Tradition or innovation in the “new” American novel
Full text
Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos,
11.
º 7 (
2000
),
pp. 85 -102
TRADITION
OR
INNOVATION
IN
THE
«NEW»
AMERICAN
NOVEL:
1960-1990*
JAVIER
COY
Uni e si a
de
Valencia
l
The
Ame ican no elis s who eme ge o hei a is ic consciousness a e he
poli ical and sociai ac u e p oduced by Wo ld Wa
Il,
and who will each hei
c ea i e ma u i y in he 1960' s and 1970' s,a e in luenced in hei iew
o
he uni e se
and
o
hei own ade by a numbe
o
ex e na! and in e na[ ac s which may be use ul
o y o enumem e in o de o pu hem in o an app op ia e con ex ,and iden i y,
a
he
sume ime, a possible s a ing poin o hei s udy. Ob iously, i is no he in en ion
o
such an exe cise o u n a is ic
c ea ion
in o
an una oidable
and
mechanic
al
consequcnce
o
objec i e
o
subjec i e
eali ies,
which
would
u n
i in o a
*
The
o iginal
i<lea
o a lcmp he s udy
o
so ne aspec s
o
he con cmpo a y no el in he
Uni ed S a cs as
con a
in
e<l
he c, was sug ges
ed
o
me
yea s
ago
by
a dea and cmcmbe ed iend,
En ique
Ga
cía Díez. He asked me
o
pa icipa e in onc
u
hc scssiuns o s udy which he
o
ganised
he e pe iodically and
hin e<l
al his subjec which had becn hc
ma lc
o
many
o
ou
con e sa ions.
So ne
o
hese ideas, hc e o c, wc e included
in
he p oceedings
o
un
e such mee ing and he
pape was published in En ique Ga cía Dícz, edi o .
Am
e ican S udies
in
Spain, Valencia, Uni e si á
de Valencia-Ti an!
lo
Blanc Llib es, 1988.
TI1e
ex
he e
p esen
ed
has su c cd, hough, so many
changes, including ex ensiun,as o makc his a new piece: a
c
ali his is s ill an open
and
un inished
wo k. I wish o enew he e he exp cssion
o
my g a
i u<l
e o
and
my a ec ion o a colleaguc and a
icnd, widely emembe cd
and
misscd
by
many who dc o c
ou
e o s o he s udy
o
Ame ican
cul u e.
86
Ja ie
Coy
de e minis ic a emp ha would be bo h sho -sigh ed and un ai . Ne e heless,
hose
ac s can be deemed meaning ul enough as o ind i wo h
ou
while o e iew
hem
e en hough i be b ie ly and
o
necessi y, supe icially.
Jus
as, o example,
i
is
necessa y o a leas ex emely use ul, o ake a good look a
he
social, economic,
and
poli ical ans o ma ions occu ing in he English eigh een h cen u y, in o de o
unde s and he bi h
o
he no el a he ime, and i s de elopmen om Fielding
and
Richa dson o he su p isingly «mode o» i le, The Li e
and
Opinions
o
T i
s am
Shandy, Gen leman by Lau ence S e ne, which will seem
o
ake his new
gen e
(«new», a leas ,
as
i concems he ealm o English cul u e) o i s las consequences.
O
cou se, his would be jus an example among so many simila cases ha
can
be
b ough o mind o illus a e his ac
in
he cou se
o
his o y.
Fi s
o
all, om a s ic ly li e a y poin o iew, some
o
he young au ho s
o
he
SO's
and
60's
eel wha simplis ically a icula ed could be de ined
asan
in e io i y
complex when aced wi h he weigh o he achie emen s
o
he g ea mas e s
o
he
pe iod be ween he wa s, he mode nis w i e s such as Faulkne , Hemingway,
Do
s
Passos o Fi zge ald, o men ion
jus
a ew
o
he mos ele an o
ne
s.
Th ough an
analysis based on a somewha supe icial app oach, as has
jus
been sai
d,
hey come o
he conclusion ha he abo e no elis s ha e exhaus ed he gen e, ha e Je l no hing
new o add o wha has al eady been done;
in
sho , ha e b ough he no el
o
exhaus ion. Acco dingly, hey hink hey mus look o new o ms.
Along his line, hey will announce once again he dea h
o
he no el, epea ing
some hing p oclaimed almos i y yea s ea lie in o he cul u al sphe es.
In
bis
1967
essay, «The Li e a u e
o
Exhaus ion,»1 John Ba h, al hough no he only one o o
ice
his eeling, will do i
in
he mos p ecise and unmis akeable way. So ne i een y
ea s
la e Ba h himsel will ecognise he simpli ica ion
o
his asse ion, and will quali y
his pessimis ic o ecas s when aced wi h he ac o a
gen e
ha is no only no
exhaus ed, bu mo e li ely and h i ing han e e . On a la e essay, «The Li e a u e
o
Replenishmen ,» he will admi ha
i
he e is any hing ha
is
exhaus ed,
i
is no he
gen e bu he aes he ics
o
mode nism
.2
Anyhow he con o e sy is he e:
i
he no el is dead, hen a new name mus be
ound o de ine wha hese new w i e s a e doing. Ba h speaks
o
«i ealism,» o he s
o
«s
u;:ie ic ion,»
«s
u ic ion» o «me a ic ion.» A well known his o ian and c i ic,
specially de o ed o he no el
o
he Sou h, will exp ess his i onic ema ks on his
ma e in an essay en i led «The Cu ious Dea h
o
he No el: o Wha o Do abou
Ti ed Li e a y C i ics.» His able, as
he
calls i , ells abou a ime pas when lhe e was
a g oup
o
w i e s known as mode o
no
elis s, who w o e books known as mode n
no els. And hen along ca ne o he w i e s called c i ics who said o hemsel es: now
we
know wha he mode n no el is. As ime wen by, o he wii e s ca ne in u n,
young beginne s who hough hei books we e mode n no els, bu who we e old by
1.
John Ba h,«The Li e a u e
o
Exhaus ion.» A lan ic Mon hly,
22
0 (Augus , 1967).pp. 29-
34. lncluded in
Raymond
Fede man, ed.,Su jic ion: Fic ion Now
wul
Tomo ow, Chicago,
The
Swallow P ess, 1975, pp.
19
-33. I quo c om lhis las olume.
