Abstract
Between reality and simulation – dissolving generic boundaries in Jonathan Lethem’s Chronic City (2009)
Highlights
In their attempt to reflect an increasing sense of unreality and mediasaturated culture, many contemporary writers show a particular penchant for blurring the boundaries of different generic territories
The concept of genre-blending is in no way new, the proliferation of generic crossovers within the post-postmodern1 literary landscape seems to reflect a new shift in the treatment and absorption of popular genres
Rather than employing typically postmodern subversive practices and metanarrative games in their appropriation of popular fiction, post-postmodern writers tend to treat them with more appreciation and respectability recognising their potential in expanding new literary possibilities and reflecting the complexities of contemporary existence
Summary
In their attempt to reflect the increasing sense of unreality and mediasaturated culture, many contemporary writers show a particular penchant for blurring the boundaries between different generic territories. Integrating elements of popular culture and fiction, Jonathan Lethem, with his “tendency toward collage and propensity for nontraditional genre-bending, and employment of surreal plots” (Hamilton 2010: 243), clearly falls into a category of experimental writers whose literary output defies fixed generic conventions and boundaries.
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