In interviews, it is common for DeLillo to mention that he has been influenced more by European films, Abstract Expressionism, and jazz than any particular authors or literary style. His emphasis on jazz, which played a major role in his development as a person as well as an artist, seems to be especially relevant for The Body Artist. In the novel, the narrator's observations and Lauren's thoughts are like a piece of jazz— words intertwine, interact, and test each other's limits. Jazz is the music that plays with time, and jazz's manipulations of time seem similar to DeLillo's own imaginings and expressions of it throughout the story.
DeLillo's novel, with its emphasis on the profound experience of the everyday, seems to fit well within a grouping that includes John Cheever and Raymond Carver. The former's.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 270 words. This
Short Guide contains 3,080 words (approx. 10 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Short Guide with our The Body Artist Access Pass.
