Today we’re pleased to welcome Fiona Anderson, a doctoral candidate in American Studies at King’s College London, as a guest contributor to our summer book club discussion of Jonathan Lethem’s Chronic City. Fiona’s dissertation deals with space and sexuality in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, with special attention to the work of David Wojnarowicz. Follow her on Twitter: @fiona_rachel.
As Lethem
Thanks for some useful historical context, Fiona. That “unhemmed quality” is a really evocative phrase. Think it has something to do with Lethem’s interest not only in fringe buildings but fringe cultures?
Another thought: it’s clear that Chronic City is working through issues of trauma and memory. I wonder how you think Lethem’s non-reference to 9/11 compares to Colson Whithead’s in The Colossus of New York?