White Noise Topic 3 Blog

Taylor Kurtz

4/19/2010

Topic 3: The Postmodernism in White Noise

In order for one to understand the meaning of postmodernism, one must first understand modernism as a form of literature. Modernism is a form of writing that exposes the fragmented nature or the world and mourns it, then piecing it together through art. If this is the correct definition of modernism, then postmodernism is essentially the same, in that it exposes the fragmented nature of the world, however rather than mourning it the way authors of modernism do, postmodernism revels and celebrates the fragmentation of the world. For instance, the new film Batman: The Dark Knight is a perfect example of postmodernism as batman is no longer fixed and stable as a hero and the good guy, but instead he is a dark individual with a deep and creepy voice.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy offers the perfect description of literature written in the style of postmodernism: “[Postmodernism] can be described as a set of critical, strategic and rhetorical practices employing concepts such as difference, repetition, the trace, the simulacrum, and hyperreality to destabilize other concepts such as presence, identity, historical progress, epistemic certainty, and the univocity of meaning” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, pg 1).

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s definition offers a perfect transition into the presence of postmodernism in the widely renowned novel White Noise by Don DeLillo. The definition itself describes postmodernism as something that uses “repetition” in its content, which is more than prevalent in White Noise, as throughout the story as Jack Gladney and his wife Babette Gladney are repeteadly scared of the concept of death and forced into situations where they must confront their mortality, such as a toxic spill that forces Jack to evacuate his hometown in order to protect his safety. Furthermore, towards the beginning of the novel, the married couple often wonders who will die first: “Who will die first? This question comes up from time to time, like where are the car keys. It ends a sentence, prolongs a glance between us” (DeLillo, pg 15). The story is broken into three parts, and in the third section of this terrific novel, the fragmented view of earth and fear of death comes up again, as Jack discovers that his wife Babette had been cheating on him in order to gain access to a drug that will combat her fear and anxiety over death. First the issue of modernism in White Noise must be addressed, and modernism is clearly prevalent as the world is portrayed in a fragmented view, as death, adultery, and natural disaster are common themes that come up. This style of modernism then brings us to the presence of postmodernism in White Noise as, the theme of death and how the main character and his family are obsessed with death and the fear of their lives ending is constantly being brought up, using the “repetitive” postmodernist style as defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Therefore, through the use of repetition of the protagonist’s families fear of death as well as the fragmented and broken down view of the world presented make White Noise a post modern novel.

Works Cited

DeLillo, Don. White Noise. New York: Penguin Book Inc., 1998. Print. The Text Book

“Postmodernism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Stanford University, 30 Sept. 2005. Web. 21 Apr. 2010. . A site that goes in depth into postmodernism.