| |
| author | Joseph E. Petta |
| title | Fishmachine |
| abstract | Fishmachine is a novel about a salmon cannery in Alaska. In a metafictional arrangement, the author makes inquiry into the
Generation X experience through the narrator, who is on a documentary quest to find answers to the fundamental question of why people are drawn to the cannery. Fictional
and nonfictional elements are combined into "machine text," an uninterrupted block of text that equalizes diverse content in the approximation of machine processing. Form
and content are codependent. A single narrative is achieved through the juxtaposition of prose, verse, cut-up text, interview, footnote, borrowed work, statistics, and
numerical formulae. Themes apparent in the novel include cycles, processes, text creation, the relationship between reality and fiction, social alienation, and the
language of shared experience. A three-part scholarly introduction to the novel traces the development of Fishmachine from its inception in the mid-1990s to its
current form. The evolution of Fishmachine and the writing process are discussed in an extensive question and answer format analysis. Aesthetic influences, as well
as problems with form, theme, and narration, are explored. The linearity of the narrative is debated within broader discussions of the historical qualities of the novel
as a literary form, and the relationship of Generation X fiction to the postmodern tradition. An annotated bibliography examines ten selected works that were most
influential in the shaping of the novel. Here, Fishmachine is put into dialogue with canonical and experimental literature, film, music, and nonfiction, with an
emphasis on works that were historically important in the reassessment of traditional narrative form. A bibliography of all work relevant to the writing of
Fishmachine completes the study.
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| school | The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University |
| degree | D.Litt. (2015) |
| advisor | Laura Winters
|
| committee | Liana Piehler
|
| full text | JEPetta.pdf |
| |
