Terrorism and Temporality in the Works of Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo

by Gourley, James

• ISBN13: 9781441166890
• ISBN10: 1441166890
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2013-06-06
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

Terrorism and Temporality in the Works of Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo starts from a simple premise: that the events of the 11th of September 2001 must have had a major effect on two New York residents, and two of the seminal authors of American letters, Pynchon and DeLillo. By examining implicit and explicit allusion to these events in their work, it becomes apparent that both consider 9/11 a crucial event, and that it has profoundly impacted their work. From this important point, the volume focuses on the major change identifiable in both author's work; a change in the perception, and conception, of time. This is not, however, a simple change after 2001. It allows, at the same time, a re-examination of both authors work, and the acknowledgment of time as a crucial concept to both authors throughout their careers. Engaging with several theories of time, and their reiteration and examination in both authors work, this volume contributes both to the understanding of literary time, and to the work of Pynchon and DeLillo.

Author Biography

Dr. James Gourley is a Member of the Writing and Society Research Group at the University of Western Sydney, Australia.

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Mao II: Pre-Figurations of Terrorist Temporality2. The Futurity of the 10th of September 3. Beckett's Proust and Falling Man4. Intimate Time: The Limits of Temporality in Point Omega5. Pre-Cursors to Pynchon's Reconsideration of Temporality in Gravity's Rainbow6. The Duration of Thomas Pynchon's Hell7. Pynchon's Futurist Manifesto8. Inherent Vice and the Chronotope ConclusionWorks CitedIndex