Although initially I felt like DeLillo's Libra was too long and tedious of a read to be placed at the end of the course, as the story plays out I can see the necessity of placing Libra at the end of the syllabus. Not only is Lee Harvey Oswald one of the most notorious names in history, but also Kennedy's assassination is recent enough that as a modern day reader I can easily visualize this historical event playing out in my mind.
With some of the other novels that we have read in this course there were clear aspects of "fiction" and other more clear aspects of "history" (in particular Slaughterhouse Five and Kindred). Also, in most of the other novels if there has been a "main character," he/she has not been a historical figure to have actually existed or to have played as significant of a role in large-scale history. In each historical fiction novel there is the element of mystery because we can never know for sure what all did and did not happen if it was not recorded. However, having Lee and his story be the main focus of Libra has been captivating because this story fits so well into the gaps of the historical account.
In class early today (Friday) we watched the footage of Kennedy's assassination. While this was on loop, I couldn't help but view the video in the context of DeLillo's version of the event. The blend of history and fiction is so smooth in Libra that because this real footage exists, I am more inclined to entertain the possibility that DeLillo's account holds as much if not more truth than the official record. As we have also mentioned in class, the numerous coincidences in the actual historical event that are played upon in the novel makes one question if all of these ironic twists of fate are in fact somehow directly related.
In terms of work load, I would have preferred to read Libra earlier in the semester, but I do agree that the placement of this book at the end nicely wraps up the course. This novel is so much the perfect example of historical fiction because it plays upon the idea that much of the actual recorded history as we know it could be fiction. DeLillo works with the tantalizing thought that no matter how much of the Kennedy assassination case is studied, historians can never know for sure what happened if there is no record. No one will ever know for sure the conspiracy that may have gone on in secret behind the scenes.
I agree that this book has made for a difficult slog here at the end of the semester (and the schoolyear, and, for the seniors, your high-school career), and yet it really has to go at the end of the course.
ReplyDeleteMaybe sometime I can teach History as Fiction as a fall-semester course, where the burnout at the end isn't usually so severe, and see if we have more success.