Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
V
novel by Pynchon
V, novel by Thomas Pynchon, published in 1963 and granted the Faulkner Foundation award for a first novel. The complex and frequently whimsical narrative recounts the search of Benny Profane and Herbert Stencil for the mysterious and elusive V, a woman who surfaces in various incarnations and guises at crucial moments in the history of late 19th- and early 20th-century Europe.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.