City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2010 A Critical and Cultural Poetics of the End: Self, Space, and Volatility in Los Angeles Pamela Albanese Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1709 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact:
[email protected] A CRITICAL AND CULTURAL POETICS OF THE END: SELF, SPACE, AND VOLATILITY IN LOS ANGELES by PAMELA ALBANESE A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Comparative Literature in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York. 2010 ©2010 PAMELA ALBANESE All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Comparative Literature in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor Ammiel Alcalay Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor Vincent Crapanzano Date Executive Officer Professor Ammiel Alcalay Professor Vincent Crapanzano Professor Wayne Koestenbaum Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract A CRITICAL AND CULTURAL POETICS OF THE END: SELF, SPACE, AND VOLATILITY IN LOS ANGELES by PAMELA ALBANESE Adviser: Professor Ammiel Alcalay A Critical and Cultural Poetics of the End: Self, Space, and Volatility in Los Angeles delineates the correspondences between Los Angeles spaces—exterior, topographical, architectural, and imaginary—and aspects of the self—interiority, identity, experience, and desire—in fictional and non-fictional depictions of Los Angeles.