A Metamodernist Reading of Don DeLillo’s Zero K
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33806/ijaes.v25i2.714Keywords:
Don DeLillo, metamodernism, modernism, postmodernism, Zero KAbstract
This article offers a critical analysis of Don DeLillo’s 2016 novel, Zero K, through the lens of a metamodernist framework. While DeLillo’s work is often associated with either modernism or, predominantly, postmodernism, this study argues that in Zero K, he can be categorized as a metamodernist writer. Metamodernism, a term introduced and proposed by cultural theorists Vermeulen and Akker, is conceptualized as a mediation between modernism and postmodernism, amalgamating elements from both movements. Zero K, as we will discuss, exhibits a fluctuation between modernist and postmodernist characteristics, encompassing themes of optimism and pessimism, utopia and dystopia, irony and enthusiasm, belief and disbelief. Furthermore, it demonstrates a tendency towards presenting a genuine human experience in metamodernist fiction, accentuating empathy, sincerity, and interconnectedness in order to rehumanize the subject.
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