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MID-20TH CENTURY AMERICAN FICTION - Coggle Diagram
MID-20TH CENTURY AMERICAN FICTION
AESTHETICISM
L'art Pour L'art
With the use of seductive, aesthetic writing, Nabokov-- through Humbert-- forces the reader to participate in the story of Lolita, regardless of moral implications.
The Crying of Lot 49 itself does not fit into the "l'art pour l'art" category, however, a hermetical interpretation of the clues that Oedipa finds could point to "l'art pour l'art." This is to say that the senseless trail of clues in The Crying of Lot 49 seem to be uninterpretable. They are not there to be analyzed, or to achieve any particular goal, but rather to simply be observed.
Lyricism
The significance of Black & Blue by Louis Armstrong, as well as artistic features of the Harlem Renaissance in order for the narrator to make sense of the complexities of his reality.
These three novels have a shared tendency to intertwine the voice of the author and the narrator/character indistinguishably, at times.
Whereas Tommy tends to use simple language in the passages which are clearly narrated by him (through the third person omniscient perspective), Bellow tends to write more lyrically, and so the perspectives are occasionally confused when the author's voice permeates Tommy's. The frequent use of Free Indirect Discourse further complicates this-- it is seldom entirely clear whose perspective the reader is getting.
The lyrical nature of Nabokov's writing is the most significant contributor to Humbert's ability to seduce/convince his readers
NATURALISM
Determinism
The inevitability of the spread of Jes Grew despite the Atonists' efforts to suppress it suggest that the phenomenon is predetermined to spread, and cannot be intercepted.
As per the philosophies of the Handdarata Foretellers, the series of events in The Left Hand of Darkness is predetermined-- emphasized by the Foretellers' claim that in five years, Gethen will be a part of the Ekumen regardless of what happens to Genly. This idea is complicated by the story of Lord Berosty (chapter 4), which sees that the Foretellers' prediction only comes true because Berosty, frustrated by their vagueness, makes it so. Therefore, the Left Hand of Darkness plays with determinism in an interesting way which suggests that all events are predetermined by the nature and actions of the characters.
REALISM
Indeterminism
The series of unfortunate events that befall Tommy Wilhelm throughout Seize the Day seem to be determined by his own hopelessness, or lack of optimism in his life. In this way, the loss of money, and the conflict with his father and estranged wife seem to be manifested by Tommy himself, not predetermined.
The Crying of Lot 49 sees Oedipa actively choosing to pursue the endless line of clues which propel the novel. The events of the novel do not simply happen to Oedipa, they are determined by her choices.
Focused on the minutiae of the ordinary life of highly ordinary Tommy Wilhelm, Seize the Day expands a one-day series of inconsequential events into a novel. (Influenced by Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary)
MODERNISM
Absurdity
Oedipa's complete obsession with the Trystero ventures into absurdity, and is used as a device through which she may explore the unexplainable. Particularily in her dream-like sequence in chapter 6, Oedipa comes across children singing a nursery rhyme about the Trystero, a crying old man claiming that he needs the Trystero to write to his wife, among other strange events. Oedipa's vehement continuation of her search despite its obvious toll on her mental and physical well-being suggests that the absurdity-- she believes-- will be simply a path towards a deeper truth.
Unlike Oedipa, the narrator of Invisible Man eventually experiences the fruition of absurdity with his existentialist realization that the meaning of life is itself absurd. This is particularily notable in the prologue and epilogue of the novel, where the narrator ponders the events of the plot, and the sheer inconsequentiality of life, and identity (hence "invisible" man).
Symbolism
EXAMPLES: the muted post-horn as a symbol for being silenced, the personification of the city-- the city as a symbol for Oedipa, Maxwell's Demon as a symbol for chaos, the deaf-mutes as a symbol of resistance to being silenced.
EXAMPLES: the narrator's briefcase as a symbol for the weight of his past, the hipster as a symbol of resistance to the Brotherhood's ideology, Rinehart's sunglasses as a symbol for obscured/fluid identity, lightbulbs as a symbol for enlightenment.
EXAMPLES: Jes Grew as a symbol for African culture, Atonists as a symbol for oppression/repression, Hinkle Von Vampton as a symbol for the bridge between black people and white people
EXAMPLE: the persistence of water imagery, the idea of being a drop in the ocean symbolic of being subsumed by the monolithic collective, the idea of being "drowned" by his wife, the difficulty of expressing emotion through crying.
Individualism
Per the realist tradition, and also characteristic of modernism, Seize the Day does not focus on any particular larger implication of its events. The plot is simply a day in the life of Tommy Wilhelm, excluded from any larger collective event.
