Date of Award
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Humanities
First Advisor
Wallace, Miriam
Area of Concentration
Humanities
Abstract
Mark Z. Danielewski’s 2000 novel, House of Leaves , uses typological idiosyncrasies and a nonlinear narrative structure to elicit a specific effect from its readers. I use the Reader Response criticism of Georges Poulet, Wolfgang Iser, and Peter Brooks as well as Games Studies theory, interviews with the author, and responses to House of Leaves from online forums to interrogate the novel as both a readerly and writerly text. My argument is twofold. I argue that House of Leaves operates between Barthes’s dichotomy of a readerly and writerly text. I also argue that the novel encourages readers to simulate the actions of the character Johnny Truant by engaging in a paranoid reading of the novel, piecing together disjointed narratives to create meaning.
Recommended Citation
Campbell, James Turner, "A GAME OF PARANOIA: Applying Ludology to Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves" (2016). Theses & ETDs. 5173.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5173