Quirks of the Quantum: Postmodernism and Contemporary American Fiction (Cultural Frames, Framing Culture)

Episodic And Disconnected, Much Of Postmodern Fiction Mirrors The World As Quantum Theorists Describe It, According To Samuel Chase Coale. In Quirks Of The Quantum, Coale Shows How The Doubts, Misgivings, And Ambiguities Reflected In The Postmodern American Novel Have Been Influenced By The Metaphors And Models Of Quantum Theory. Coale Explains The Basic Facets Of Quantum Theory In Lay Terms And Then Applies Them To A Selection Of Texts, Including Don Delillo's Underworld, Joan Didion's Democracy, And Thomas Pynchon's Against The Day. Using A New Approach To Literature And Culture, This Book Aims To Bridge The Gap Between Science And The Humanities By Suggesting The Many Areas Where They Connect. -- Publisher's Description. Deconstructing Quantum Theory: From Modernism To Postmodernism -- The Quantum Flux As/in Fiction -- Styles Of Quantum Leaps -- Quantum Quandaries: Death And/of The Self -- Revelation Of The Quantum Realm: Underworld And Against The Day -- Epilogue: A Selection Of Postmodern Critics. Samuel Chase Coale. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Episodic and disconnected, much of postmodern fiction mirrors the world as quantum theorists describe it, according to the author. In this book, the author shows how the doubts, misgivings, and ambiguities reflected in the postmodern American novel have been influenced by the metaphors and models of quantum theory. This book explains the basic facets of quantum theory in lay terms and then applies them to a selection of texts, including Don DeLillo's Underworld, Joan Didion's Democracy, and Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day. Using a unique approach to literature and culture, this book aims to bridge the gap between science and the humanities by suggesting the many areas where they connect