Fetishism and Its Discontents in Post-1960 American Fiction (American Literature Readings in the 21st Century)

Fetishism and Its Discontents argues that post-1960 American fiction utilizes fetishism as a strategy for expressing social and political discontent and for negotiating traumatic experiences. Through close readings of novels and short stories by Thomas Pynchon, Kathy Acker, Ishmael Reed, John Hawkes, and Tim O'Brien, among others, Christopher Kocela moves away from the entrenched, Freudian constructs of fetishism and uncovers a new understanding of the fetish as a parallax object that testifies to often threatening differences in racial, gender, and class perspectives. The first detailed study of its kind, this book brings originality and rigor to a culturally timely topic. This Study Explores The Concept Of Fetishism As A Strategy For Expressing Social And Political Discontent In American Literature, And For Negotiating Traumatic Experiences Particular To The Second Half Of The Twentieth Century. Part I: Fetishism From Theory To Fiction -- A Parallax History Of Fetish Theory -- No Ideas But In Fetishes: Reed's Mumbo Jumbo -- Part Ii: Fictions Of The Female Fetish -- Queering Lesbian Fetishism In Pynchon's V. -- Resighting Gender Theory: Butler's Lesbian Phallus In Acker's Pussy -- Part Iii: Pomo-pornologies -- Domesticating Fantasy: S/m Fetishism And Coover's Spanking The Maid -- Narrating The Death Drive: Automotive Sinthomosexuality And John Hawkes's Travesty -- Conclusion: Longing On A Large Scale: Underworld And Europe Central. Christopher Kocela. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Introduction: Fetishism and Its Discontents......Page 12 Part I: Fetishism from Theory to Fiction......Page 40 1 A Parallax History of Fetish Theory......Page 42 2 Signifying on Fetishism in Reed’s Mumbo Jumbo......Page 72 Part II: Fictions of the Female Fetish......Page 100 3 Queering Lesbian Fetishism in Pynchon’s V.......Page 102 4 Resighting Gender Theory: Butler’s Lesbian Phallus in Acker’s Pussy......Page 134 Part III: Pomo-Pornologies......Page 164 5 Domesticating Fantasy: S/M Fetishism, Suburban Fiction, and Coover’s Spanking the Maid......Page 166 6 Narrating the Death Drive: Automotive SinthoMosexuality and Hawkes’s Travesty......Page 198 Conclusion......Page 226 Notes......Page 232 Bibliography......Page 256 Index......Page 270