DeLillo and Terrorism

One last point on DeLillo before we leave him forever for Richard Powers: I've been thinking a lot about how differently the term "terrorist" functions today than it did when DeLillo was writing (in the case of Mao II in 1991). At this point in American history, "terrorist" has come to function as a disturbingly politicized catch-all term that is employed during the presidential election to cast aspersions on candidates or call into question people's patriotism. Does DeLillo use the term in a similar way? We didn't end up talking much about the political valences of his use of "terrorism," but I think it's important to note that he is writing in a time before it had quite the meaning it does today in American politics and culture. A lot to think about as we finish with DeLillo and move on to Powers.