Cohen: M&D & the Ampersand

[jbor at bigpond.com]

A well-written and very interesting essay (pdf) which addresses "the 
shift in Pynchon's thinking that the novel represents. As he spins the 
picaresque historical tale in _M&D_, Pynchon also tells a new, more 
hopeful story about America, emphasizing relation, connection and 
possibility. At the centre of this new story is the ampersand." (265)

'Mason & Dixon & the Ampersand' by Samuel Cohen
_Twentieth Century Literature_ 48.3  2002, pp. 264 -291.

Well worth a look.
	
best