2. John Ba h, «The Li c alu e
o
Replenishmen ,» A i m ic Momhly, 245 (Janua y, 1980),
pp. 65-71.
T adi ion
o
Jnmwa íon in
lze
«N
ew» Ame ican No el: 1960-1990
87
he c i ics ha he nodem no el was wha he node n no elis s had w i en, and wha
hey we e w i ing now didn' look a all as he eal hing. Qui e puzzled hey asked
how hei c ea ions should be called, since hose mode n no elis s had a
l!
died.
And
hus eplied he c i ics: lhe mode n no elis s a e
indeed
dead and, he e o e, he
modem no el is dead, so we do no longe ead
wha
is being w i en a p esen ;
acco dingly, we do no know wha ha is o be called. And he concludes wi h his
mo ale: «No hing is qui e so dead as a dead de ini ion, unless
i
is a dead c i ic.»3
In spi e
o
his s a ing poin wi h which he quali ies his c i ica! s and, he does
admi ha he di icul y I nen ioned abo e is eal.
So,
when s udying so
n
e new
w i e s
o
he Sou h, he calls his essay «The Di icu!Lies
o
Being a Sou hem W i e
Today:
o
, Gel ing Ou om Unde William Faulkne »4: «ge ing ou om
undeI>>
is
acco ding o hi n, he key sen ence lo he young
no
elis s
o
he Sou h in hei e o
o
sol e hei c eali e bewilde nen .
Simul aneously, as a ein o cemen
o
he expe imen al impulses whe ein he
w i e s
o
his end ( hose called, in a a he imp ecise manne , «pos -mode nis s» )S
look o o iginali y, so ne
o
hem become awa e
o
he new no ions abou he
un
i e se
hal he ecen scien i ic
and
echnological disco e ies sugges .
A e
Eins ein
's
ela i i
y
heo ies o he o nula ions eme ge ha he scien i ic wo ld ega ds as well
as e olu iona y: he o nula ion
o
he p incipies
o
quan ic mechanics (wi h i s
no ion
o
en h opy
so
in ensely
ass
umed
by
Thomas
Pynchon),
he
dizz
yi
ng
de elopmen
o
a omic physics, Me Kenzie' s heo y
o
chaos o one
o
i s by-p oduc s,
Benoi Mandelb o 's ac al geome y, deeply upse
o
al e he ision
o
he wo ld,
and
o
man'
s place on
i
(is no Gml'i y 's Rainbm , a e ali, an a emp o disco e he
na u e
o
indi idual iden i y wi hin his new concep
o
en
i onmen ?)6
Such in luences
o
he sciences on he p ocess
o
a is ic e lec ion ha e no ye
ceascd, as is clea ly illus a ed by so ne ecen no elis s,and ha e e en become pa
o
popula li e a u e:
wi
ness
o
ha a e,
among
o he
no el s. Michael
C
ich on
's
Ju assic Pa k. and Tom Clancy's The Sum
o
Ali Fea s, bo h
o
1991
, al hough in
hese ex s he app op ia ion
o
he abo e concep s is undoub edly ca ied ou in a less
sub le way, as
i
supe imposed on he s o y.7
3.
Louis
D.
Rubin.
j
., The
Cu ious
Dea h
o
he No el.
Ba on
Rou
ge,
Louisiana S a e
Un
i e si y P ess, 196
7,
pp. 3 a
nd
4. The emphasis is Ruhin's.
4. Ibí
dem
, pp. 282-293.
5.
Fo
a desc ip ion
o
he e m «pos - node nis n» and
an
a emp o ind a use ul dc ini ion,
~ce
Ma ia Eugenia Díaz,
«La
no ela
pos
-
mode n
is a
noneame
icana: una ap oximación gene al.»
A1/an is, IX, ( 1987), pp. 83-93, cspecially 83 and
84
.
6. These ac s, he e nc cly sugges cd,
ca
n
be
mo e ho oughly expl
o ed
in he ollowi
ng
wo ks:
o
Pynchon a
nd
his G a i y's
Rai11
boll', Paul Sco Dc ick,
Tl í11kí11 ?
o
a Clumge: G a i y"s
Raínbow
an i
Symp oms o / e Pa adigm Shí in Occidemal Cul
u
e,
Uni e si a de Valencia.Anejo
nº
V
11
I o Cuade nos
de
Filología. Valencia 1
994
. Fo a pe usal
o
he applica ion
o
sc
icnce o li e a u c,
hc e a e wo qui e use ul books. bo h edi ed by F ancisco Collado Rod lguez.
Del
mi o
a
la
ciencia:
la
11oi•e/a
no /eame ica w
co111empo á11ea
. Uni e sidad de Za agoza, 1990. and
Scie11ce
. Lí e a u e
cmd /n/e p e a io11:
Es. ny.1·
in Tll'ell ie h Ce11 u y Lí e a u e
and
C i ica/ Tl eo1y. Uni e sidad de
Za agoza, 1991.
7. Michael
C kh on.
Ja a.uic
Pwk
( 1991 ).London,C csse Edi íons, 1993
and
Tom Clancy.
The
Sum
o
Ali
Fea s, Ncw Yo k, Pu nam.
199l.
88 Jal'ie
Coy
In he 1950's he global isks cp escn ed by he
Cold
Wa became
appa en
oge he wi h he h ea
o
nuclea holocaus . The con lic s
and
ensions unwinding
in
hc ield
o
in ema ional poli ics and he clash be ween
he
wo g ea powe s will
clea ly show hei e lec ion on hei own espec i e en i onmen s, as shown by
he
di e se a emp s o impose ideological and mo al uni onni y
and
con o mi y
h ough
au ho i a ianism, and he pe sccu ion and ep ession
o
he «di e en .»
The mos no o ious agen
o
hose cp essions. albei no he only one,
was
possibly ep esen ed by hc wo k
o
he «House
Un
-Ame ican Ac i i ies Commi ee,»
whose mos conspicuous endea o s, ca icd ou wi hin he Hollywood mo ion
pic u e
indus y, eached hei peak in 1947, as is well known, wi h
he
no o iously in
amous
«black lis ings»
o
dozens
o
a is s and echnicians in ha ield
o
c ea i i y.
