Mason & Dixon facts for kids

Mason & Dixon

First edition cover
Author	Thomas Pynchon
Cover artist	Raquel Jaramillo
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Postmodern novel, historical novel, biography
Published	1997 (Henry Holt and Company)
Media type	Print (hardback and paperback)
Pages	773
ISBN	0-8050-3758-6
OCLC	36430653
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 21
LC Class	PS3566.Y55 M37 1997

Mason & Dixon is a book written by American author Thomas Pynchon. It came out in 1997. The story is a made-up version of the real adventures of two men, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. They were explorers and mapmakers. They traveled to places like South Africa, an island called Saint Helena, and Great Britain. They also worked in North America, right before the Revolutionary War. Their most famous job was drawing the Mason-Dixon line.

The book is written in a style that sounds like English from the late 1700s. The story is told by a character named Rev. Wicks Cherrycoke. He is a clergyman who tells a long, exciting story about Mason and Dixon. He claims he was with them on their journeys. He tells this story to his family on a cold night in 1786.

About the Book

This novel mixes real history with made-up events. It explores ideas about science, politics, and the way people see the world. The book is known for its unique writing style and many different characters.

Who Were Mason and Dixon?

Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were real astronomers and surveyors. They lived in the 1700s. They were hired to draw a very important line in North America. This line is known as the Mason–Dixon line. It helped settle a land dispute between colonies.

Their work was very important for mapping the land. It also helped define the borders of future states. The book tells a fictional story about their travels and experiences.

The Story's Style

The book uses a special way of telling a story called a "frame narrative." This means there is a main story (Rev. Cherrycoke telling his tale) that holds another story inside it (the adventures of Mason and Dixon). This makes the book feel like an old-fashioned story being shared aloud.

The language in the book is old-fashioned too. It sounds like people from the 1700s would have spoken. This helps readers feel like they are really in that time period.

Impact of the Book

Mason & Dixon is a very well-known book. It is often studied in literature classes. It is part of a group of books that mix history with fiction in new ways.

The book has also inspired other artists. The musician Mark Knopfler wrote a song about the book. It is called "Sailing to Philadelphia." He sang it with James Taylor. This shows how the story of Mason and Dixon, as told in Pynchon's book, has reached many people.