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Author as ethnographer: The merging of genres in Raymond Carver's and Thomas Pynchon's texts Item Type Thesis Authors Snyder, Megan Dawn Download date 09/10/2021 12:55:08 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/9551 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. 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AUTHOR AS ETHNOGRAPHER: THE MERGING OF GENRES IN RAYMOND CARVER S AND THOMAS PYNCHON’S TEXTS A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Megan D. Snyder, B.A., M.A. Fairbanks, Alaska December 1999 © 1999 Megan D. Snyder Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number 9961378 Copyright 1999 by Snyder, Megan Dawn All rights reserved. UMI* UMI Microform9961378 Copyright 2000 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AUTHOR AS ETHNOGRAPHER THE MERGING OF GENRES IN RAYMOND CARVER’S AND THOMAS PYNCHONS TEXTS By Megan D. Snyder RECOMMENCED: Head, English APPROVED: DSan, Coll De^h / ra - 3'Qf Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Several of Raymond Carver’s short stories and two of Thomas Pynchon’s novels are analyzed for their ability to function as ethnography, through which they reveal the dominant and dominated codes in American culture. These texts were approached from an interdisciplinary stance, using theories and concepts from literary criticism, cultural anthropology, and sociology in order to interpret them with a greater degree of accuracy; because the text is treated as an ethnographic representation of a culture, it is possible to turn to it as the sole illustration of cultural elements and, in doing so, to be more open to addressing themes that the text explicates, rather than approaching the it with a preconceived agenda of what necessarily constructs American culture. By focusing in this manner on Carver's and Pynchon’s texts as accounts of what is to be “American,” it is possible to remain closer to what the texts portray and to avoid misreadings as well as misinterpretations of culture. Through these authors' representations of characters who defy mainstream cultural codes, the reader encounters in these authors' works what mainstream America finds most unsettling: characters who are not only alienated, but also aware of their status as outsiders and, more frequently than not choose to embrace deviance in their self-definitions. Carver and Pynchon, when taken together, afford the reader with a vision of our culture that explores the dissociation and alienation that cuts through our society regardless of class or background. In their varying presentations of reality, they offer complementary views of distinct American subcultures that feature characters who are isolated and who generally denounce mainstream ideals. Conformist society is merely hinted at within the texts; its presence appears through its absence, characters' recognition of what they are denying, and what characters are denied. Both authors feature characters who identify aberrant behavior, for which rule- breaking individuals are labeled. Characters, once labeled, adopt secondary deviance and instigate a deviant career, from which the authors rarely permit a reprieve. The effect of labeling is the creation of a schism in the social fabric of American culture, which is characterized by the societal exclusion of individuals who do not uphold the dominant beliefs. American culture is also characterized by assimilation; as characters in Carver’s and Pynchon’s texts resist this process, they pose a threat to the social order, which is the prime factor in their labeling. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation represents the culmination not only of several years of work but also the support of a great many people. My parents, Drs. Ann and Jacob Snyder, encouraged me to follow my interests into whatever fields they led me and served as role models. My friend and mentor, Dr. Roy K. Bird, Professor of English and Director of the Honors Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, provided valuable assistance and guidance even before my arrival in Fairbanks. Dr. Peter P. Schweitzer, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, helped me to navigate my way through the unfamiliar territory of cultural studies, providing insight and challenging me to acquire an understanding of some of the issues that are at work in American culture. My husband, Jason Brown, provided the invisible support that really allowed me to write this; without his understanding, patience, and compassion, as well as the time he spent discussing chapters with me, it would have been nearly impossible to complete this. I would also like to thank Dr. Terry Reilly, Assistant Professor of English, and Dr. Gerald Berman, Head of the Social Work Department, for the feedback they provided me. Additionally, I owe a debt of gratitude to Ms. Jaclyn Hendrix of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Summer Sessions, Dr. Joseph Kan of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Graduate School, and the College of Liberal Arts for funding my teaching assistantships. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: Towards An Understanding Of Culture And The Field Of Literature As Ethnography..................................................................1 Approaches To “Culture" And Variation Within It ....................................................1 A Brief History Of Treating Fiction As Ethnography............................................... 5 Carver, Pynchon, Fiction, And American (Sub)Culture ........................................ 19 Chapter Two: Frenesi Gates: The Career Of A Deviant.............................................. 24 Deviance As Other................................................................................................ 24 Frenesi’s Appropriation Of The Other Identity ......................................................30 Maintaining Otherness........................................................................................... 38 Chapter Three: The 24fps As A Subculture .................................................................. 42 Defining The 24fps As A Deviant Subculture ............................................. 42 Subcultures As A Means For Negotiating And Maintaining The Other Identity ...................................................................... 48 The Creation, Re-Creation, And Change Of Cultural Patterns........................... 52 Chapter Four: “One More Thing,” “Where I’m Calling From,” And “Gazebo” : The Role Of Partners In Determining Alcoholism.....................................58 Class As A Construction Of Other The Blue-Collar Alcoholic In Carver’s S tories..................................................................................................58 Carver’s Stories As Ethnographic Accounts .........................................................61 The Products Of Alcoholism ..................................................................................69 Chapter Five: Entropy In American Cultture ................................................................. 75 An Overview Of Entropy, The Second Law Of Thermodynamics, And Maxwell’s Demon........................................................................................... 77 Entropy As A Textual Force...................................................................................82 The Effect Of Entropy On