Don DeLillo takes what is already postmodernist, the wave of conspiracies following the JFK assasination, and incorporates this into a novel that seamlessly blends theory with fact. DeLillo's telling of Lee's story, with it's inclusion of publically accessable and made-up information, resembles how Ragtime and Mumbo Jumbo handle history. For Ragtime, the similarities stem from the lack of distinction between history and fiction, to the point that someone without much prior relevant historical knowledge wouldn't have any reason to doubt the fictional aspects. Libra's similarities with Mumbo Jumbo are instead related to their inclusion of real historical documents in their novels in a way that resembles a work of non-fiction. Where Mumbo Jumbo uses frequent historical photographs, infromational footnotes, and written artifacts, Libra directly quotes Lee's diary or has dated journal entries, such as on page 210:
From the Historic Diary.The coming of Fall, my dread of a new Russion winter, are mellowed in splendid golds and reds of fall in Belorussia plums peaches appricots and cherrys abound for these last fall weeks I am a healthy brown color and stuffed with fresh fruit...
Including a real historical document or so many dates would usually be characteristic of an autobiography, not fiction. The way that Libra's inclusion of history dismantles literary convention is something so Mumbo Jumbo.
Don DeLillo's approach to post modernism also reflects Octavia Butler's in Kindred, this reflection shown more in the deeper themes of the novel than the other two books. Both novels are based in the importance of questioning and challenging the historical narrative put out to us, whether by the U.S. government or American society as a whole, since it is often not as trustworthy as we may think. Kindred shows this through the way it challenges how American history often represents slavery, watering it down, ignoring it, or not focusing on the real people impacted, by featuring a story centered on the sustained affects slavery, and the systems that perpetuate it, directly have on people. Libra proposes that history, in this case the JFK assasination, was directly manipulated by higher powers, and that the discipline that should be a truthful representation of humanity's past isn't always trustworthy.
Don DeLillo's Libra features postmodernist aspects on so many levels of its narrative, from how it breaks literary conventions to challenges our view of history, and parallels other works from that movement while still being its own unique, compelling work.
There are a number of "real documents" that are used to characterize Lee throughout the novel, and the excerpts from the Historic Diary are only some of them. Obviously there are the photos taken in Lee and Marina's backyard, one of which was indeed sent to de Mohrenschildt on the eve of the attempt on General Walker's life, but we also get the actual text of the Marine report on his accidental shooting and his court martial. As you note, it's kind of an ideal case for a history-fiction mashup, as DeLillo threads a fictional story about Lee getting a pistol from Konno, along with some motivation to do something desperate so he can remain in Atsugi, into the documentation of his accidental shooting and provides a "story" around it--as Hayden White declared in the 1970s, the facts do not "speak for themselves" and historians must connect them via narrative, using inherently fictional means. We see DeLillo doing this throughout the novel--taking the often incoherent facts (why does Oswald suddenly upend his life and move to New Orleans? Or take a two-day trip to Mexico City a month before the assassination?) and building a story out of them. The story can't be verified OR disproven, so we have to go on whether or not it offers a plausible and compelling narrative with explanatory power.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I never thought about the similarities between this book and the others we've read throughout this class, and your post really makes them apparent. I honestly think Libra was the best possible way to end this semester. It seems to combine all the elements of postmodern literature that our other books explored, and although it got pretty confusing at times, I still think there are some very interesting themes it explores.
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe. I think Libra in some ways is the most post modern book that we have read (but how do we measure that?) It takes a theoretically factual event, and fictionalizes it, and in some ways insults or makes the event on November 22, 1963 less shocking. But we allow these theories to persist in society due to either the comfort they give, or how we just might not believe it was just Lee.
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe! First off, I really enjoyed the layout of your post. Secondly, I do agree that Libra is a great example of Postmodernist literature. Out of all of the books we've read, I would say this is most relevant when it comes to postmodernism. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Chloe! I definitely see your point that Libra is the most post-modernist of the novels we read in History as Fiction. I often found myself completely unable to know what was based in "known history" and what was DeLillo's creation. He succeeded in blurring the lines between reality and speculation, much in the same way that the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination did.
ReplyDeleteHi Chloe! I really like your take on how this book is the most post-modernist book that we read. I like how directly and obviously post-modernist it is, especially the fact that almost all of the plot in the book can’t necessarily be disproven besides a few examples. I also never really thought to compare the level of post modernism of this book to the others we read during the semester, so this was a very interesting blog to read. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post Chloe!! I do agree that Libra is the most post-modernist book that we've read this semester. In DeLillo's novel is gets pretty difficult to know the difference between history and fiction. He did an outstanding job at blurring those lines, making the story line super annoying yet super engaging. Great Job!
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