Gravity's Rainbow

Gravity’s Rainbow is a 1973 historical satire by American novelist Thomas Pynchon, who is known for complex narratives that are often dense, fragmented, and episodic. The story is set during the last days of World War II as characters search for a mysterious rocket developed by the German military. The novel has been hailed as one of the most important English language works of the 20th century.

Pynchon, disinclined to engage with the press or public, has left the novel’s title unexplained; readers can only speculate. The most popular interpretation is that “gravity’s rainbow” describes an arc—the parabolic trajectory of a V2 rocket. Other works by Pynchon include Vineland (1990), Mason & Dixon (1997), and Bleeding Edge (2013).

This guide uses the 2000 Penguin Books ebook edition of Gravity’s Rainbow.

Plot Summary

Tyrone Slothrop is an American soldier stationed in London, Great Britain, during the closing stages of World War II. At this time, the German military is launching large V2 rockets at Great Britain. There emerges a mysterious correlation between the missile fire and Slothrop’s sex life: Days before these rockets fall on the city, Slothrop is sexually aroused, and the locations of his trysts are bombed several days later.