This
would be ollowed,
in
he ea ly l 950's, by he in es iga ions in wide a eas
o
he
coun y's
li e
o
a
Sena e
commi ee
, he so-
called
«Go e nmen
Ope a ions
Commi ee.» l s Chai man be ween 1952 and 1954, he
Sena o
o Wisconsin
Joseph
McCa hy,
b ough
i
o
ex emes
ha
ou aged
public
opin
ion
and
he
c y
ins i u ions he belonged
o.
His ac ions we e mainly aimed
agains
nume ous o icials
o
he S a e Depa men and he Depa men
o
he A my whc ein, acco ding
o
him
,
wi hou
p oo
and i ele an ly as well (al hough
o
many i didn' seem so
in
he
ch onological and geog aphical con ex ), hund cds
o
membe s
o
he Communis
Pa y had in il a ed hose ins i u ion
s.
The s ong ep oo
o
hese me hods i s
by
P esiden Eiscnhowe , and hen by he e y Scna e, inally did away wi h he p es ige
and he powe
o
h
is sena o , who los his c edibili y in his iolen and des uc i e
c usade agains communism.
Ali hese ac s will shade and modi y he a is ic and in ellec ual ac i i y
o
o he c ca o s in he many ields
o
he human in ellec .as is o
be
ele an ly app aised
om he me apho ical dcnuncia ions
in
he wo ks, maybe epheme al bu undoub edly
signi ican ,
o
he so-called «bca » w i e s
o
he Paci i.c coas , who will asse hei
e y igh o be «di e en », and hei subsequcn ebelliousness in he way
o
li e hey
adop ed.
Mcanwhile. mo i a ed by causes mo e exclusi e
ly
belonging o he social and
poli ical con ex
o
he Uni ed S a es. he ensuing uphea al will each
so
deeply in o
i s
cx u e
ha
i b
eco
m
es
di icul
o
make
e en
a
summa y:
he
ci il
igh
s
mo emen s.
and
he a emp s o eally gua an ee he
basic
human
igh s
o
he
Ame ican blacks
o
o he mino i y e hnical and cul u al g oups; he opposi ion o he
Vie nam Wa as a ques ion
o
p incipie,
anda
ma e
o jus ice
and eedom; he li cly
and e ile ac i i y
o
women in a ious ields
o
cxpe ience; he explo a ion
o
space
and i s scien i ic and echnological consequences, oge hc wi h he spec acula and
dizzying p og ess
o
he compu e sciences and he new concep
o
cybe space; and
nex.
o hese huge a eas we ind a numbe
o
smalle c en s, maybe
o
a lesse scope,
bu wi h an undeniable impac on he collec i e mind and sensi i i y: he poli ical
assassina ions in he 1960' s, he mass suicides, and so on. Each and e e y onc
o
hese
c en s will cause
o
sugges new li e a y exp essions
o
he eco e y
o
adi ional
ones,
i
wi h hei own pa icula di e ences.
Among ali hese ac o s he e a e so ne
o
hem ha specially s imula e he
a
i
s ic imagina ion: he li e a u e by he so-call
ed
e hnical mino i ies a ises wi h
T adi ion
o
Jmwi'a ion
in
/Je
«New»Ame ican
No el: 1960-1990
89
unexpcc ed s eng h, aking hose wo lds and hose cul u es ou
o
he ghe os in o
which hey had been pushed un il Wo ld Wa
JI
by he p e ailing WASP en i onmen .
Tha is wha happens wi h he no el
o
he Jewish-Ame ican and A ican-Ame ican
communi ies. La e
on
we can begin aking in o accoun he li e a u e w i en by
hc
na i e Ame ican Indians, mo e sca ce a he beginning,
and
by he people coming
om he
mig a ions
om he Sou he n
o
he Paci ic bo de s (Chicano, Asian-
Ame ican, e c.).
Ano he
co pus
o
li e a u e ha
is
likewise
going
o g ow
in
pe sonali y
and
in ensi y, in an o e whel ning de elopmen as has al eady
been
sugges ed, is ha
o
women w i e s belonging o
al!
laye s
o
he social and e hnical
Ame ican pano ama and ha we could cal!, in acco dance wi h Elaine Showal e 's
e minology, « emale» li e a u e
o
pe haps pos - eminis li e a u e
.s
The ehiclcs
o
exp ession ha ali hese imagina i e wo lds used o ealize
he nsel es implied he c ea ion
o
new na a i e me hods and s yles,
o
he eco e y
o
nodi ied adi ional ones: he a emp s o de ise new echniques wi h which o
eplace he in e io monologue as he ins umen lu·ough which o examine
h
e s eam
o
consciousness
o
he cha ac e s; he some imes almos e olu iona y upda ing
o
sub-gen es such as he his o ical no el;
o
he eme ging
o
ano he gen e ha in ends
o be, and looks like, some hing new, he so-called «non- ic ion no el,» ha is s ill
gi ing spec acula ui s in he unmeasu able wo k achie ed by No man Maile , he
mos i npo an among many o he s ha could be ecalled he e.
These a e li e a y cali ies ha he ac s jus men ioned o suggesled can help
cla i y and make be e unde s ood.
The
deep u moil
in
he con empo a y No h
Ame ican no el,
o
amazing a is ic and in ellec ual ichness, and echnical and
hema ic a ie y. could hus s a being pu in o con cx , and would hus ace one
o
he cons an ea u es in he his o y
o
li e a u e
in
his coun y (al hough admi edly, i
is no some hing unique o his
na
ional li e a u c): a e y deep
and
immedia e
in e connec ion
o
a wi h he his o ical and social con empo a y con ex . This can be
obse ed om i s i s u e ings in he se en een h and eigh een h cen u ies, o become
consolida ed on a pc manen basis
in
he nine een h cen u y. Pa allel o his ac we
need o unde line a signi ican! cha ac e is ic
o
a e y posi i e na u e: he in ense and
pene a ing c i ica! sense wi h which e y o en hc Ame ican no elis
o
in ellec
u
al
obse es and analyzes his own na ional eali y.
