Date of Graduation
Spring 2023
Degree
Master of Arts in English
Department
English
Committee Chair
Shannon Wooden
Abstract
By critically analyzing Chuck Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters, I was able to conclude that the transgressive portrayal of hyperrealized consumerism warranted a close examination into the value American society places on an individual’s ability to replace authenticity for consumer obedience. Palahniuk’s dangerous representation of the body throughout the novel serves to highlight numerous ways in which a consumer transgresses against their own physical and mental well-being to achieve happiness constructed by capitalistic agendas. By using French theorist Jean Baudrillard’s concept of hyperreality in connection with gender, disability, and feminist theory and ecocriticism, I attempt to deconstruct the neoliberal ideology to which each character in the novel is bound and offer a critical opinion on the fictionalization of the trans community as a hallmark of both escapism and the epitome of consumer fetishism.
Keywords
transgressive fiction, hyperreality, neoliberalism, transgender, ecocriticism, postmodern, consumerism, disability, gender, toxic consciousness
Subject Categories
American Literature | Literature in English, North America
Copyright
© Jordan R. Trevarthen
Recommended Citation
Trevarthen, Jordan R., "Invisible Monsters: Chuck Palahniuk’s Transgressive Look at a Hyperrealized Society" (2023). MSU Graduate Theses/Dissertations. 3834.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3834
Open Access
