Pynchon on Simpsons

[The Great Quail]

Tim writes,

> I wonder how the two Pynchon episodes on _The Simpsons_ affected the show's
> ratings for those seasons.  John makes an interesting point here, which begs
> the question: did Pynchon  hope his celebrity would boost sagging ratings
> for a show he enjoys.

With all due respect, I can't imagine that anyone would think a Pynchon
appearance would boost the Simpson's ratings. For the few hundred lit-geeks
who tuned in to the episode (for those who are not already Simpsons fans!)
there were *millions* of more viewers who went, "Huh?"

More likely the reverse happened. "WTF? Who is Thomas Pynchon? Let me walk
over her and Google that name, let's see....maybe I'll order that book with
the nice trumpet on the cover...."

--Q