The
s eely c i icisms
h
a he an i-
Ame ican eeling
which
sp eads
h oughou many
Eu opean
and
non-Eu opean
coun ies a e Wo ld
Wm·
II will p oduce due o polí ica!, economic,
o
ideological
easons, a e no hing
i
compa ed lo hose which he No h Ame ican in elligen
s
ia and
8. Elaine Showal c . A Li e a u e
o
Thei Own: B i ish Women No elís s
om
B on e o
Lessing, P ince on. N.J.,P ince on Uni e sily P css.1977. Thc au ho shows hc p og css
o
womcn's
emancipa ion in lc e s, h ough h ee di e en s agcs: he i s onc, whi
ch
she calls « cmininc,»
adop s he male cul u al pa c n.and among í s cha ac c is ics
wc
ha c hc use
o
mal e pscudonyms,as
in Gco ge Elio 's case. Thc sccond one, « eminís ,» a s agc o p o es ha dc clnps ;í nul ancously
wi h hc
mi
li an su agc c · s mo emen .occasíonally lcading o pamphlc . And
í
nally hc hi
d
onc.
« cmalc,» whose au ho s cjcc ho h imí a ion and p o cs ,and c ca c an au onomous w i ing oo cd in
he cxpc icnce
o
womcn.
90
Ja
ie
Coy
i s a is s hemsel es a e going o exp ess in a sys ema ic ma
nne
o poin ou
he
ices
and ollies
o
hei
in
s i u ions,
o
o
condem
n speci ic
ac ion
s
aken
by
ho
se
in
s
i
u ions, which
in
he mos ex eme cases will each me u hlessness.
Bu he o igin
o
ali hese con empo a y mo emen s
mus
indeed be
sea ched
o in he g ea mas e s w i ing in he yea s be ween
bo
h
wo ld
wa s in he we
n ie h
ce
n u
y.
2
One
o
he means His o y uses o se i s di e en s ages, o ix i s limi s
and
o icialize o almos e balize he g ea changes hus implied, has been
o
d op
on o
he peoples huge des uc ing ca aclysms whic
h,
in modem imes, ha e been
mos ly
wa s. The ac comes o mind quickly ha con en ionally he eal s a
o
h
e wen ie h
cen u y has been ixed a e one
o
hose
c.li
sas e s, a e Wo ld Wa J: his
ca aclysm
will cause a d ama ic change in he p e ailing in el!ec ual and a is ic si ua ion.
The
mode nis w i e s a e going o acu ely eel i , and hei wo k
is
o a ce ain ex e
n
h
e
esu
l
o
hei g ie and ange when aced
wi
h hei pe cep ion
o
he esul ing c
ha
os,
es
pe
cially plain in John Dos Passos' no els and Elio 's a
nd
Pound's poe
y.
Ju
s
wo decades a e wa ds he wo ld will be wi ness o a n
ew
ac u e, a
leas
as in ense and agic as he p e ious one, caused by
Wo
l
d Wa
JI
. This con lic will
cu
in
wo he eali y
o
ou socie y and, pu ing an end o
he
p e ious wo ld, i
will
gi e way o he one we ha e li ed in un il
hi
s de
ca
de.
T ue enough, his wo ld has
no
emained s a ic, bu al hough subjec o imp
o
an! chang
es
and modi ica ions, hese
ha e been g adual and ha e no en i ely ans o med
i
s pe sonali
y.
Finally, his ime segmen has eached i s high
po
i
n
wi h he all
o
he
Be lin
wall and he subsequen dismembe men
o
he So ie Empi e, ha seemed o
ma k
he end
o
he «Cold Wa » and he beginning
o
a new s age. This s age, he so-called
«New Wo ld O de
,»
in an un o una e exp ession ha so
und
s o he independen
minc.l
as an unconscious sa casm,
o
a leas an i onic coun e poin o eali y as
we
see
i , will make i sel pe cep ible in all i s e ec s, poli ical, social, cul u al, and a is ic,
only in he nex
ew
decades, al hough igh now we can al eady iden i y so ne signals
h
a hin o i s u u e cha ac e is ics.9
Res ic ing ou a
en
ion
o
he U.S. eali
y,
he abo c conside a ions s ill apply.
I
we conce
n
a e ou ocus on ha pa
o
ea
li
y ha is he subje
c
o
li e a u e while
9.
One o !hose
hi
n s. howe e supe icial and i ele an , can be ound in he ans onna ion
undc gone by he in c na ional h ille
o
he
li
e a u e
o
spies, whe c he «good guys» and lhe «bad
guys» a e no longe Ame icans and
Ru
ssians espec i ely. The mos ecen no els cílec i on he
i
sea ch o new illai
ns
whom he he o mus igh . Thus. he mo e han 300 h
un
d
ed
page long
jo
ke
de ised by John Le Ca é. in The Tailo
<!
Panama ( 1996);
o
he no cls
by
Rob
en
Ludlum, F ede
i
ck
Fo sy h. a
nd
Tom Clancy (h
is
mosl ecen one,
Rai11bow
Six,
1998,
lak
in
g
lh
c
1h ca1
lo humankind
wilhin his own Uni ed S a es, lo apocalyplic ex emes) and ali published a lc hc all
o
he Be lin
Wa
ll.
T udi ion o
J1111om io11
in he «New» Ame ican No el: 1960-
199
0
91
being, a he same ime, i s essence, i can be likewise obse
ed
ha hose c acks
o
ac u es a e as ope a i e he e as in wide his o ical
o
soc
ial pe spec i e
s.
In qui e a
supe icial
and
simpli ied way (which can
ne e hele
ss
each any le el
o
dep h
equi ed when in o m
ed
by
he
p ope cla i icalions) he eason
is
ha , as usual,
li e a u e inds i sel condi ioned in wha e e measu
e,
by he ex emal
ea
li y
o
i s
c ea o s, among o he ac s ha shape and de ine i . This is eílec ed in a ious ways
by he g ea mas e s
o
Modemism.
B
ie
íly looking
a
he wo k
o
he w i e s
o
he
i s
pa
o
he wen ie h
ce
n u
y
we
w
ill
ind ha hei
g ea
opics,
peculia
a
nd
di e en hough hei
ea men
o
hem may be, a e
bu
a lis
o
so ne
o
he g ea cons an hemes in he
his o y
o
li e a u
e,
explo ed om se e a! poin s
o
iew, om di e en c i ica!
s ands, shaping a wide pano amic iew
o
human expe ience, deep
and
ich in i s
ex en e en
i
no absolu ely comp ehensi e.
