The American Psycho(sis) goes Suburbia. Madness, Depravity, and Gender in Domestic Topographies

Abstract

While the home had always been an important concept in American culture, the suburban home was unique. Unlike the urban neighborhood, the suburban home or the rural farm were founded on their separation from both the world of work and from the world of others. Removed from the hustle and bustle of the urban neighborhood, the suburban and rural homes became a private island that turned increasingly inward. The following essay presents the examples of American productions that center upon the violation of home sanctuary, in which the suburban or rural house becomes radically unhomelike. It points to some instances in which such dwellings also form their abundant secluded spaces, nurture psychopathic carryover, projecting a “lived in” character in the most distressing sense.