · May 20, 2026 · 2h 23m
- 17: In which we tour Mr. Pynchon’s Mysterious Society for Peculiarly Gifted Bureaucrats (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.17-1.21) · May 6, 2026 · 3h 12m
- 15: In which a real live rocket launches (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.8-1.13) · April 8, 2026 · 2h 53m
- 14: In which the Pynchon Pals, in their arrogance, thought they could talk through more of the book in three hours (Gravity’s Rainbow Episodes 1.1-1.7) · March 25, 2026 · 3h 11m
- 13: In which we wonder, what if this book was, like, six times as long? (The Crying of Lot 49 Ch. 6) · March 11, 2026 · 2h 48m
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