1。2 Literature Review

So far, a substantial number of researches have been done on the novel of White Noise。 These different researches can be pided into three groups: the studies from the perspective of ecological consciousness embodied in the novel, those on belief crisis from a religion perspective and researches of the trend to import consumerism to the analysis。

Professor Zhu Xinfu (2005), for instance, argues that the novel shows us the tremendous conflict between modern industrial civilization and natural ecology。 Zhu believes that although the Gladney family lives in a comparatively safe and traditional Midwestern town in America, hustles and bustles of the post-modern melting pot are inevitable。 Improvements in technology make it possible for thousands of households to have electric appliance and equipment in their houses。 However, noises emitted by high-tech devices permeates people’s living environment, which gives rise to deterioration of the quality of life。 Zhao Yu-xin (2015) asserts that ecological holism is depicted in  the novel。 For all the characters in the novel, what technology means to them is not only confined to a widespread and fatal threat, but a deep-rooted survival and thinking mode。 Chen Hong (2009) digs out the reason why DeLillo’s adopts an open ending through analyzing the narrative strategies。 She espouses that its ending not merely suggests the ongoing and unfinished life, but the universal and synchronic life。 The ending shows author’s great concerns about postmodernist people’s mode of life。 Yang Liumei (2013) points out the psychic ecology crisis between people which is the side effect caused by damaged environment。论文网

It is also a critical perspective from the point of belief crisis。 Zhang Lidan (2009) works on the belief crisis displayed in the novel。 Her paper undertakes to show  how the characters cope with such sort of situation where even nuns in the church do not believe in God。 Thus, supermarket, technology, media and researches on Hitler  supplement itself in as a form of spiritual power。 

Furthermore, some scholars reach a similar conclusion of consumerism with the focus on the capitalist world at that time。 Haidar Eid (2016) demonstrates the relationship between consumption and consumer’s image wrought correspondingly by pointing out that the act of shopping could bring all the characters a sense of fulfillment。 The commodification has reached at a stage where inpidual’s unfulfillable desire to buy good extends to the pleasure of spending money for the sake of it。 Sanja Matković（2016）regards Jack Gladney, the main character in White Noise, as a representative of a fragmented identity in a consumerist society, who is obsessed with thanatophobia and relies on being a consumer in every aspect of his life  to cure the fear of death。 Similarly, researches at home also involve this aspect。 Zhang Jie (2006) interprets the phenomenon——symbolization of consumption。 Shoppers have gradually shed the traditional mode of consumption which is based on demands, for they apt to pursue the symbol value that is not pertinent to the true value of products。  Each commodity is attached to a symbol which is fanatically favored by the mass。

Looking back at the studies, we can obviously see that there are many aspects of analysis of the novel White Noise。 Nevertheless, probing into DeLillo’s experience as a writer growing up after the second world war, we find it not hard to dig out that his creation motive of White Noise is inseparable from his life time experience of such particularity as a novelist and essayist。 Namely, the culture and the economy of his time will be the focus of his themes。 Generally speaking, there are three major themes: first, consumer culture; second, technology; finally, terrorism, among which White Noise has covered the former two。 But the causes of spiritual crisis in this novel has not been discussed openly yet。 There are few scholars at home and abroad doing researches on this aspect with social significance in modern society。 Thus, the plan of this paper is as follows。 This thesis starts with a brief introduction to the research background, including main plots of the novel and some basic information of the author。 The second part illustrates the impact of the mass media on characters’ state of mind。 In part three, the consumerist society is analyzed as a culprit for the spiritual emptiness and the loss of true self。 An analysis of the technology’s influence is offered in part 4。 By illustrating the potential culprits for spiritual crisis in White Noise, the paper hopes to provide a new understanding from the perspective of realistic significance, which attempts to enrich the social significance of the right attitude to prevent them and to mirror salient trends that characterize the world we live in。 文献综述