Studies Of The Space And Punk In A Visit From The Goon Squad

This thesis is intended to discuss the spaces presented in A Visit from the Goon Squad(2010)and the cultural activities around these spaces by adopting related theories of social space and subculture studies.Through a detailed textual analysis,this thesis attempts to explore the formation of homogeneous space and heterogeneous space,as well as to discuss the influences of these spaces on the characters.Thus,it also attempts to reveal what the goons are and Jennifer Egan's purpose of offering a better way to live in the post-modern society when facing with the goon squad.First,this thesis points out that the homogeneous space is produced by the dominant economic and cultural system by retracing the formation of the Lower East Side,once a settlement for immigrants and now an avant-garde area for artists.It then investigates the negative effect of the homogeneous space upon the characters,revealing that time is not the only goon.The economic and cultural relations infused in space are also goons.Finally,it explores how the group of punks,the X generation and Sasha create a heterogeneous space,which functions as a temporary blockage from the dominant economic and cultural system,respectively through the subcultural capital,the technology of cyber space and the existential way of living.By focusing on the inter-action between the spaces and the characters,this thesis argues that A Visit from the Goon Squad offers us possible ways of living in the post-modern society when visited by the goon squad.