The Crying of Lot 49 Terms

Tristero—or “Trystero,” as it is spelled for most of the book—is the mysterious conspiracy about a shadowy organization of mail-carriers that’s at the center of The Crying of Lot 49’s plot. Oedipa Maas… read analysis of Tristero / Trystero

W.A.S.T.E. is the underground postal system that Oedipa gradually uncovers over the course of the book. Although Oedipa never learns about W.A.S.T.E.’s origins or if it is the same as Mike Fallopian’s secret postal… read analysis of W.A.S.T.E.

Inamorati Anonymous is a fictional secret organization modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous. Like Tristero, it uses the muted horn symbol as its emblem. The Inamorati Anonymous’s purpose is to cure people of their addiction to… read analysis of Inamorati Anonymous

Yoyodyne is an enormous aerospace company that also appears in Pynchon’s earlier novel V. In The Crying of Lot 49, Yoyodyne’s Galactronics Divisions factory is located in San Narciso and partially owned by Pierce… read analysis of Yoyodyne

Entropy is the name of two related concepts, one in thermodynamics and one in information theory. In thermodynamics, entropy refers to the amount of unavailable energy or the (degree of disorder) inside a given system… read analysis of Entropy

The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy never decreases over time in an isolated system (one that is totally closed and does not interact with anything outside of itself). In practice, this means that… read analysis of The Second Law of Thermodynamics

Maxwell’s demon is a thought experiment developed by the scientist James Clerk Maxwell in 1867, which becomes the basis for John Nefastis’s secret machine in The Crying of Lot 49. Maxwell designed… read analysis of Maxwell’s Demon

A post horn is a brass instrument similar to a French horn that postal workers often carried in the 18th and 19th century, so that they could announce their departure or arrival. Now, post horns… read analysis of Post Horn

Wells, Fargo was an early iteration of the modern-day Wells Fargo bank, which provided mail delivery services in addition to banking in the 1800s. read analysis of Wells, Fargo & Company

The Pony Express was a short-lived private mail service that used horse-mounted deliverymen to connect the American West—especially California—with the rest of the nation in 1860 and 1861. read analysis of Pony Express

Delirium tremens is a dangerous, often fatal syndrome associated with alcohol withdrawal in severe alcoholics. Common symptoms include confusion, fever, paranoia, and hallucination. Oedipa notes that the sailor she meets in San Francisco appears to… read analysis of Delirium Tremens