American Magic and Dread by Mark Osteen, Hardcover, 9780812235517 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

American Magic and Dread

Don DeLillo's Dialogue with Culture

Author: Mark Osteen   Series: Penn Studies in Contemporary American Fiction

Hardcover

"A strongly argued analysis and close reading of Delillo's works. . . . There is much here in the methodology and discussion of postmodern themes and techniques that will have relevance to American studies and cultural studies more widely."-- Forum for Modern Language Studies

"A strongly argued analysis and close reading of Delillo's works... There is much here in the methodology and discussion of postmodern themes and techniques that will have relevance to American studies and cultural studies more widely."-Forum for Modern Language Studies

Read more
New
$179.10
Or pay later with
Check delivery options
Hardcover

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

"A strongly argued analysis and close reading of Delillo's works. . . . There is much here in the methodology and discussion of postmodern themes and techniques that will have relevance to American studies and cultural studies more widely."-- Forum for Modern Language Studies

"A strongly argued analysis and close reading of Delillo's works... There is much here in the methodology and discussion of postmodern themes and techniques that will have relevance to American studies and cultural studies more widely."-Forum for Modern Language Studies

Read more

Description

Don DeLillo once remarked to an interviewer that his intention is to use "the whole picture, the whole culture," of America. Since the publication of his first novel Americana in 1971, DeLillo has explored modern American culture through a series of acclaimed novels, including White Noise (1985; winner of the American Book Award), Libra (1988), and Underworld (1997).

For Mark Osteen, the most bracing and unsettling feature of DeLillo's work is that, although his fiction may satirize cultural forms, it never does so from a privileged position outside the culture. His work brilliantly mimics the argots of the very phenomena it dissects: violent thrillers and conspiracy theories, pop music, advertising, science fiction, film, and television. As a result, DeLillo has been read both as a denouncer and as a defender of contemporary culture; in fact, Osteen argues, neither description is adequate. DeLillo's dialogue with modern institutions, such as chemical companies, the CIA, and the media, respects their power and ingenuity while criticizing their dangerous consequences. Even as DeLillo borrows from their discourses, he maintains a tenaciously opposing stance toward the sources of collective power.

Read more

Critic Reviews

“"Osteen's wide-ranging knowledge of media history and theory and ability to draw upon a variety of theoretical approaches with great clarity convincingly links DeLillo to the major intellectual currents of our times. This is just the sort of book to generate a livelier discussion of DeLillo's place in the postmodern canon."-David Cowart, University of South Carolina”

"Osteen's wide-ranging knowledge of media history and theory and ability to draw upon a variety of theoretical approaches with great clarity convincingly links DeLillo to the major intellectual currents of our times. This is just the sort of book to generate a livelier discussion of DeLillo's place in the postmodern canon."--David Cowart, University of South Carolina "A strongly argued analysis and close reading of Delillo's works... There is much here in the methodology and discussion of postmodern themes and techniques that will have relevance to American studies and cultural studies more widely."--Forum for Modern Language Studies

Read more

About the Author

Mark Osteen is Associate Professor of English at Loyola College. He is the editor of DeLillo's White Noise: Text and Criticism, and author of The Economy of Ulysses: Making Both Ends Meet.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania Press
Published
19th June 2000
Pages
304
ISBN
9780812235517

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

New
$179.10
Or pay later with
Check delivery options