My essay on Fredric Jameson's theory of "cognitive mapping" and
Grand Theft Auto has now been published in
Writing Technologies.
In this essay, I revisit Jameson's 1991 thesis from
Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, in which he argues that E.L. Doctorow's novel,
Ragtime, demonstrates how postmodern novels are generally unable to offer an adequate expression of the political currents of the time. Jameson argues that the problems of late capitalism can be better mapped through spatial representations rather than through text. Jameson does not clearly indicate what such a spatial representation might look like, other than suggesting it will be similar to postmodern architecture.
In my essay, I suggest that, today,
the narrative form of computer games such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas might offer a useful alternative model for some of the economic and social issues surrounding late capitalism, particularly those concerning race.
My thanks to the editor and reviewers of Writing Technologies for some helpful comments and patient editing, which led me to improve the article by including more game theory, at a time when I was only just starting to think seriously about computer game narratives. Also thanks to the attendees of the British Society for Literature and Science conference in 2010, who offered feedback on the paper which led to this publication.
Labels: English Literature, Fredric Jameson, Game Studies, Grand Theft Auto, postmodernism
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