White Noise Blog

Modernism is a movement that distinctly bore out of the post-WWI young adults. It was a dramatic shift away from Romanticism and a significant step away from Realism. This movement in literature saw the idea of a “hero” corrupted and strangled. No longer could you read a novel and watch a strong willed man or woman overcome temptation and maintain a zealous moral code. Character development began to be the dominant role instead of fantastical plots. For example Ernest Hemingway’s debut novel, “The Sun Also Rises” contains no overly dramatic moments, but merely a wounded WWI vet lusting for a woman he can never have humbly and painfully. We see in this novel a narration that becomes unreliable at times, and long gaps of time spanning between paragraphs. The ideals and morals of America had changed entirely. The movement didn’t just affect literature but also art, fashion, personalities, and culture as a whole.
Post-modernism is a late 20th century movement that’s been identified as the “next step.” There is no single event that signals the oncoming of this shift, but more of a general changing of the guards as the capabilities of our race expand through technology and information sharing. Post-modernism retains “modernism” at its root because the movement didn’t change the game, as much as just the rules. Postmodernism “doesn't lament the idea of fragmentation, provisionality, or incoherence, but rather celebrates that. The world is meaningless? Let's not pretend that art can make meaning then, let's just play with nonsense.” (Klages) Modernism couldn’t stay the same because the way the world commerced was entirely different. American’s economy is in a stage of capitalism referred to as consumer capatalism that is “associated with nuclear and electronic technologies. (Klages)
Don Delillo’s “White Noise” is an explicit example of post-modernist literature. Delillo was born in 1936, between WWI and WWII, and grew up in a rapidly advancing culture technologically. “White Noise” clearly captures the coldness and distance that began to feature itself so prominently with the introduction of telelvision to the every-man’s house. The coldness doesn’t stop with just that as the idea of the family nucleus slowly begins to fade as the century drolls on. “White Noise” illustrates this perfectly with Jack and Babette’s patchwork family, each bringing children of their own to the family from previously crumbled marriages, try to decipher what is going on in the world around them. You see the family during their weekly Friday TV roundup captivated by the incessant disasters exploited on television. You can watch Jack trudge through life in an ever-alienating society in places like the local supermarket or the “College on the Hill.” You see Jack fasciniated by students flocking to his univeristy by the thousands unloading their countless personal belongings. Delillo doesn’t necessarily attack American society with the idea of excess, but rather asks us to merely observe and draw your own conclusions. The hum of “White Noise” doesn’t exclusively come from “things” that people buy, but also the way the market shifted to rely so heavily on the shoulder of advertising and brand marketing.
Post-modernism can be dark and ominous, but avoids creating fear. Rather we the audience must look what we’re presented with and decide what we are going to do with it. Whether it is medicine, technology, religious ideals, or moral beliefs the line between utilizing and dependency in modern society is a tight rope to walk and one that can be masterfully envisioned and displayed in post-modern novels such as “White Noise” in post-modern times.

Works Cited
Klages, Mary. Literary Theory: A Guide for the Perplexed. Continuum Press, 2007.