Addiction and the Recent American Novel

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• List of abbreviations
• Introduction
• Defining Addiction
• The Modern Addict
• Bright Lights, Big City and Less than Zero: The Vicious Cycle
• White Noise: Addiction and the Fear of Death
• Fight Club: Breaking the Habit
• Bibliography

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis explores the evolution of the concept of addiction in American literature, particularly in the context of the recent American novel. It examines how addiction has become a central theme in contemporary narratives, reflecting societal anxieties and the impact of drug use on individuals and society.

• The portrayal of addiction in modern American literature
• The relationship between addiction and societal anxieties
• The impact of addiction on individual identity and agency
• The influence of drug use on narrative structure and themes
• The role of addiction in shaping the modern American experience

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The introduction traces the historical evolution of the concept of addiction, exploring its origins in 19th-century literary works like De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium Eater. It also examines the influence of Romanticism and the role of opium in the creative process of writers like Coleridge and Shelley.

Chapter one explores the portrayal of addiction in modern American literature, focusing on the works of Jay McInerney, Bret Easton Ellis, and Don DeLillo. It examines the impact of addiction on the characters' lives, their relationships, and their perceptions of reality.

Chapter two delves into the themes of addiction and the fear of death in DeLillo's White Noise. It analyzes how addiction becomes a metaphor for the characters' anxieties about mortality and the fragility of life in a technologically advanced society.

Chapter three analyzes Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, exploring the connection between addiction and the desire to break free from societal norms and consumer culture. It examines how addiction becomes a tool for rebellion and self-discovery in the context of a society obsessed with material possessions.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The key concepts explored in this thesis include addiction, modern American literature, societal anxieties, drug use, individual identity, agency, narrative structure, themes, and the modern American experience. The works of Jay McInerney, Bret Easton Ellis, Don DeLillo, and Chuck Palahniuk are analyzed to understand how addiction has shaped the recent American novel.