 | Quirks of the Quantum: Postmodernism and Contemporary American Fiction Subjects: American fiction -- 20th century -- History and criticism; Physics in literature; Literature and science -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Postmodernism (Literature) -- United States; Quantum theory in literature; Episodic and disconnected, much of postmodern fiction mirrors the world as quantum theorists describe it, according to Samuel Chase Coale. In Quirks of the Quantum, Coale shows how the doubts, misgivings, and ambiguities reflected in the postmodern American novel have been influenced by the metaphors and models of quantum theory. Coale explains the basic facets of quantum theory in lay terms and then applies them to a selection of texts, including Don DeLillo's Underworld, Joan Didion's Democracy, and Thomas Pynchon's Against the Day. Using a new approach to literature and culture, this book aims to bridge the gap between science and the humanities by suggesting the many areas where they connect. Samuel Chase Coale, Professor of American Literature and Culture at Wheaton College, is the author of Paradigms of Paranoia: The Culture of Conspiracy in Contemporary American Fiction, among other books. |