So ne
o
hose hemes a e: Inno
ce
nce e sus Expe ience, analyzed by William
Faulkne
in
a numbe
o
wo
k
s. Among hem we
ca
n highligh
Go
Down
, Moses,
whe e
lke
McCaslin
is
de
sc ib
ed
as
i
ha
ing
been
bo n
old
, «
be
came
s
ea
dily
young
e
and younge un il, pas se en y himsel and a leas ha many yea s nea e
eigh y han he e e admi ed anymo e. he had acqui ed some hing
o
a young boy's
high
and
sel less
innocence.»
io
Thi
s is an
image
o
he
my h
o
he
yo
u h
and
innocence
o
he na ion and i s popula ion ha D.
H.
Law ence al eady applied o
James Fenimo e Coope
's
Na y Bumpo, almos li e ally making his a mo e gene al
o mula ion oiced in heo e
i
cal e ms by Eme s
on
in
hi
s essay «Na u e.
»1
1
The
my h
o
Eden
a
nd
U opía
, possibly he i s
e e
o ake shape in he
Ame ican mind, since i is based
on
he wish ul hop
es
o
he Pilg im Fa he s ha
a elled aboa d he
Mayílowe
in
1620, analyz
ed
in Faulkne
's
as well as in
F.
Sco
Fi zge ald's wo k.
The
ole
o
he
Se
l
and
i s
place
wi hin he Family
o
social
en i onmen h
a
hey p obe in o om he cha ac e
's
m
os
in ense subjec i
i
y,
in
hei pa adoxical sea ch o a ain he g ea es objec i i y ha
ca
n
be
achie ed,
Lh ough
he a ious ways hey will c ea e
o
up
g a
de
.
I
mus
be s essed he e one
o
he
echnical
de ices
used
in
wo ks
o
his
na u e:
he
de elopmen
o
he
in e io
monologue echnique ha allows Faulkn
e
(in The
Sound
and
he
Fwy
and As 1
Lay
Dyíng, o ins ance), and D
os
Passos (pa icula ly in he «Ca
me
a Eye» sec
i
o
ns
, in
V.S.A
.)
and o he s o examine hei cha ac e
s'
s eam
o
consciouness.
Na u e and i s p esence in His o y, bound o be des oyed in
h
e
nam
e
o
a sel -
p oclaimed id
ea
l
o
p og ess, wi h Faulkne as a ep esen a i e igu e bu a ac ing as
JO.
William Faulkne , Go D
ow
n, Moses, New Yo k, Rand
om
House, 1942, p. 106.
l
l.
D. H. Law encc: he no els
o
h
c «Lea he s ockin
g»
se ies a e in so ne way he c ea
i
ons
which i s gi
c
oice o ha my h, and hey c
mb
ody i in Na ly Bu npo and olhe cba ac e s, who «go
backwa ds. om old age o gol
de
n you h. Tha is
hc
ue my h
o
Ame i
ca
. She s a s old, old,
w inkled and w i hing in an old skin. And hc e is a g adual sloug
hi
ng
o
he old skin, owa ds a new
you h.
J
is he my h
o
Amc ica»
(S 11dies
in Clussic
Ame ican
Li e a/l/ e. NewYo k, Viking, 1961,
p.
54). And Je us
li
s
en
o
Ra
lph
Wa
l
do
Emc son,in his essay «Na u e»: «In he
wo
o
ds
oo, a man cas s
o his yea s,as he snake his slough.and a wha pe iod soe e o li e, is always a child.
In
he woods
is pe pe ua! you h» (Essays ali(/ Lec u es, New Yo k. Thc Lib a y
o
Ame ica. 1983, p. 1
O).
92
lal'ie
Coy
we
ll
he
a en ion
in
some
kcy
ex s
o
He
mingway
's
and
Do
s
Passos'.
The
independen Indi
i
du
al
e sus he Ins i u ion
's
au ho i a ianism, w
hi
ch he
o me
ies o sepa a e om and ejec when he
i
nds i un ai and c ippling, Dos Pa
ssos
and
Hemingway once again being p ominen exam
pl
es
. lnjus
i
ce
and Opp ession, be
he
y
poli ical, social, acial, o e en eligious in na u e, ep ese
n ed
abo e ali
by
Faulkn
e
and S einbeck.
La
ck
o
communica ion and he
e
sul ing loneliness, agains he
ne
ed
o
sha e one's expe ience
an
d eelings: main wo y
o
he
p
ecu so and
somehow
mas e
o
he modemis w i e s, She wood Ande son, w
hi
ch mani es s i sel as
we
ll
in
Hemingway and Sco Fi zge ald.
Las ly. h
ough
he abo e
<loes
no
exha
us he
ca a
logue
o
apies
a
nd
ech
ni
qu
es
cul i a ed
by
he
se
a
u ho
s,
he
ealiza ion
o
he agili y
o
h
e
«Ame ican D eam» my
h
, which hey will explo e om
ac
u ely
c
i ica! s andpoin s o
come o he conclusion ha his «d cam» is mo e o en a «nigh ma e,» as e le
c ed
in
so ne o
he
wo ks by Fi zge ald,
Dos
Passos, and S ei
nb
eck
. I consi
de
hese
sugges ions as eloquen enough o illus a e he poin wi hou
h
e need o go in o mo e
dc ail, which would leng hen his
pap
e unnecessa il
y.
Thc impo an wo k (
o
he impo an! pa
o
he wo k)
o
mos
o
hese au ho s
will be done
in
he
w
o decades be ween be wa s. The e a e wo kinds
o
excep ions:
on he one side Fi zge ald, among he younges , will see
hi
s wo k de ini ely cu
sho
by dea h in 1940. The same happens wi h Na hanael Wcs , an au ho no men ioned
be o e bu an inci
si e
c i
i
c
o
men' s ollies and s upidi ies, whose wo k has allen
in
o
somewha un ai obli ion. Among hose who wil go on
wi h
hei c ea i e ac i i y
a e Wo ld Wa II. in
my
opinioo on
ly
a ew
e
ach any signi ican! achie emen s
wi hin
h
ei whole a is ic p oduc ion. P obably Faulkne 's case is
che
mos aluable
une, wi h he las wo pa s
o
his ilogy abou he Snopes amil y, The
Town
and The
Mansion,
in
1957 and 1960 espec i ely. among o he wo ks
o
his pe iod: In ude in
he Dus , 1948; Knigh 's Gamhi , 1949; Requiem
o
a N m,
1951
; and The Rei e s,
1962. These wo ks make up
an
imagina i e co pus ha would be enough on i s own o
keep Faulkne in he place ha he
in
all ai ne
ss
has achie ed io he canon m
os
widely accep ed by c i ics and eade s.
