In Pursuit of a Contemporary Literature of the Mall
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YOU ARE HERE: IN PURSUIT OF A CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE OF THE MALL by Emily Fedoruk B.A. Honours, Simon Fraser University 2008 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of English © Emily Fedoruk SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2010 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Emily Fedoruk Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: You Are Here: In Pursuit of a Contemporary Literature of the Mall Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Carolyn Lesjak Associate Professor ________________________________________ Dr. Clint Burnham Senior Supervisor Associate Professor ________________________________________ Dr. Jeff Derksen Second Reader Associate Professor ________________________________________ Dr. Paul Kingsbury Internal Examiner Assistant Professor Date Defended/Approved: _______April 26 2010_________________________ . ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 ABSTRACT This thesis examines social activities productive of “mallspace”—a dynamic term I employ to designate a range of retail spaces, from familiar malls to pedestrian promenades and new lifestyle centres—in a variety of fictional, poetic and filmic texts produced within the last thirty years. Engaging a somatic or bodily understanding to achieve a new perspective on the postmodern spaces of daily life, I conceptualize the moving body as a source and site of social agency. I work to identify methods of corporeal activity that embody cultural and ideological structures, physically standing up against the representational problems that entangle postmodern literary practice. Focusing on mallspaces as commercial sites where literary experimentation, cultural critique, and architectural quandaries converge, my thesis emphasizes that current economic crisis and dramatic social and political changes need to be approached as individual spatialized concerns. Keywords: contemporary literature, cultural studies, postmodern, postmodernism, Marxism, architecture, malls, mallspace, gesture, poetics, film iii DEDICATION for Dad for staying home with Jeff and me and drawing, but not any more malls and for Mom, who goes to school everyday. If finishing is for them, the work can go forward to Jeff—so keep doing it. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Too many have made space for this project—the social networks of my thesis stretch beyond this first page and into each word that comes after it. But before gesturing to the countless friends and colleagues who have helped me pull everything together, I need to thank the teachers who have helped me to lay the groundwork for what will hopefully be years of exciting research. My supervisor, Dr. Clint Burnham, bravely agreed to take on a project I was already hard at work imagining, and has generously considered each one of my mall- minded ideas. I have valued his encouragement and energy immensely, as he helped me towards coherence and challenged my creativity. The title of “Second Reader” does little to embody the continued and careful attentions of Dr. Jeff Derksen, who has motivated me since this project’s inception, not to mention talked me towards graduate work in general and studies in English at SFU in particular. Dr. Paul Kingsbury’s attentions as Internal Examiner and contributions during the defense process were invaluable—stimulating important discussion and drawing out new ideas. Finally, or maybe, to begin with, Dr. Carolyn Lesjak’s exceptional class on Marxist theory sparked many of my ideas about social relations. In her capacity as Graduate Chair, Carolyn has been an unabatedly attentive mentor to all members of our cohort, stirring up dialogue and inspiring critical camaraderie. v My graduate classes with Dr. Margaret Linley and Dr. Carole Gerson allowed me to imagine my research within historic contexts and broader literary traditions. Many other professors in the English department, as well as Dr. Kathy Mezei and Dr. Laura Marks, working in Humanities and Contemporary Arts respectively, have provided ideas and conversations that have shaped my current research and supported my aims. In order to imagine any kind of educational future, I have come to depend on the close friendships many of my fellow students and study dates—Ranbir Banwait, Amy Bath, Cris Costa, Jocelyn Hallman, Kasim Husain, Tiziana La Melia, Peter McDonald, Echo Quan, Carolyn Richard, Ada Smailbegovic and Myka Tucker-Abramson are just a few who jump to mind and have been side-by-side. My mall balla’s, Meghan Armstrong, Natasha Barrow, and Sarah and Laura Lilley have spent much more than time contributing to this research, and Lia Hood deserves special mention as a best friend who wants to listen to me talk about my homework as much as she wants to listen to hip hop. Finally, I would like to acknowledge funding from the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program, which provided me with a SSHRC Master’s Scholarship in support of this project. In addition, a Simon Fraser University Graduate Fellowship and Travel and Minor Research Award enabled me to prioritize my research and extend my urban investigations. I’ve dedicated this thesis to my parents, Debbie Bouska and Rick Fedoruk, for reading and writing and drawing and teaching and making sure I do the same. For my brother Jeff—more than the words, the work. Thank you for being home. vi vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval...........................................................................................................................ii Abstract...........................................................................................................................iii Dedication.......................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements......................................................................................................... v Table of Contents.......................................................................................................... viii 1 HERE IS MALLSPACE............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Lots for Words: Postmodern Space with Fredric Jameson ...................................... 3 1.3 Really Now: Ideological Illusion in Postmodern Space .......................................... 15 1.4 For They Know Not What They Move: Towards an Alternative Method of Spatial Representation.......................................................................................... 24 1.5 Defining the Field: Mallspaces in Romero and Coupland ...................................... 30 2 WHO KNOWS? FIGHTING WORDS IN REPRESENTATIONS OF MALLSPACE................................................................................................................ 51 2.1 Product / Producing Space ................................................................................... 51 2.2 Calling All Culture: Ways with Words in Product and The Benjamin Sonnets........ 64 2.3