| This dissertation examines the relationship between American fiction and computing. More specifically, it argues that each domain explored similar formal possibilities during a period I refer to as Early Postmodernism (1965-1980). In the case of computing, the 60s and 70s represent a turning point in which modern systems and approaches were beginning to proliferate. Relational databases, object-oriented programming, and robust artificial intelligence systems all originate from this period. Meanwhile, the formal approaches to information and data that were indicated by these innovations, I propose, were in turn reflected and reimagined by a number of postmodern American novels. In particular, works by Thomas Pynchon, Joseph McElroy, and William Gaddis demonstrate a sustained interest in computational procedures. More than just narratively discussing such procedures, I argue that these authors formally incorporated similar procedures in their novels, with Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow (1973), McElroy's Lookout Cartridge (1974), and Gaddis's J R (1975) serving as the focal points of my analysis. These works provide a compelling record of attempts to grapple with the emergent technologies of modern computing through the aesthetic possibilities of the novel. Along with providing a new perspective on this period of American fiction, I argue that the parallels between novelistic forms and computational forms also provide a unique window into the history of information technology, revealing some of the overlooked effects and consequences of postwar developments. |
