Appreciating Don Delillo: The Moral Force of A Writer's Work (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780313386244)

An insightful work providing state-of-the-art critical guidance and informative commentary on the major novels of Don DeLillo in terms of how they respond to current social and ethical issues.

Unlike the majority of American academic critics, author Paul Giaimo contends that Don DeLillo's award-winning novels are fully defined by neither postmodernism nor modernism. To demonstrate this thesis, Appreciating Don DeLillo: The Moral Force of a Writer's Work traces DeLillo's style through his novels, showing how it evolved from a recognizably postmodern mode into a realistic treatment of contemporary, postmodern conditions.

In this original and nuanced examination, Giaimo discusses themes that range from the devastating portrayals of evil in Mao II, Libra and Cosmopolis, to the good and inspiring confrontation of media stereotypes and urban missionary work in Underworld. The powerful vision of language in The Names and White Noise is examined as a potent moral force of the novels. Equally important is discussion of the cultural background Giaimo believes should inform any reading of DeLillo's work, especially his Italian-American ethnic heritage and the American Catholic church of the 1950s.

Author: Paul Giaimo
ISBN-10: 0313386242
ISBN-13: 9780313386244
Publisher: Praeger
Language: English
Published: 07/22/2011
Pages: 200
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2012
Reference and Research Bk News 10/01/2011 pg. 201