Nefastis Machine
E1000656
The Nefastis Machine is a fictional perpetual motion device based on Maxwell’s demon, featured in Thomas Pynchon’s novel "The Crying of Lot 49" as a symbol of entropy, communication, and paranoia.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional device
ⓘ
literary symbol ⓘ perpetual motion machine ⓘ |
| appearsIn | The Crying of Lot 49 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWithConcept |
communication
ⓘ
entropy ⓘ information theory ⓘ paranoia ⓘ second law of thermodynamics ⓘ thermodynamics ⓘ |
| basedOn | Maxwell's demon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| claimedFunction |
produce work without energy cost
ⓘ
separate fast and slow molecules ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| createdBy | Thomas Pynchon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| fictionalStatus | does not exist in real world ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | The Crying of Lot 49 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genreContext | postmodern literature ⓘ |
| hasInterpretation |
allegory of information overload
ⓘ
commentary on scientific misunderstanding ⓘ critique of technological mysticism ⓘ |
| hasSetting | California NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
control of information
ⓘ
human belief and credulity ⓘ limits of communication ⓘ order and disorder ⓘ |
| interactsWithCharacter | Oedipa Maas NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| languageOfWork | English ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | 1960s American fiction ⓘ |
| medium | novel ⓘ |
| namedAfter | John Nefastis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| operatedBy | John Nefastis NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| publicationYearOfFirstAppearance | 1966 ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Maxwell's demon thought experiment
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Tristero system NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| requires |
psychic connection to Maxwell's demon
ⓘ
sensitive human mediator ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
breakdown of reliable signals
ⓘ
desire to reverse entropy ⓘ interpretive paranoia ⓘ resistance to entropy ⓘ uncertainty in communication ⓘ |
| usedAs |
metaphor for closed communication loops
ⓘ
metaphor for conspiracy thinking ⓘ metaphor for interpretive systems ⓘ |
| violates | second law of thermodynamics (in fiction) ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.