'Abandon All Hope' - consumerism and loss of identity in Bret Easton Ellis's 'American Psycho' as an example of blank fiction

In comparison to selected modernist writings

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book 'Abandon All Hope' - consumerism and loss of identity in Bret Easton Ellis's 'American Psycho' as an example of blank fiction by Anja Schiel, GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anja Schiel ISBN: 9783638039666
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: April 23, 2008
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Anja Schiel
ISBN: 9783638039666
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: April 23, 2008
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,5, University of Hamburg (Sprach-, Literatur- und Medienwissenschaft), 59 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho has been labeled many things from 'Brat Pack Fiction' to 'Generation X' to 'Minimal Realism'. While the classification of the novel might be difficult and it has often been misunderstood for its extremely violent scenes, what is clear to the attentive reader is its critique of consumer culture Critics have acknowledged an emergence of a large number of writings dealing with this topic in contemporary American literature in the recent past. These novels focus on the relationship of American youth with consumer culture with a seemingly non-elaborate content and style. Attempts of explaining this kind of writing, which has also been called 'fiction of insurgency', 'new narrative', 'downtown writing' and 'punk fiction', range from millennial angst to the classification of this literary movement as part of the postmodern culture. What seems clear is that these narrations are closely related to the society they have been created in. The way these texts incorporate products of their time as a constant accompanying element places them very clearly in a specific time period. The apparent non-existence of complexity concerning the style, which at times reminds the reader of a movie script or a sequence of an MTV video, has, in the case of American Psycho, caused many critics to classify the novel as boring and deny the author the status of an artist. Exactly this seeming meaninglessness of these novels argues in favor of a term introduced by critics James Annesley and Elizabeth Young: Blank fiction, or Blank Generation Fiction. The term Blank fiction seems to capture perfectly the emptiness created by consumer culture that has found its way into these narratives not simply in its context but also by means of its language, incorporating consumer goods into the narrative as secondary characters, in the case of American Psycho ascribing more character to these objects than to the protagonists.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2005 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,5, University of Hamburg (Sprach-, Literatur- und Medienwissenschaft), 59 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho has been labeled many things from 'Brat Pack Fiction' to 'Generation X' to 'Minimal Realism'. While the classification of the novel might be difficult and it has often been misunderstood for its extremely violent scenes, what is clear to the attentive reader is its critique of consumer culture Critics have acknowledged an emergence of a large number of writings dealing with this topic in contemporary American literature in the recent past. These novels focus on the relationship of American youth with consumer culture with a seemingly non-elaborate content and style. Attempts of explaining this kind of writing, which has also been called 'fiction of insurgency', 'new narrative', 'downtown writing' and 'punk fiction', range from millennial angst to the classification of this literary movement as part of the postmodern culture. What seems clear is that these narrations are closely related to the society they have been created in. The way these texts incorporate products of their time as a constant accompanying element places them very clearly in a specific time period. The apparent non-existence of complexity concerning the style, which at times reminds the reader of a movie script or a sequence of an MTV video, has, in the case of American Psycho, caused many critics to classify the novel as boring and deny the author the status of an artist. Exactly this seeming meaninglessness of these novels argues in favor of a term introduced by critics James Annesley and Elizabeth Young: Blank fiction, or Blank Generation Fiction. The term Blank fiction seems to capture perfectly the emptiness created by consumer culture that has found its way into these narratives not simply in its context but also by means of its language, incorporating consumer goods into the narrative as secondary characters, in the case of American Psycho ascribing more character to these objects than to the protagonists.

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book Prozessorientierte Unternehmensorganisation: Organisatorische Verbesserungen und Kundenzufriedenheit erreichen by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Grundlagen der Industriebetriebslehre. Eine Zusammenfassung by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Das Beschwerdemanagement als vorgeschriebenes Instrument des Qualitätsmanagements by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Yield Management in der Hotellerie. Entstehung, Umsetzung, Techniken by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Schneiden einer Zwiebel zu Zwiebelbrunoise (Unterweisung Koch / Köchin) by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Chancen und Risiken der Denationalisierung und der Europäischen Union nach Habermas by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Musikalisch-rhythmische Angebote zur Förderung der Sprachentwicklung, eines elfjährigen blinden, mehrfachbehinderten, nichtsprechenden Jungen by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Comparison and contrast of the operations strategy of two 'manufacturing firms' with two 'service' firms by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Die historische Entwicklung der Gewerkschaftsbewegung in Deutschland by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Immigration, society and religion in Germany: The 'Interfaith Council' in Frankfurt/Main by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Lernmanagementsysteme als Plattform für e-learning-Angebote by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Die Sprache der Liturgie by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Kurz-Exkursion durch das Gebiet zukunftsweisender Technologien by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Die Forschung mit embryonalen Stammzellen im Öffentlichen Recht by Anja Schiel
Cover of the book Schweizerische Nationalbank by Anja Schiel
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy