The Social and Political Criticism of Blank Fiction and Cinema

University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 11-7-2008 Blank Power: The oS cial and Political Criticism of Blank Fiction and Cinema Ashley Minix Donnelly University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons Scholar Commons Citation Donnelly, Ashley Minix, "Blank Power: The ocS ial and Political Criticism of Blank Fiction and Cinema" (2008). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3777 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Blank Power: The Social and Political Criticism of Blank Fiction and Cinema by Ashley Minix Donnelly A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Phillip J. Sipiora, Ph.D. Victor E. Peppard, Ph.D. Michael W. Clune, Ph.D. Margit Grieb, Ph.D. Date of Approval: November 7, 2008 Keywords: violence, serial killer, commodification, Reagan, ideology © Copyright 2008 , Ashley M. Donnelly Dedication For Mom and Dad and their love and support, for my amazing furry children and their unconditional affection, and for Mike, who has made my life more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. Acknowledgments In addition to my deep gratitude to my committee members for their time and effort, I would like thank Dr. Carol Watts and Dr. Esther Leslie at Birkbeck College, London: Dr. Watts for her introduction to Annesley and blank fiction and Dr. Leslie for her introduction to the Frankfurt School and directions to London’s best Marxist bookstore. I am also grateful to Dr. Ken Millard at the University of Edinburgh for the time and patience he offered as he got me started on this dissertation. I also must specifically thank Dr. Phillip Sipiora’s “rogue cinema” course, for without it, I never would have developed my interest in disturbing film. I also offer my thanks to Dr. Gregg Bachman at the University of Tampa who convinced me that there really were jobs available teaching things I love (like creepy cinema). And, finally, I must acknowledge Lee Davidson for her consistent leg work that helped me complete this project on time and Elisabeth Nevins Caswell for her magnificent knowledge of grammar and MLA citations. Thank you! Table of Contents Abstract ii Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Signs of Power 2 Blankness, Violence, and Power 7 Project Overview 11 Chapter 2: Historical Context 17 Reagan’s America 17 Culture and the New Right 28 Chapter 3: Blankness 43 Blank Fiction 45 Less Than Zero 56 Blank Cinema 69 Full Metal Jacket 74 Chapter 4: The Serial Killer 89 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 99 American Psycho 111 Chapter 5: Conclusion 127 The Legacy of Blank Fiction and Cinema 128 Works Cited 142 Bibliography 150 About the Author End Page i Blank Power: The Social and Political Criticism of Blank Fiction and Cinema Ashley Minix Donnelly Abstract This dissertation explores a style of literature known as “blank” fiction that became popular in the United States in the mid-1980s, focusing on its stark, limited form, its minimal plots, its focus on commodification, and its scenes of graphic violence. The author presents the argument that filmmakers were producing pieces of cinema during the same time period that are similar in both form and content to the works of blank fiction. These films are a part of a style she labels “blank” cinema. Blank fiction and cinema are politically charged and highly critical of the social and political situation in America during the time in which they are produced. The authors and filmmakers producing blank works interrogate issues of social irresponsibility, rampant consumerism, and the global domination of capitalist values. Blank artists frequently criticize the perpetuation of such issues by the dominating power of white, middle- and upper-class men. The serial killer figure is used by many to represent the “unexamined” threat of those in power. The use of popular culture references and marketing tags are ubiquitous in blank fiction and film, and it is through the use of such signs that blank artists show their audiences that the power of those that traditionally control cultural ii ideologies in America can be manipulated and controlled by anyone, thus giving power to those who may have traditionally felt powerless and submissive to the dominant ideologies of American culture. iii Chapter 1: Introduction The study of blank fiction and blank cinema is crucial to the understanding of the discourse of power in contemporary U.S. culture. Blank novels and films, characterized by their simplistic plots, undeveloped characters, choppy narration, reliance on popular cultural references, and depictions of graphic sexuality and/or violence, are formulated to appear superficially (in the sense that they are a part of popular media with similar tones and plot lines) like the best-selling novels or Hollywood blockbusters of their Reagan-era time period. Critical examination, however, reveals that these works of fiction and cinema mock the superficiality of the works on which they are based. The blank style incorporates the symbols and signs associated with mass culture in an attempt to manipulate the discourse of power, particularly through its representations of violence. The work that follows argues that though fiction is the only form of art that critics have thus far labeled as “blank,” there are filmmakers who produced works during the same time period that are similar in both form and function and that these works should therefore be labeled as blank cinema. I also argue that these blank forms are representative of a movement in the arts that began in the mid- 1980s that was specifically critical of the social and political situation of its time. I begin by discussing what I mean by the discourse of power and signs of popular culture. Following my theoretical discussion, I offer a brief historical analysis of 1 the Reagan years in order to inform the arguments I make regarding blank art’s social and political criticism. Finally, I present an in-depth exploration of four major works of blank fiction and film that will help explicate my overall argument. Signs of Power “Power” is a complicated term with endless connotations. For the purpose of this project, I will refer to power as that which implies the possession of ability to wield force, authority, or substantial influence. To have power means to have the ability to control. This control, however, need not necessarily be negative or oppressive. As Michel Foucault argues in The History of Sexuality, power is as productive as it is repressive; it is multi-faceted and omnipresent. Power is everywhere and working in all directions (93). He criticizes the "juridico- discursive" conception of power, arguing that not all power is intended to restrict or repress. As my discussion of ideological discourse owes a great deal to Foucault’s conception of the discourse of sexuality, it is from his definition of power that I draw my own. What is most important to understand about power in relation to the study of contemporary forms of cultural expression is the relationship between power and ideology. Karl Marx’s basic model for understanding societal structures and human relations is the base and superstructure model. Fundamentally, the base represents the basic, economic platform on which a society is structured. The superstructure consists of laws, politics, and other ruling ideals that deal with 2 maintaining the basic economic structure. The superstructure also consists of concepts like religion, morals, ethics, and culture. Marx called the formations within the superstructure “ideology.” According to Adam Roberts, ideology for Marx is defined as: “false consciousness,” a set of beliefs that obscured the truth of the economic basis of society and the violent oppression that capitalism necessarily entails. Various people believe various things: for instance that the fact that some people are rich and some people are poor is “natural and inevitable;” or that black people are inferior. The purpose of these beliefs, according to Marx, is to obscure the truth. People who believe these things are not going to challenge or even recognize the inequalities of wealth in society, and so are not going to want to change them. (19) Ideology, as it will be defined for the purpose of this work, is that set of beliefs, or “way of seeing,” which appears to us to be “universal” or “natural” but which is in fact the product of the specific power structures that constitute our society. It is a collection of beliefs held by a group that shape their actions. Ideological beliefs can be moral, ethical, political, philosophical, or religious. Marx’s concept of ideology has shaped many critical thinkers’ understanding of cultural ideology. This basic hypothesis has been refined and developed by critics over time, but understanding the fundamental definition is crucial to the reading of other critics like Louis Althusser, Theodor Adorno, Frederic Jameson, and Jean Baudrillard. 3 French critic Althusser’s contribution to the concept of ideology and power is important to discuss as it will inform my own critical response to the ideology of popular culture in general. Althusser recognizes what he calls “Ideological State Apparatuses,” or “ISAs,” the types of ideals ingrained in subjects’ consciousness from birth and the types of ideals, like laws, that infiltrate schools, politics, and cultural representations, which reinforce the power of those controlling the economic structural base.

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