Establishing the Continuum: Postmodernism, Twenty-First Century Culture, and American Fiction
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Establishing the Continuum: Postmodernism, Twenty-First Century Culture, and American Fiction M.J. Graham PhD 2020 Establishing the Continuum: Postmodernism, Twenty-First Century Culture, and American Fiction Matthew James Graham A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Manchester Metropolitan University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Manchester Metropolitan University September 2020 Abstract This thesis argues postmodernism is altered and repeated rather than succeeded, producing a postmodern continuum that stretches into the twenty-first century. Initially, a selection of canonical late twentieth century American postmodern texts are analysed (Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho, Kathy Acker’s Empire of the Senseless and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club). These novels are used to illustrate the anxieties over advanced capitalism’s totalising dominance that are repeated in contemporary American culture. Next, a variety of twenty-first century novels are interrogated (Amanda Filipacchi’s Love Creeps, Zané Sachs’ Sadie: The Sadist, Dennis Cooper’s God Jr. and Zac’s Control Panel, Alexandra Kleeman’s You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine, and Tao Lin’s Taipei). These texts demonstrate a selection of the discrete ways that postmodernism is repeated in contemporary American fiction. The chapters focus upon cultural integration, reapplication, counter-intuitive replication, and politicised nostalgia as distinct yet related ways that postmodern aesthetics are repeated in contemporary American culture. Together, these novels trace a shift within postmodernism since its peak in eighties American culture. These forms of repetition illustrate the distinct and at times contradictory ways a postmodern continuum persists, providing a new way of considering its connection to the present moment. By prioritising repetitions of postmodernism over its succession, this thesis stages an intervention that provides an original contribution to knowledge. It considers the marginalised connection to postmodernism in literary scholarship, particularly critics who articulate a succession from postmodernism while drawing upon its texts and aesthetics. It also interrogates how the plurality of theories defining an ‘after’ postmodernism internalise and repeat its methodological practices, particularly the inability to construct alternative grand narratives. I argue these attempts to define an ‘after’ postmodernism stand-in for an inability to succeed advanced capitalism, producing a distinct way of connecting postmodern aesthetics and contemporary American culture. Postmodern aesthetics continue to provide ways of depicting a complex reality, establishing an overlooked stage of postmodernism considered here through forms of repetition, which establish a twenty-first century postmodern continuum. Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my supervisory team of Dr Nikolai Duffy, Dr Paul Wake and Dr Sorcha Ní Fhlainn, who have offered insightful feedback and various forms of invaluable guidance. Without them, this thesis would not have been possible. Secondly, I would like to thank my partner and the girls for their eternal patience, support and good humour, particularly during the write up period of this thesis. Contents 1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………… 1 2. Subjectivity & Advanced Capitalism: Commodified Rebellion in American Psycho …........................................................................................................................ 35 3. Disillusioned Dreams & Purifying Violence: The Corruption of Collective Action in Empire of the Senseless and Fight Club …...……………………………………... 66 4. Revitalising Postmodern Desire: Waste & Subversion in Love Creeps and Sadie: The Sadist ...………………………………………………………………………… 101 5. Surpassing Postmodernism? Digital Technology & Counter-Intuitive Repetition in God Jr. and Zac’s Control Panel …………………………………………………. 135 6. The Politicisation of Repetition: Nostalgia & Postmodernism in Tao Lin’s Taipei and Alexandra Kleeman’s You Too Can Have A Body Like Mine ……………. 180 7. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………….. 215 8. Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………… 234 9. Discography ………………………………………………………………………… 246 10. Filmography ………………………………………………………………………… 246 11. Ludography …………………………………………………………………….…… 246 List of Figures Figure 1 – Untitled (Bleeding woman GIF sequence)………………………… pp. 155-156 Figure 2 – Untitled (Distressed girl GIF sequence)…………………..………...