Pynchon, V., and the Malta connection

Abstract

The chapters in V. that deal with Malta arc an example of how Pynchon amalgamates fact and fiction, creating one inseparable whole. It is the writer's skill that renders this "inseparable whole" pleasant reading. It also takes a great deal of creative power to insert real facts into fiction, and Pynchon definitely possesses such capacity. Although Robert Sklar seems to have some doubts about the veracity of Pynchon's facts, my aim is to prove, at least when talking about historical episodes concerning Malta, that Pynchon has taken the trouble to investigate everything to the last detail. His "historical" narrative is based on documentary evidence.