Materialist Apocalypticism: The Comic-Ethical Vision of Nathanael West

Earlier critics have called the American novelist Nathanael West an apocalyptic writer; others have rejected that claim. In reference to West's self-identification as a comic writer, I propose to understand the term "apocalyptic" in a new way. West's four novellas express a materialist apocalypticism wherein the contradiction between humanity's dreams of perfection and the crude reality which negates them is underscored. Contradiction informs the tragic consciousness by frustrating the expectations one may have of existence, resulting in despair. Though also informed by the reality of contradiction, the particular comedy of West suggests a different conclusion. By foregrounding the conditions of existence, West's comedy delimits the scope of expectations. It implies a fresh comportment toward contradiction that is free of the illusion of an idealized perfection. As illusory thinking is parasitic on the tragic consciousness, West's authorial intention consists in identifying this destructive impulse of tragedy. From the same site of contradiction wherein tragedy recognizes only closure, West's comic insight indicates horizon, a liberating potential in which an authentic and enriched human life is made possible. A materialist apocalyptic perspective is faithful both to the ethical motivation of West's authorship and to the explicit negativity of his art. West's novellas are four dark homilies, warnings against wishing away our world, and ourselves, in tragic despair.