Quirks of the quantum : postmodernism and contemporary American fiction / Samuel Chase Coale.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Coale, Samuel.

Series:

Cultural frames, framing culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

American fiction.

Physics in literature.

Literature and science--United States--History--20th century.

Literature and science.

United States.

History.

Postmodernism (Literature)--United States.

Postmodernism (Literature).

Quantum theory in literature.

Physical Description:

x, 222 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2012.

Summary:

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. Book jacket.

Contents:

Deconstructing quantum theory: from modernism to postmodernism

The quantum flux as/in fiction

Styles of quantum leaps

Quantum quandaries: death and/of the self

Revelation of the quantum realm: underworld and against the day

Epilogue: a selection of postmodern critics.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780813932859

0813932858

9780813932866

0813932866

9780813932873

0813932874

OCLC:

782252389