The echniques and o ms sway in a ich ca alogue
o
op ions anging
om
adi ional ealism o i s mos age-speci ic a ia ions, o e lapping some imes wi hin a
wo k o an au ho : om he p ese a ion
o
sub le na u alis ic e e ences, such as
in
Ande son and Faulkne .
o
he eaching
o
a symbolic ealism
in
some wo ks by
Do
s
Pa
ssos
and
Hemin
gway on
occasion
, he la
e
inc
o po a in
g i
o
his
o m
o
« omance» pa odically used. The de elopmen
o
he in e io monologue al eady
men ioned wi h special ega d o pa
o
Faulkne 's wo k a
nd
al
so pe haps
in
a lesse
deg ee,
o
Dos Passos' wo
k
. The ic ional biog aphy, he mo e inwa dly explo ed
he
b
e e
,
used
some imes
by
Fi zge ald
wi h
a
ea men
ha
sub
lima e
s
i s
au obiog aphical esou ces; and also p ac iced, wi h deep poe ic ouches,
by
John
Do
s
Passos, who adds o
i a
s well some au obiog aphical eleme
n
s o me apho ical alue,
ui
o
his pe sonal aes he icism, hus achie ing he uni e sa
li
za ion
o
expe iences
ha would o he wise
be
kep o he ealm
o
he me ely anecdo ical. And inally, he
occasional appea ance
o
exp cssionism should no be o go en, al hough his will
be
cul i a ed mo e in ense
ly
in he d ama: ob iously in so
n
e plays by Eugene O'Neill,
T adi ion o Imw u ion in he
«N
ew» Ame ican No el: 1960
-/
990
93
in
cluding so ne pa
o
his wo k ex ending beyond Wo ld Wa II; and also in A hu
Mille and his
Dea h
o
a Salesman. Bu
i
oo will licke e e y once in a while in
p ose
ic
ion, as i is shown
in
indi idual passages o ,
o
ins ance, Dos Passos and,
maybe mo e o en,
in
Na hanael Wes .
As a as he p emise
o
basic me apho used
by
many
o
hese au ho s as
he
sla ing poin
o
hei concep ion
o
he wo ld and
o
mankind is concemed, we could
poin
ou
ha
s a ed
by he
somehow
p ecu so
and
o many a young c ea o ,
undeniable
ma
s e , She wood Ande son, when asse ing in Winesbu g, Ohio (1919)
ha «e e yone in he wo ld is Ch1is and hey a e ali c uci ied.»
12
Thus he essence
o
lhe human condi
io
n
is
seen om a ce ain, almos ixed and cons an pe spec i e: man
as a ic im
o
pain. injus ice and su e ing, who is none heless a ble
lo
li
himsel abo c
his mis o unes in o de o s ale he iumph
o
his pe sonal digni y and au hen ici y.
This a i ude can be ound in he excellen «poli ical» wo ks (in he bes sense
o
he adjec i e) by John Dos Passos, Th ee
Sold
ie
.;
(1921)
o
he monumen al U.S.A.
(1930:
42nd
Pa a/le/; 1932: 1919; 1936: The
Big
Mone
y). O in he pa odie, desola e
and bi e « omances» c ea ed by Hemingwa
y,
in bis obs
ess
ion o encoun e ing one's
own sel ha will b ing man pe
s
ona
l,
inne peace. I is a sea ch ha will lead him, as
ea ly as 1927
in
his no el The Sun also
Ris
es,
o
ind ou ha his sea ch needs o be
an inne sea ch i i
is
o
be any hing a ali: «going o ano he coun y doesn' make
any di e
ence
....
You
can' ge away om you sel
by
mo ing om one place o
ano he .
»13
This
is he
exp e
ssion
o
a pe a
din
g
mo
od
in which
o
he
kinds
o
li
e a u e, he so
ca
lled «low-b ow», also pa icipa e. In he de ec i e no el, Rec
oil
(1953 ), by
Jim
Thompson, when he p o agonis is o e ed a
<leal
by
he
c im
in
al
( o
no
gi e him up o he police) p omising him a o une so ha he can ge away o s
m
a new and com o able li e, he an
sw
e
is as
o undas
i is conclusi e:
«'I
don
'
hi
nk
so,' I said. 'A man
can'
ge away om himsel
.
',,14
This is an a li ude sha ed by he poe om Sain Louis, by he Mississippi
Ri e , T. S. Elio , who will exp ess i wi
h
iden ical p ecision when e c ing
o
he
in
e io o ces ha ope a e in ano he
yo
un
g a elle , Hucklebe y Finn. When he
een-age ,
bom
and g own up by his e y «old man i e ,» ema ks ha his las
csou ce is « o ligh ou o he e i o y,»15 Elio ad ises him no o os e oo many
hopes because, in hc end, «The i e is wi hin us
.»1
6
12. Sh
c wood
Ande son. Winesbu Ji, Ohio, Ncw Yo k, Peng
ui
n ( «The Viking
C
i ica]
Lib a y» ), 1966, p. 57.
13
. E ncs Hemingway, The Sun a/so Rises, New Yo k, Sc ibne 's, 1954,
p.
11.
14.
Jim Thomps
on
, Recoil, Be keley, C ea i
e
A ls, 1985, p. 1
73
.
15. Ma k Twain, Hucklebe y Film, N
ew
Yo k and E ans on. Ha pe and Row, 1931, p. 405.
16.
T.
S.
Elio , Fou Qua e s , London, Fabe and Fabe , 1963,p. 36.
I
migh
be
added hc e,
by he way, ha Hemingway's well known s a cmen
o
19
35, in he sense ha «Ali modem Ame ican
li e a u
c
comes om one book by
Ma
k
Twain cal ed Hucklebe y Finn,»
is
shaded by a sha p
wa ning abou hc ue ending o he no el: «you mus! s op whe e he Nigge Jim
is
s olen om he
hoys. Tha
is
hc eal end. The es
is
chea ing.» G een Hills
o
A ica,
Ha
mondswo h, Penguin.
p.
