Perspectives

Literary movement

The novel American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is an example of postmodernist literature. 

The novel plays with the idea of fiction within fiction, also called metafiction. It blurs the line between reality and imagination, making the reader question the reliability of the narrator, Patrick Bateman, and the events that unfold. Metafiction and unreliable narrators are both features of postmodernist literature. 

Another postmodernist feature the novel employs is fragmentation. Though linear, the narrative is fragmented, with frequent shifts in time, jumps in topic, and chapters that begin in the middle of a sentence. This fragmentation reflects the disjointed and disorienting nature of Patrick’s world.

The novel is also heavily satirical, critiquing the materialistic and shallow culture of the 1980s. It uses dark humor and irony, which is typical of postmodernist texts, to expose the absurdity of the characters’ preoccupations and the emptiness of their lives.

Lastly, American Psycho deconstructs the idea of identity, with Patrick struggling to differentiate himself from his indistinguishable colleagues. This exploration of the self and its instability is a common theme in postmodern literature.

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