Post-Modernism in White Noise

White Noise is a postmodern novel because it fits several of the characteristics of postmodern literature. According to class notes from November 18^th, 2009, there are many characteristics of postmodernism. One thing is that there are no absolute truths. Postmodernism cannot have any kind of universal truth in the text. The text itself is very fragmented. There are choppy sentences and incomplete thoughts weaved into the book. This leads us into the fact that it is not a linear narrative. The book has many different parts that cover different topics. There can be a loss of communication in the novel and quotation-using conversation can be few and far between. This makes it harder for a reader to follow the series of events and plot. There is no metanarrative in the novel. This means there is no big entity that would define civilization. The final characteristic of postmodern literature that we discussed in class was the rejection of any one narrative.

According to my research, there are many other characteristics that we did not get a chance to cover in class. Irony, black humor, and playfulness are oftentimes incorporated into quotes and plotlines. Often authors used the Pastiche form in their writings. This means they incorporate different aspects of different genres into their writings. Metafiction is also added into the writings. It exploits the amount of fiction in these fictitious works as a way to be somewhat facetious in the way that they write. Poioumena is also an aspect of postmodern writing. It is a way to write about one thing but put a meaning behind it to be equivalent to something entirely different from the initial topic. Historiographic metafiction is also is added into the characteristics of postmodernism. It’s a way to include historic events into the writing. Another issue included in postmodernism works is paranoia. This incorporates the belief that there is something dictating every aspect of life and there is no control over it. The final things incorporated into postmodern literature are maximalism, minimalism, and magical realism.

Don DeLillo’s White Noise incorporates many of these characteristics, if not all of them. The first part is that there is not an absolute truth. Jack Gladney and his wife Babette are too infused with the constant fear of dying that they do not have the brain capacity needed to believe in any higher being. “Is this what it’s like, abrupt, peremptory? Shouldn’t death, I thought, be a swan dive, graceful, white-winged and smooth, leaving the surface undisturbed?”(DeLillo page 18). The narrative is fragmented and non-linear because it is divided into three parts. The first part is Waves and Radiation and is about academic spoof and a crazy family life. The second part is called The Airborne Toxic Event. It is about a chemical spill from a train car that lands on Jack’s neighborhood and his family is evacuated. The third and final part is called Dylarama. It is about a drug that is supposed to be the cure to stop death. As you can see, all three parts have different plotlines and are not linear in any fashion at all.

Works Cited

DeLillo, Don. White Noise. New York: Penguin Books, 1985.

Bonca, Cornel. "Don DeLillo's White Noise: The natural language of the species". BNET. June 1996 .