From Words to Images: Postmodern Transformation in Mao II

M. Boomika¹, Dr. S. Karthika²

¹Research Scholar, Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam. (Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli- 627012). boomikam25072001@gmail.com

²Associate Professor of English, Sri Parasakthi College for Women, Courtallam. (Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Abishekapatti, Tirunelveli- 627012).

Abstract

Historically, novels played a significant role in shaping people’s lives. However, in the contemporary era, media has largely taken over this role, offering various benefits, while also producing negative influence. This paper focuses on Don DeLillo’s Mao II, a postmodern novel that critiques the diminishing condition of the novelist in the modern era. It examines the struggles of writers and how art loses its power over media influence. Using Guy Debord’s theory, the paper analyses the condition of the artist in the contemporary world, and the growing influence of corporate power in the marketing of art. The novel illustrates how images surpass texts in shaping consciousness, and continuous media exposures normalise violence. The paper highlights how people are made to see profit in everything, thereby losing their perception of the lived experience. 

Keywords: Art, Spectacle, Commodity, Media, Images.