26). This quali ica ion may ha e been one o he easons ha ga e ise in he 1
950's
o he long
c i ica] con o e sy abou
Twa
in
's
book ending. Leo Ma x,
o
ins ance, belie es ha he hu lesq
ue
endi
ng
be
ays
ils in ended se iousness and anscendence:
on
he con my, Elio and T i
ll
ing de end
hc end
in
g as
i
is
. This
co
n o e sy ca ied on o e he 60's and
70
's a
nd
e en la
e
.
100 Ja ie Coy
In
a e y much quo ed lec u e abou he p oblems
ai
sed by he
ques ion
o
«W i ing Ame ican Fic ion,» Philip Ro
h
said in 1960: «
he
Ame ican w i e
in
he
middle
o
he wen ie h cen u y has his hands ull ying o unde s and.
desc ibe
a
nd
hen make c edible much
o
Am
e
ican eali y.
I
s upe ies,
i
sickens, i in u ia es,
and
inally i is e en a kind
o
emba assmen o
one's
own
m
eag e
imagina ion. The
ac uali y is con inually ou doing
ou
alen s, and he cul u e osses up igu es
almo
s
daily ha a e he en y
o
any no elis .
»J4
In
one
way, his asse ion poin s
o
he hand
li
ng
o
a pa
o
Ame ican
eali y
no ye explo ed in an in endedly exhaus
i
e manne . Now
he
w i e s
h
a make
up
he
wo lds
o
mino i ies, be hey e hnic, sexual, eligious o o he wise
(a
nd all o
hem
ha ing aluable p edecesso s) will y o desc ibe his eali y om hei in e io ized
i s -
hand
knowl
ed
ge
o
i .
Th
ey
s a
ebellin
g
agains
he ole
o
ic ims
o
disc imina ion, pe secu ion
o
in
jus
ice impo
sed
upon
hem
by he socie y in
gene al
,
and h
ei
anglosaxon
p o
es
an
pa adigms
, as p e aili
ng
canon
s
o
be
ha io
and
alues.
Fa
om
being sa is ied wi h dissol ing and in eg
a in
g hemsel es in o
h
e
so
-called «mel ing poi,» which has been p o ed o be a
com
ple e allacy, hey
e u
se
o accep he subo dina c ole hey ha e been adi ionally assigned in o de o
p o e
ss
and
cxp ess
hei
p ide
in
hei
e hnic
,
cul u
al,
and
lig
ui
s ic
o
i
g
ins,
in
h
ei
di e ences. Acco dingly, hey will y and ca y ou an
in
ense
, deep, and
hon
es
explo a
ion
o
hei pa icula wo lds
in
o de
o newly
de ine
he
i
own
and
u
e
iden i
y,
bea ing wi ness he
eo
, wi h hei own mo al and aes he ic weapons.
In spi e
o
e e y hing, we ind
in
he end ha hcy
a e
embedded
in
h
e adi i
on
deepe
han
hey
hink
, o as
was
sa
id
be o e
, She
wood
Ande son
had
al
eady
concluded ha «e e yone
in
he wo ld is Ch is and h
ey
a e
all c nci ied»; hen,
when
we
l
ea
n la e
on
ha o Be na d Malamud «ali men
a e
Jews
»3
and o
Rich
a d
W igh , simila ly o mula ed hough shaped o se e his
own
imagina i e
in e
es s,
« he Neg o is Ame ica's me apho
,»36
we see ha
i
is
no
eally ha o
i
ginal,
and
o iginali y mus be looked o
in
he
pa
i
cu
la s a h
e
han he gene ali ies. As la e
as
1994 hc idea is
go
ing o be e- o mula ed, in a somcw
ha
new and mo e inclu
si e
manne ; he speake ,
i
mus
be
s ongly emphasized,
is
a
black
man and he no el y is
easily pe cei ed, wi h a new call o solida i
y,
his ime
making
exp ess e e ence
o
he di e ences because
o
ace ha should disappea : «
An
y man
be
an lndian no
ma
e
how
he 's bo n.»37
So
ha ,
pe haps
o
he i s i
me
,
he e
is an a
i
s ic
o mula ion ying
o
uni e ali aces in he one and only human ace.
Ali in ali, he esea ch in o, and he exp ession
o
man's
digni y in his su e ing
due o in ole ance, injus ice, op ession,
whe he
he
is
A ican
Ame ican,
Jewi
sh
34
. Philip Rolh, «W i ing Ame i
ca
n
Fic io
n,» Reading
M
ys~l
and O he s, New Yo k, Fa a ,
S aus & Gi oux,
19
75, p. 120.
35
.
Quoled
by
A
ll
en
Gu
m
ann,
Tli
e J
ewislz
No el
in
Am
e i
ca.
Ncw Yo k. O
x o
d Uni e sicy
P
css
. 1971 , p. 1 18,
so
u ce no! mcn ioncd.
36
.
Quo
ed
by
lhab
Hassan, Colllempo a y Ame ican
Li em
u e. 1945-1972, New
Yo k
,
Unga , 1973, p.
74
, sou ce no men ioncd.
37. Wy
n
on
Ma
sa
li
s, Blo
od
on he Fields,
Ne
w
Yo
k.
Son
y Music Enl
e1
1ainmen . 1997.
T adi úm
o
Inno a ion in he «New» Ame ican No el: 1960-1990 101
Ame ican, Chicano, Asian-Ame ican
o
wha e e ,
becomes
one u he me apho
(wi h i s pa icula ea u es)
o
he
des iny
o
mankind,
o
he mise y and he g ea ness
o
he human condi ion. This ci cums ance is wha in he end g an s hese w i e s he
uni e sali y hey ce ainly don' lack uming hei s o ies in o me e wo ks
o
a , ha
would only
be
un ai ly dis o ed and na owed in hei scope by any es ic ing
o
condi ional labels.
Ro h's
obse a ion poin s also o a mo e ob ious meaning encompassing such
e enls as he poli ical assassina ions wa ched in T.V. (some imes e en li e, as in Lee
Ha ey Oswald's case o example, in 1963,
o
Robe Kennedy
's
in
1968); he cold-
blooded mu de s pho og aphed by joumalis s ha happened o be in he igh place
a
he igh ime (such as he Vie -Cong gue illa mu de ed by a Vie -Namese gene al,
he chie
o
police in Sou h Vie nam in 1968. ha ga e in ema ional ame
o
he
pho og aphe om Associa ed P ess Eddie Adams); he accoun
o he
mass suicide
o
hund eds
o
Re e end
Janes'
ollowe s in Guiana.