Unfortunately for Dolores, and society at large, Humbert is entirely self-obsessed, and so pays little attention to the implications of his actions, or his position in society more generally. His obsession with Dolores is his sole focus, and so he is swept-away in the minutiae of interactions which might give him away, and in keeping up the appearances of his situation, all with the goal of keeping Dolores, and keeping his secret.
Like Humbert, Oedipa becomes swept up in her pursuit of one particular subject. Unlike Humbert, Oedipa entertains many different implications of the Trystero on society, but mainly focuses on what it means for her, and why Pierce would have introduced her in particular to it.
POST-MODERNISM
Unreliable Narrator
FIRST PERSON: Humbert is an example of true, insidious unreliable narrator. Several times throughout Lolita, Humbert presents his assumptions of what other characters may be thinking or feeling as empirical fact. Most frequently, he does this with Lolita herself, claiming that she is aware that she is seducing him, and that she acts nymphishly on purpose in order to tease him. Along with his lyrical portrayal of events, Humbert's unreliability makes him a seductive narrator.
THIRD PERSON, LIMITED OMNISCIENT: Tommy Wilhelm's point of view invites pity. Through his dreary perspective, he is hard-done-by, and nobody endeavours to understand him. This is evident in passages where he argues with his father, as well as his wife. Through Tommy's eyes, the world is simply unkind to him, and thus he is absolved of responsibility for his decisions. His unreliability is highlighted near the end of the novel when it is revealed that he has been swindled by Dr. Tamkin, and does not take ownership of his financial irresponsibility, but rather blames his inherent bad luck.
FIRST PERSON (with some deviations): Like Oedipa, Genly Ai is not an intentionally unreliable narrator, but rather has little social knowledge or wherewithal in the societies of Gethen. His attribution of masculine pronouns to the gender-neutral Gethenians demonstrate his steadfast world-view that sees the traditions of Earth as natural. Through Genly's eyes, the reader sees Gethen the way a foreigner to the planet would, and so Genly's preconceived ideas permeate the narration.
THIRD PERSON, LIMITED OMNISCIENT: Oedipa herself is not an unreliable narrator in the traditional sense. It is clear that the events of The Crying of Lot 49 occur in a somewhat delusional realm, and so Oedipa does not purposefully fabricate events, nor does she convince the reader that what she perceives is in fact the truth.
Intertextuality
In addition to its allusions to Nabokov, The Crying of Lot 49 also features parodic representations of several different aspect of its contemporary culture, including The Paranoids, who mimic the rise of teen rock-bands, and a dig at Sigmund Freud through Dr. Hilarious.
"What chance has a lonely surfer boy/ for the love of a surfer chick/ with all these Humbert Humbert cats/ coming on so big and sick/ for me my baby was a woman/ for him she's just another nymphet."
While not explicitly intertextual, these texts have been compared for their similarly obscure presentations of paranoia and conspiracy theories.
Historical/Political Commentary
Like Mumbo Jumbo, Invisible Man also features important allusions to the Harlem Renaissance, particularily through music. Ellison makes additional commentary on the communist party, whose egalitarian views boast "colour-blindness" and yet use their brothers of colour as pawns to inspire the masses, as well as on higher education, which seems to be determined to allow young black students to fail by scrutinizing their every move, and punishing them harshly.
Mumbo Jumbo is an allegory for the wide dissemination of African culture during the Harlem renaissance, and so is a prescient commentary on the subsequent efforts to suppress the spread of "Jes Grew" by the "Atonists."
Collectivism
Although Mumbo Jumbo is largely about one man-- Papa LaBas-- its narrative focuses on the implications of Jes Grew on the collective society. Unlike realist novels such as Seize the Day which focus on the particulars of one character's experience, Mumbo Jumbo focuses on the larger implications of its events, such as the spread of Jes Grew, and the clandestine mission to return artifact to their native countries.
The Left Hand of Darkness shows a zoomed-in perspective on the potential implications of the large political decision for Gethen to join the Ekumen. The plot of the novel is driven by Genly's mission--with the Ekumen itself being a collective-- and allows the reader to get to know Gethenian society, and imagine how the Gethenian citizens might be implicated if Genly were to succeed.
EPISTEMOLOGY
By using the perspective of a foreigner in unfamiliar territory, LeGuin encourages the reader to question fundamental ideas of gender-- for her time. The concept of gender, as well as the various social structures on Gethen, disrupt Genly's (and the reader's) perceptions of what they know to be true.
Throughout The Crying of Lot 49, Oedipa is constantly contending with reality, and questioning her sanity. This comes to a head in the dreamlike sequence in chapter 5, which sees Oedipa nearly losing her grasp on temporality altogether. The pursuit of the Trystero-- which may or may not be real-- forces Oedipa, and the reader, to consider idea of delusion vs. perception.
