History Literature / Vineland

* DarkerAndEdgier: Although it doesn’t have the paranoid-driven, nihilistic and apocalyptic sense like his earlier work has, ''Vineland'' is still pretty bleak and depressing when it comes to the plot, even more so than ''Literature/InherentVice'' and ''Literature/BleedingEdge''.

%%* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Weed Altman and Brock Vond.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: It doesn’t have the edgy nihilistic and apocalyptic sense like ''V.'' and ''Gravity’s Rainbow''. Nevertheless, it is pretty bleak and depressing when it comes to the plot, even more so than ''Literature/InherentVice'' and ''Literature/BleedingEdge''.

%%* GainaxEnding
* GenreBusting: Political thriller, ScienceFiction, Supernatural fantasy, Pseudo-kung-fu, half-adventure, 80s B-movie parody, Tragicomedy and Daytime drama.

%%* {{Homage}}

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: There are over twenty named characters throughout the book, whilst following six major characters, who’s POVs are interchangeable.

* DarkerAndEdgier: It doesn’t have the same edgy apocalyptic sense like ''V.'' and ''Gravity’s Rainbow''. Still, it is pretty bleak and depressing, even more than ''Literature/InherentVice'' and ''Literature/BleedingEdge''.

* LighterAndSofter: ''Vineland'' is notably nostalgic and sentimental in comparison to his earlier work, which is heartless and apocalyptic.

* TitleDrop: Vineland is the name of the fictional town. While in real life, it was the name of region.

''Vineland'' received lukewarm reactions upon its release, mostly due to MisaimedFandom and HypeBacklash, that eventually lead to CriticalBacklash. Like ''Lot 49'', it can be see as a bridge between pessimistic Pynchon and optimistic Pynchon.

%%* AntiClimax
%%* BigBad: Brock Vond.
%%* BittersweetEnding: Suprisingly, it ends on a bittersweet note, unlike Pynchon’s earlier work.

%%* BrokenBird: Can be said that most of the characters, major and minor, are this.
%%* ClusterFBomb: Believe it or not, ''Vineland'' contains the most swearing of any of Pynchon’s work.

* GenreBusting: Political thriller, science-fiction, supernatural fantasy, pseudo-kung-fu, half-adventure, 80s B-movie parody, tragicomedy and daytime drama.

%%* MissingMom: Prairie Wheeler lived with Zoyd and it’s one of the main point that moves the plot.
%%* MoodWhiplash: Given that light and dark was balanced unstably, it counts as one.
%%* NestedStory
%%* NoFourthWall

* PrecisionFStrike: Used once by Prairie when she was about to be kidnapped by Brock.
%%* ShoutOut: Plenty of them.

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: Nothing new, but compared to ''V.'', ''Vineland'' is hard-going, much looser and disjointed, and very all-over-the-place, with 80% of the book were flashbacks.

** Part of the Vineland community includes the Traverse Family which was mentioned briefly in ''Literature/MasonAndDixon'' and will finally have a proper introduction in ''Literature/AgainstTheDay''.

* ContinuityNod: It can be said that ''Vineland'' is the cornerstone to [[TheVerse Pynchon’s universe]] as it tied-in with his past and future work.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Can be seen as an unrelated sequel to both ''Literature/TheCryingOfLot49'' and ''Literature/InherentVice'' (even though the latter was actually written later).

''Vineland'' is a 1990 novel by Creator/ThomasPynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan’s reelection.

''Vineland'' received lukewarm reactions upon its release, mostly due to MisaimedFandom and HypeBacklash, that eventually leads to CriticalBacklash. Like ''Lot 49'', it can be see as a bridge between pessimistic Pynchon and optimistic Pynchon.

The setting returns back to California which was last explored in ''Literature/TheCryingOfLot49''.

%%* BittersweetEnding: Suprisingly, it ends on a resolve bittersweet note unlike Pynchon’s earlier work.

%%* ClusterFBomb: Believe it or not, ''Vineland'' contains the most swearing than any of Pynchon’s work.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Can be seen as an unrelated sequel to both, ''The Crying of Lot 49'' and ''Literature/InherentVice''.

%%* AdventureDuo: DL Chastain and Takeshi Fumimota.

* EndOfAnAge: One of the central themes of the novel. Basically due to political dispute it effects several characters and most were nostalgic about the ’60s and embittered. This theme will again be use in ''Inherent Vice'' and ''Bleeding Edge''.

%%* PostModernism
%%* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler: Used once by Prairie when she was about to be kidnapped by Brock.]]

%%* SpiritualSuccessor: Can be seen as an unrelated sequel to both, ''The Crying of Lot 49'' and ''Literature/InherentVice''.
%%* TitleDrop

-->“What is it? Please.”

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: Nothing new, but compared to ''V.'', ''Vineland'' is hard-going, much looser, disjointed and very all-over-the-place, with 80% of the book were flashbacks.

* ViolenceIsDisturbing: And it was. Sure, some of it is played for laughs but bits like the college raid and assassination attempt was bleak enough.

* ContinuityNod: It can be said that ''Vineland'' is the cornerstone to Pynchon’s universe as it tied-in with his past and future work.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: It was implied that DL and Takeshi get together afterwards, since they renegotiated DL’s “no-sex clause” and finally had sex. DL also realized that’s what she had missed out all these years. Sister Rochelle and Norleen also point out that they belong together.

* ContinuityNod: It can be said that ''Vineland'' is the cornerstone to Pynchon’s oeuvre as it tied-in with his past and future work.

** Can be seen as a non-related sequel to ''Literature/InherentVice'' with the appearance of Gordita Beach and Sledge Poteet, who is mentioned by Tariq Khalil.

* UnfortunateNames: Lampshaded once by Zoyd when arguing with Prairie about her boyfriend, who is named after a Bible.

** Part of the Vineland community includes the Traverse Family which will have a proper introduction in ''Literature/AgainstTheDay''.

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: Nothing new, but compared to ''V.'', ''Vineland'' is hard-going, much looser, disjointed and all-over-the-place, with 80% of the book were flashbacks.

%%* ViolenceIsDisturbing: Like all of Pynchon’s work, while some of them is played for laugh, much of them is depicted as cold and shocking.
%%* WallOfText

%%* MeaningfulName

* BookEnd: The book opens with Zoyd waking up to the sound of blue jays on the roof, and ends with Prairie waking up to Desmond licking her face, with blue jays’ feathers on his face.

* ActionGirl: Downplayed. DL Chastain did have martial arts/kung-fu skills but she never put any physical combats on anyone but the kidnapper, but she failed anyway.

* {{Book End}}: The book opens with Zoyd waking up to the sound of blue jays on the roof, and ends with Prairie waking up to Desmond licking her face, with blue jays’ feathers on his face.
* BrokenBird: Can be said that most of the characters, major and minor, are this.

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler:Weed Altman and Brock Vond.]]
* DamselInDistress: DL during the sell-girls in Tokyo and Frenesi after the protest at the college.

* FanDisservice: DL and Takeshi’s sex scene. Actually, it was meant to be Brock with DL, but eventually Brock and Roscoe managed to trick Takeshi into meeting her instead. DL, on the other hand, wore someone else’s contact lenses and she couldn’t see clearly. It doesn’t help that Takeshi and Brock had the same built.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: Not to mention that it kept changing perspectives and does not return to the original perspective.

* MoodWhiplash: Given that light and dark was balanced unstably, it counts as one.

* ViolenceIsDisturbing: Like all of Pynchon’s work, while some of them is played for laugh, much of them is depicted as cold and shocking.