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Screenshot from the 2004 Simpsons episode "Diatribe of a Mad Housewife", depicting an animated Thomas Pynchon with a brown paper bag over his head to hide his face.

"Diatribe of a Mad Housewife" (January 25, 2004), from the series's 15th season. Copyright for the episode is registered to its director, Mark Kirkland, and to 20th Century Fox Television (see the Copyright Catalog (1978 to present)).

Thomas Pynchon

Single frame from a ~22-minute episode.

Yes

This image is claimed as fair use for the article Thomas Pynchon, since it illustrates the only image of a widely renowned author which that author had authorized for public release in several decades. (Specifically, Pynchon appears in the same animated form in two different Simpsons episodes.) As the article on Pynchon discusses his media aversion and specifically covers these cartoon appearances, including this screenshot adds to the article's scholarly usefulness. Furthermore, the inclusion of this reduced-resolution still image does not materially affect the copyright holder's ability to profit from the original work.

The screenshot is not replaceable by a freely licensed or public domain alternative. Pynchon later appeared on The Simpsons a second time, in the episode "All's Fair in Oven War" (November 14, 2004) from the 16th season, which also remains under copyright and can be expected to remain under copyright for the same term.