The Cultural Ecology of the Postmodern American Novel

The literary theory Literature as Cultural Ecology implies the notion that literature, in imaginatively bringing together various discourses, may release new potential for the extra-textual, cultural world. Why and in what way do the postmodern American novels E.L. Doctorow, The Book of Daniel and T.C. Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain act like ecological forces within their culture? They serve as metaphorical cultural ecosystems. The cultural ecology of each of the two novels is revealed in a combination of the three discourses cultural-critical metadiscourse, imaginative counter-discourse, and reintegrative inter-discourse. The Book of Daniel and The Tortilla Curtain gain a unique status in that they have the power to interact with their readers and may serve as a source of cultural self-exploration, self-preservation, and self-renewal. This book addresses students of literature and literary scholars as well as everybody else interested in an evolutionary, reflective process of reading.