Postmodern Literature and Literary Devices

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how two examples of postmodern literature are Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and Don DeLillo's "White Noise' and how both books are similar in that they both feature unique literary devices common in postmodern literature. It looks at how both novels are sharp criticisms of the disillusionment of society's sense of reality but differ in the fact that "Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas" maintains the author's presence while "White Noise" does not. The paper also discusses how the effect of this variation in presence, combined with the use of illicit drugs and deranged thinking, results in a skewed perspective or reality from the two books' protagonist.

From the Paper:

"In his article entitled The Death of the Author, Roland Bartley discusses the trend in postmodern literature for the author to remove him or herself from the telling of the story in order to present a more clear and vivid picture of reality. What makes a comparison of these two novels interesting is that they both excel at capturing, and sometimes distorting, reality but do it in very different ways. In White Noise, Don DeLillo does remove himself from the telling of the story and thus, in the words of Bartley, "lets the narrative take over". However, just the opposite is true in Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bartes, Roland. The Death of the Author. 1977.
• DeLillo, Don. White Noise. New York: Penguin Group, 1986.
• Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas, New York: Knopf Publishing Group, 1998.

More papers on Postmodern Literature and Literary Devices:

• Essay # 87580 : "Postmodern Literature, Architectural Thinking and Experience "
• Book Review # 104135 : "Literary Devices in "A Doll's House"
• Term Paper # 148093 : "Romantic, Modern and Postmodern Literature"

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