Student’s LAST Name 1

William Imhoff

Mr. Downey

English 9P

1/11/2023

Non-Fiction Assignment Sheet

Directions: To be completed AFTER reading the required nonfiction article. First, fill in the

article information (title, author, date) and then write your answers below each of the questions.

Title of Nonfiction Read:

Written By:

Publication Date:

I. Factual Summary: Write a short summary of the piece you read.

The article is discussing the literary influences and meaning behind Bret Easton Ellis's
American Psycho. The author argues that the book is not just a serial killer novel, but a
commentary on American society and culture in the 1980s, Showing connections
between the main character, Patrick Bateman, and Norman Bates from Robert Bloch's
Psycho, both share the same name, obsession with fame, fortune and even fornication.
The author also suggest that the novel may also be influenced by F. Scott Fitzgerald's
The Great Gatsby, as both novels depict the negative effects of materialism and the
corruption of the American Dream. Both books are also symbolize the disintegration of
the American Dream, and portrayed eras of decayed social and moral values.

II. Vocabulary:
 Student’s LAST Name 2

1. With which vocabulary wordS in the piece did you encounter some degree of difficulty?

"psychically," "sociopathic," "matriarchal," "juxtaposition," "unconsciously,"

"pseudomorality," "syncretism," "literati," "initiate," and "literary recognition.

2. WHICH definition/meaning do they think the author intended for each of the wordS you

chose above (Note: sometimes words have multiple uses/meanings)?

“psychically" refers to the mental or emotional state of the killer as depicted in the film
adaptation of the book, American Psycho.

"sociopathic" refers to the abnormal psychology of people who engage in criminal or

other antisocial behavior and have no sense of moral responsibility or social
conscience.

"matriarchal" refers to a social system in which the mother is the head of the family and
family descent is traced through the maternal line.

"juxtaposition" is the act of placing two things side by side, typically in order to compare
or contrast them.

III. Interpretation: What was the main point the author wanted you to get from reading their

work?

The main point that the author wants the reader to understand is that American Psycho
is not just another serial killer novel but a commentary on American society and culture
in the 1980s. The author suggests that the novel may also be influenced by F. Scott
Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, as both novels depict the negative effects of materialism
and the corruption of the American Dream. Both books symbolize the disintegration of
the American Dream and portrayed eras of decayed social and moral values. The
author argues that American Psycho is an important work of literature and deserves
both critical recognition and the understanding that it is not another tiresome serial killer
novel, but a perceptive and telling statement of a generation and mentality of America's
history that favored chaos more than it did order.
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IV. Criticism:

1. With which points of the piece did you agree or find easy to accept? Why?

I found the argument that American Psycho is not just another serial killer novel but a
commentary on American society and culture in the 1980s is well-supported by the
analysis of the parallels between the main character Patrick Bateman and Norman
Bates from Robert Bloch's Psycho, the author's argument that the novel is an important
work of literature.

With which points of the piece did you disagree or find difficult to believe? Why?

I disagree with the idea that American Psycho is influenced by Robert Bloch's Psycho or
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby because i do not see the similarities that the
author has pointed out or may not find the comparison as strong or convincing.