O
in a di e en con ex . he
amazing scien i ic aml cchnological p og ess
in
he ields
o
nuclea ene gy, space
esca ch,
o
he possibili ies, ha we can only s a glimpsing, c ea ed by compu e
science and i s a ious applica ions, which could d ama ically change so many aspec s
o
man's li e in a no so dis an u u e.
In ligh
o
ali hese ac s, we canno howe e conclude ha hose s imuli nay
ha e caused amazemen , ou age, w a h. admi a ion
o
e o in a g ea e deg ee han
ha caused by pas echnical indings, c imes o
hono s
in he co esponding eade s
o audiences.
I
would be a ai ly
na·i e
assump ion, and
i
would mean igno1ing a ac
ha . as such,
is
ha d o ques ion. (As John Adams said a ew cen u ies be o e:«This is
a ac and ac s a e s ubbo n hings in opposi ion
o
specula ion.»
px
The human
bcing's capaci y
o
emo ional eac ion is no nccessa ily weigh ed
by
he mo e o lcss
objecli e magni ude
o
his s imulus, bu by he limi s and condi ions
o
man' s own
na u e. Thus, nobody can say ha P esiden Kennedy's assassina ion s i ed up deepe
emo ions,
o
one kind
o
ano hc , han Ab aham Lincoln's;
o
ha he in en ion
o
he
elephone su p ised and ma elled he people a ha ime less han he landing on he
noon did ou con empo a ies.
Thc e o c, hc ques ion is no whe he ou p esen wo ld is mo e iolen , mo e
as ounding
o
c uelle han in he pas . A any a c, his would be a u ile discussion
hased on shee specula ion impossible o p o e. The ques ion is ha while he ac ual
c cn in he pas . wha e e i s na u e migh ha e been, was dis an om he ci izen,
and only
a ailable
h uugh he ill
e
o
li e a u e
(whc he
jou n
alis ic
o
no ),
nowadays,
in
his wo ld pe mea ed
by
he explosion and a - eaching ange
o
he
mass media,
i
is qui e o cn cadily a ailablc o hc hand and he eye
o
he o dina y
ci izen. The consequence is hen ha when e en-ing s ic ly o ac , he li e a u c
o
wa canno compe e wi h ele ision as a as immediacy and i idness a e concemed.
Likewise,
o
ha e a mu de ecoun ed
is
no
he same as wa ching he images on
38. John Adams, The W ks
o
J hn Adams: wi h
ali e
o he
au lw ,
by
his g andson Cha
le
s
F ancis Adams.Bos on.Li le B own and
Co
. .1850-
56
, ol IX,p. 470. Which scn cncc could be jus a
e
o1
mula ion
o
he old apho ism
o
Scholas icism, «Con a ac a, non sun a gumen a».
102
Ja
i
e
Coy
e
lc ision in ou own li ing- oom. Bu deep down in
human
consciousness
ha
ui
sm
does no sc
em
su icien cause o undc s a e he imponance
o
a in all i s o os.
Toda
y's
wo ld
seems
hus
a
s age
wh
e e
a
numbc
o
e e
n
s
a e
being
ep esen ed hal
go
beyond
hc no el
is '
s imagina ion,
o
which
hi
s
capaci y
o
in cn ion is
no
ma ch.
Tha 's
why hey eel compelled
o
look o new
ways
o
awakening and s imula ing he eade
's
in e es , by p o
ced
u es o he han in en ion.
Since eal
i
y
is
p odigally p oducing lamboyan , m e es ing, and amazing e en s,
many w i c s u n o i in o de o make a1 is ic slu
o
wha ini ially seemed lo belong
o he ca
lm
o
ac , by applying
o
i a
ea
men ha used
o
be ese ed o ic ion.
This is ali ue ami pe haps ob ious, bu in no way does i exhaus he
iew
i
wc mus be ai and balanced The con empo a y Ame ican no el, he a in gene al, is
no o be limi ed
in
such a d ama ic, na ow,
i
gid way.
T a
di ion is no exhaus ed, i s
a ious componen s s ill allow o new combina ions ha gi e o iginal, esh, new
esul s. As Eli
o
said. hose esul s a e in luenccd by he adi ion lhey belong
o
in
as
much as hcy modi y and e
n
ich such a adi ion: «Thc
cxis i
ng monumen s
o m
an
ideal o de among hemsel es. which is modi ied by he in oduc ion
o
h
e new ( he
eally new) wo k
o
a
among
hem
. The exis ing o dc
is
comple e bc o e
he
ne
w
wo k a i es; o o de o pe sis a e he supe en ion
o
no elly,
h
e whole
ex
is ing
o de musl
be.
i e e so
sl
igh ly, al e ed: and so
he
el
a io
ns, p opo ions. alu
es
o
cach wo k
o
a owa d
h
e whole a e eadjus ed; and h
is
is con o mi y be ween
he
old and he new
.»3
9
Banh
se
em
s o app o e
o
his i
dea
when he uses Jo ge
Lu
is
Bo gcs' quo a ion as he epig aph o one
o
hi
s al eady men ioned ex
s:
«
The
ac
is
ha e e y w i e c ea es his own p ecu so
s.
His wo k modi ies ou concep ion
o
h
e
pas . as i will mo
di
y he u u e.»4º
And man's own expe ie
nc
e, his beha io and his eac ions, his ices
and
his
i ues, s ill c
on ain
uncxplo ed
depo
si s a
nd
unp ecedcn
cd
eso
u ces
wi hin
hemsel es. as be i s he endless s
ea
m. he unp edic ablc oad upon which
he
eads
and which cons i u es a he same ime his own na u e.
39.
T.
S.
E
li
o , «T adi ion and he Indi idual Talen!,»
Th
e Sac ed
iVciod,
Lo
ndon
and
N
ew
Yo k. Mc hucn/Ba ncs & Noble. 1966,
p.
50.
40.
ohn
Bai1h,
«T
he Li e a u e
u
Ex
hau, ion
,»
Raymond
Fcdc man. edi o . op. ci ..
p.
19.