The English Department's 2013-2014 William J. and Yvonne Hyde Colloquium Series continues with a presentation by Henry Shen, visiting scholar sponsored by Dr. Bradley Butterfield. It will explore the system of objects of the protagonist’s kitchen in Don DeLillo’s White Noise. The discussion is approached via the Baudrillardian theory especially as developed in Baudrillard’s The System of Objects. Following the tenet of (post)structuralism, echoing Heideggerian assertion “language speaks us” and the Lyotardian narration theory, Baudrillard delves into how consumer commodities reify subjects, articulating them into the system of objects. The narrations of objects, preluding and wrapping up White Noise, stage narrations by objects which invade and inform the text. The presentation argues that the consumer’s kitchen in White Noise, as a microcosm of the consumer society, is a main venue where consumption, reification and systematization by objects are played out. The kitchen showcases the family relationship being swallowed, broken down by and articulated into the system of consumer objects which features fluidity, ephemerality and fragility. The presentation runs from 2:30-3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 11th, in 113 Wimberly Hall. The event is free and open to the public. To arrange for disability accommodations, contact [email protected] or call 785-8295.