Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero
The consumer culture of late capitalism is more than ever associated with the concept of urban space. Prevalent in the late capitalist society is abstract space that homogenizes and flattens out the differences, conflicts and contradictions on the social scene. This process of homogenization acts as...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Kurdistan
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Critical Literary Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://cls.uok.ac.ir/article_62216.html |
| _version_ | 1818189214408245248 |
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| author | Mohsen Rezaeian Bahee Hadaegh |
| author_facet | Mohsen Rezaeian Bahee Hadaegh |
| author_sort | Mohsen Rezaeian |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The consumer culture of late capitalism is more than ever associated with the concept of urban space. Prevalent in the late capitalist society is abstract space that homogenizes and flattens out the differences, conflicts and contradictions on the social scene. This process of homogenization acts as a mechanism of control to preserve the current status quo. In Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero, abstract space, by homogenizing and fragmenting the body and lived experience, makes the characters comply with the consumer culture and suppresses the potentials for the difference and the emergence of alternative spaces. In this paper, the role abstract space plays in Ellis's novel is analyzed in the light of Henri Lefebvre's theory of space. The present study argues that abstract space numbs the potentials for difference and heterogeneity in Ellis's novel. Instead, it imposes homogeneity on social relations, pushing the characters to the brink of invisibility and nothingness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T23:39:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7093c99e6544e7db0d6cdcfb406f936 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2676-699X 2716-9928 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T23:39:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Kurdistan |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Critical Literary Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7093c99e6544e7db0d6cdcfb406f9362022-12-22T00:45:47ZengUniversity of KurdistanCritical Literary Studies2676-699X2716-99282022-05-01429111010.34785/J014.2022.269Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than ZeroMohsen Rezaeian0Bahee Hadaegh1PhD Candidate in English Literature, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran Associate Professor of Transnational Literature and Drama Studies, Shiraz University, Shiraz, IranThe consumer culture of late capitalism is more than ever associated with the concept of urban space. Prevalent in the late capitalist society is abstract space that homogenizes and flattens out the differences, conflicts and contradictions on the social scene. This process of homogenization acts as a mechanism of control to preserve the current status quo. In Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero, abstract space, by homogenizing and fragmenting the body and lived experience, makes the characters comply with the consumer culture and suppresses the potentials for the difference and the emergence of alternative spaces. In this paper, the role abstract space plays in Ellis's novel is analyzed in the light of Henri Lefebvre's theory of space. The present study argues that abstract space numbs the potentials for difference and heterogeneity in Ellis's novel. Instead, it imposes homogeneity on social relations, pushing the characters to the brink of invisibility and nothingness.https://cls.uok.ac.ir/article_62216.htmlhenri lefebvrespatialitythe visualthe phallicthe mirror |
| spellingShingle | Mohsen Rezaeian Bahee Hadaegh Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero Critical Literary Studies henri lefebvre spatiality the visual the phallic the mirror |
| title | Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero |
| title_full | Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero |
| title_fullStr | Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero |
| title_full_unstemmed | Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero |
| title_short | Abstract Space in Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero |
| title_sort | abstract space in bret easton ellis s less than zero |
| topic | henri lefebvre spatiality the visual the phallic the mirror |
| url | https://cls.uok.ac.ir/article_62216.html |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mohsenrezaeian abstractspaceinbreteastonellisslessthanzero AT baheehadaegh abstractspaceinbreteastonellisslessthanzero |