Power Of Powerlessness:Animatedness In Delillo's Libra In The Context Of Media Culture

Don DeLillo(1936—)is one of the prominent contemporary American writers,and National Book Award winner.Libra(1988),once earned Don DeLillo the first International Fiction Prize sponsored by The Irish Times and nominated for National Book Award,triggered heated discussion soon after its publication.Critics hold quite controversial ideas about the agency of subject concerning the media culture in Don DeLillo's Libra,among which most critics remark the inactivity of the subject under the control of media ideology,emphasizing the overwhelming and invincible power of media ideology upon subject: whatever endeavor the subject tries to make,he is always trapped in the discipline of the ideological system and becomes the paralyzed one-dimensional man.This paper,however,is aimed at demonstrating the possibility of the subversion and violence of subject under the manipulation of media ideology by introducing Sianne Ngai's theory of ugly feelings to Libra,especially“animatedness”,one of the 6 categories of ugly feelings in Ngai's theory of emotion.This paper attempts to draw a conclusion that the subjective revolt against media ideology is possible,demonstrating the restoration of the subjectivity under the control of media ideology.According to the basic clue of the plan,the thesis is dissected into five parts.The introductory section presents general background of Don DeLillo,his Libra,as well as literature review both from home and abroad concerning Libra and especially the issue of subject in media ideology in terms of the novel,thus verifying the necessity and significance of the study.In addition,the key term in the theory of ugly feelings,namely,“animatedness” plus the framework of the thesis are elaborately illustrated.Chapter one grapples with the acting force in Libra,i.e.the animation or control of media ideology upon subject,which would be illustrated from two sub-points: the manipulative device and deceptive device.As a consequence of the manipulation of media ideology,subject becomes the insensitive one-dimensional man.Chapter two addresses the counter-acting force in Libra,or the revolution and revenge of subject against media ideology,for though the media system pushes overwhelming power and discipline upon subject,it provides subject some elasticityor space to revolt as well.It is claimed that the violence upon media ideology is not achieved by a usual way of transcending or resisting the ideological system from the above,but by over-obeying or utilizing the rules of the system too well.In addition,the counteracting effect of this “revenge” is proved by subject's revolt against bourgeois ideology as well as his usurping the role of animation.Chapter three tries to further argue the statement that the power of ugly feelings is not only achieved through subject's revolution or counter-acting effect upon media ideology,but also is reinforced and consolidated by digging out subject's positive construction to the cultural context that originally shaped it.The conclusion part naturally concludes that the subversion of subject against media ideology in Libra does exist and is possible,demonstrating not only the restoration of subjectivity,but also the dark force and violence of the marginalized and the power of powerlessness.