EGL 304 - Jr. Seminar (Fall): DeLillo and the American Postmodern

Course Units: 1

(Fall; Kuhn) This course explores the novels of Don DeLillo, one of the more influential and prophetic American writers of the contemporary, post-modern, late-capitalist era. We will consider themes that run throughout his works and typify the American condition such as rampant consumerism, violence, the disintegration of the nuclear family, global terrorism, a pervasive sense of environmental disaster, the saturation of mass media, globalization and multi-national cyber-capitalism. What is the role of the novelist in this post-modern landscape dominated by the Internet, television, and film? We will begin with his novels from the 1980’s, including the thriller The Names and his breakout work, White Noise. We will conclude with his latest novel, the futuristic Zero K about a billionaire who seeks immortality through cryogenics.

The goals of the course are to read the works of DeLillo, familiarize yourself with the community of thinkers (philosophers, literary critics, cultural critics) who have engaged with DeLillo’s works, and to contribute to the critical conversation on DeLillo through class discussions, presentations, and a research paper. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite for 300-level courses: one 100-level and two 200-level English courses or instructor’s permission CC: HUL, HUM, WAC