……. p. 157 Figure 3 – Untitled (Justin Bieber GIF sequence)……………………………………. p. 161 Figure 4 – Untitled (Extended Justin Bieber GIF sequence)…………………. pp. 162-164 Figure 5 – Untitled (Girl climbing GIF sequence)……………………………… pp. 166-168 Figure 6 – Untitled (Nature GIF 1)……………………………………………………... p. 169 Figure 7 – Untitled (Nature GIF 2)……………………………………………………… p. 170 Figure 8 – Untitled (Music GIF sequence)…………………………………………….. p. 172 Figure 9 – Untitled (Revolution GIF sequence)………………………………………. p. 174 Figure 10 – Untitled (Music Escapism GIF sequence)……………….……………… p. 175 Introduction This thesis presents a postmodern continuum within American fiction, where postmodernism is altered and repeated rather than succeeded. An ability to position an ‘after’ is counter to the fundamental practices of postmodernism, which challenges progress, the possibility of radical transformation, and the ability to create the ‘new.’ Yet, postmodernism must in some way account for alterations within American culture that distinguish particular historical moments from one another, even if these changes are not considered to be epochal transformations. After the height of postmodernism in the eighties, the end of the Cold War, and the global expansion of capitalism, postmodernism has increasingly been questioned as a viable way of understanding contemporary America. This was further compounded by major incidents – the birth of social media, the September 11th attacks and the 2008 financial crash – that have been broadly used to argue for a new era of twenty-first century culture, which breaks from postmodernism. Yet, instead of this proving to be the demise of postmodernism, this period stretching from the late eighties to the twenty-first century demarcates both a shift within and a continuation of American postmodernism. It is no longer simply a stylised set of avant-garde artistic techniques, nor is it only an expression of eighties American culture. Postmodernism has both morphed with these shifts in culture, and been mobilised in different ways within American fiction to respond to this changing environment. Francis Fukuyama’s (1992) declaration of the end of history may now seem premature when considered as a measure of social change, but it continues to articulate the limits of epochal change that shapes the contemporary moment. An analysis of the repetitions of postmodernism provides a way of interrogating how both American culture and artistic practices have recalibrated uses of postmodernism, shedding light upon contemporary America’s relation to it. The thesis analyses an array of American novels influenced by postmodernism, and published since the destabilisation of Soviet communism in the late eighties, stretching into the second decade of the twenty-first century. Instead of providing further distinctions from postmodernism, this selection of texts is used to present shifts within a postmodern continuum that contribute towards a re-evaluation of its contemporary relevance. The continuum it presents suggests inferred points of convergence between late twentieth and twenty-first century American writing, and is used to shed new light upon both the contemporary relevance and continued legacy of postmodernism. These discrete repetitions of postmodernism reflect the conflicting ways postmodernism persists within the contemporary moment. This approach accounts for the cultural integration of postmodernism alongside the ways its experimental and extreme literary style is used to critically depict the complexities of contemporary society. The repetition of postmodernism to express twenty-first century American cultural concerns suggests a particular set of ways in which postmodernism endures in the present. Failure is central to this postmodern continuum, where the proclamations of its end – by theorists and literary authors alike – foregrounds the ways postmodernism is in fact continued and altered through these repetitions. The selection of texts analysed in this thesis exemplify the extremity and experimentalism of postmodern aesthetics. My reading of contemporary American culture through postmodernism situates canonical postmodern novels alongside more critically and commercially ignored twenty-first century texts. This apparently disparate selection of novels offers a broad cross-section of ways that contemporary American writing and culture continue to adopt features of postmodernism. To exclusively focus upon mainstream novels reduces cultural diversity to popular culture, simplifying the contradictions and points of tension a broader textual analysis makes possible. Comparably, to focus exclusively upon underground works potentially overlooks central features that define and shape a contemporary American cultural mindset within mainstream writing. This combination of mainstream and more critically overlooked texts, stretching from the late eighties to the second decade of the twenty-first century, adopted here exemplifies the complexities and contradictions of