Die Rezeption Salvador Dalís in der amerikanischen Kultur der Nachkriegszeit

Abstract

Summary: In light of Salvador Dalí’s manifold activities during his sojourn in the United States, it seems surprising that so little scholarly attention has been devoted to the wide influence of Dalí’s oeuvre on the American culture of the post-war period. This essay ventures to investigate the stylistic and thematic impact of his imagery and his theoretical writings on the culture of Postmodernism, and more specifically, on postmodern American literature, exemplified in the works of Thomas Pynchon. After a brief overview of Dalí’s activities in the United States and of general common ground of his work with the culture and thought of Postmodernism, this article discusses his use of stylistic techniques, e.g. assemblage and eclecticism, as well as the assumed implications for Pynchon’s postmodern aesthetics. The main focus will then be put on a discussion of Dalí’s and Pynchon’s constructions of paranoia. [Keywords: Dalí, Pynchon, American Postmodernism, Surrealism, assemblage, eclecticism, intermediality, paranoia, paratext]