Liminal Fictions in Postmodern Culture [recurso electrónico] : the Politics of Self-Development

Liminal Fictions in Postmodern Culture examines distinctive literary, musical, and cinematic narratives that seek to inspire critical thought and conduct through provocation. From Gogol's Dead Souls to Salinger's Franny and Zooey , Phillips argues liminal narratives offer an antidote to the modern commodification of the self. Liminal Fictions in Postmodern Culture: The Politics of Self-Development examines postmodern literary, musical, and cinematic narratives that seek to inspire critical thought and conduct through provocation. From Darrieussecq's Pig Tales to Salinger's Franny and Zooey, Thomas Phillips argues liminal narratives offer an antidote to the modern commodification of the self. The development of both self and community, Phillips asserts, relies on the capacity to transcend habitual ways of occupying time and space. Interweaving his argument with theorists such as Terry Eagleton and Deleuze and Guattari, Phillips discusses a wide range of topics such as psychoanalysis, digital humanities, horror films, popular music, homelessness, and theology, reframing how readers encounter twentieth- and twenty-first-century texts. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Introduction 9 1 The Decline of the West 16 2 “A Warning to the Curious”: Jackson, Lovecraft, DeLillo 42 3 Becoming- Woman: Salinger, Redonnet, Darrieussecq 71 4 Becoming- Liminal 103 5 “Constant Craving Has Always Been”: Liminal Love in Sarah Kane’s Crave 128 6 Becoming- Heavy: Sunn O))) and Runhild Gammelsæter 150 7 On Love and Shadows 172 Notes 189 Bibliography 198 Index 202 Front Matter....Pages i-vii Introduction....Pages 1-7 The Decline of the West....Pages 9-34 “A Warning to the Curious”....Pages 35-63 Becoming-Woman....Pages 65-96 Becoming-Liminal....Pages 97-121 “Constant Craving Has Always Been”....Pages 123-144 Becoming-Heavy....Pages 145-166 On Love and Shadows....Pages 167-183 Back Matter....Pages 185-201