REIMAGINING DISSENT: AN INCLUSIVE EXAMINATION OF NORMAN MAILER'S "THE ARMIES OF THE NIGHT / RIDISEGNANDO IL DISSENSO: UN'ESAME INCLUSIVO DI "THE ARMIES OF THE NIGHT" DI NORMAN MAILER

Authors

  • Ricardo Viola Lecturer, PhD, Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
  • Ken Zachary Olumbi PhD Candidate, Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies, University of Padua, Padua, Italy Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Linguistics, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejls.v5i2.528

Keywords:

Norman Mailer, The Armies of the Night, New Journalism, Vietnam War, protest, dissent, narrative stru / cture, thematic depth, literary analysis / Norman Mailer, guerra del Vietnam, protesta, dissenso, struttura na

Abstract

Norman Mailer's "The Armies of the Night" stands as a seminal work of New Journalism, offering a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction to critique American society during the Vietnam War era. This comprehensive review explores Mailer's narrative structure, thematic depth, and innovative prose style, while also examining the book's significance in the context of other works of literature that deal with similar themes. Drawing on Mailer's biography, the review delves into his life and career, shedding light on the personal and political motivations behind "The Armies of the Night." Through a comparative analysis with other authors' narratives of protest and dissent, such as George Orwell's "Homage to Catalonia" and Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72," this review highlights Mailer's unique contribution to the genre. Ultimately, "The Armies of the Night" emerges as a timeless exploration of the power of protest, the complexities of political engagement, and the enduring struggle for justice and peace.

Il "The Armies of the Night" di Norman Mailer rappresenta un lavoro fondamentale del New Journalism, offrendo una miscela unica di finzione e non-fiction per criticare la società americana durante l'era della guerra del Vietnam. Questa recensione esaustiva esplora la struttura narrativa di Mailer, la profondità tematica e lo stile innovativo della prosa, mentre esamina anche la significatività del libro nel contesto di altre opere letterarie che trattano temi simili. Attraverso un'analisi comparativa con le narrazioni di protesta e dissenso di altri autori, come "Omaggio alla Catalogna" di George Orwell e "Paura e delirio sulla campagna elettorale del '72" di Hunter S. Thompson, questa recensione evidenzia il contributo unico di Mailer al genere. In definitiva, "The Armies of the Night" emerge come un'esplorazione senza tempo del potere della protesta, delle complessità dell'impegno politico e della lotta duratura per la giustizia e la pace.

 

Author Biographies

  • Ricardo Viola, Lecturer, PhD, Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Dr. Ricardo Viola works for the Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies at the University of Padua, Italy. His research interests include historical fiction, psycholinguistics, multiculturalism, and visual storytelling interpretation.

  • Ken Zachary Olumbi, PhD Candidate, Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies, University of Padua, Padua, Italy Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Linguistics, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Ken Zachary Olumbi is an Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Linguistics, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe and PHD candidate at Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies at the University of Padua, Italy. His research interests include military fiction, political narrative, American literature.

References

Abbott, H. P. (2009). The Cambridge introduction to narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-introduction-to-narrative/C3DD73A6178BEB669888CCAA1D81A099

Bernard C. Nalty (1998). The Vietnam War: The history of America's conflict in Southeast Asia. London: Osprey Publishing. https://books.google.ro/books/about/The_Vietnam_War.html?id=If833w1Y_qoC&redir_esc=y

Churchwell, S. (2013). Careless people: Murder, mayhem, and the invention of The Great Gatsby. New York: Penguin Books. Retrieved from https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310895/careless-people-by-sarah-churchwell/

Dearborn, M. V. (1999). Mailer: A biography. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Mailer.html?id=tCQWjhNoFlsC&redir_esc=y

Deblauwe T. (2004). Tangling with tyrants: Managing the balance of power at the nuclear brink. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Retrieved from https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tangling-with-tyrants-tony-deblauwe/1130307401

Dobrenko, E., Dobrenko, V. (2020). The Soviet Cold War Literary Imagination. In: Hammond, A. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Cold War Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38973-4_25

Fiedler, L. (1954). Love and death in the American novel. New York: Criterion Books. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books?id=ozb-3_s49MUC&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Hilton K. (1999). The twilight of the intellectuals: Culture and politics in the era of the Cold War. New York: Free Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/The_Twilight_of_the_Intellectuals.html?id=yPZ3AAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y

Kort, W. A. (1977). Review: Mankind in Barbary: The Individual and Society in the Novels of Norman Mailer. Christianity & Literature, 26(4), 27-27. https://doi.org/10.1177/014833317702600408

Lennon, J. M. (2013). Norman Mailer: A double life. New York: Simon & Schuster. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/normanmailerdoub0000lenn

Mailer, N. (1968). The armies of the night. New York: New American Library.

Orwell, G. (1938). Homage to Catalonia. London: Secker & Warburg. Retrieved from https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/books-by-orwell/homage-to-catalonia/

Rollyson, C. (2018). The last days of Sylvia Plath. London: University Press of Mississippi. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53039441

Schneiderman, L. (1994). Norman Mailer and Rank’s Theory of the Creative Self. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 14(1), 3-18. https://doi.org/10.2190/5BC6-CXCA-D48T-N941

Shuman, R. B. (2008). Great American writers: Twentieth century, Volume 5: Mailer–Pynchon. New York: Marshall Cavendish. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/Great_American_Writers.html?id=Ex0-b9INdQEC&redir_esc=y

Thompson, H. S. (1973). Fear and loathing on the campaign trail '72. New York: Straight Arrow Books. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7748

Vatanpour, S. (1991). Money and the American Dream in Norman Mailer’s An American Dream. Social Science Information, 30(1), 179-192. https://doi.org/10.1177/053901891030001009

Whalen-Bridge, J. (2004). Norman Mailer's later fictions: Ancient evenings through Castle in the forest. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from https://www.abebooks.com/9780230100244/Norman-Mailers-Later-Fictions-Ancient-0230100244/plp

Whalen-Bridge, J. (2014). Norman Mailer's later fictions: Ancient evenings through The Castle in the Forest. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from https://www.abebooks.com/9780230100244/Norman-Mailers-Later-Fictions-Ancient-0230100244/plp

Wicker, T. (2008). One of us: Richard Nixon and the American dream. New York: Random House. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books/about/One_of_Us.html?id=d6AkyeXlbN8C&redir_esc=y

Downloads

Published

2024-05-19

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2024)

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).