The Contemporary Novel in the Context of Interdisciplinarity, With Specific Reference to DeLillo’s Zero K and McCarthy’s The Road

The interdisciplinary approach greatly enriches contemporary novels, allowing researchers to explore complex issues from a multiplicity of angles and perspectives. Communication and collaboration across different disciplines within novels, which some refer to as “consilience,” have had a noticeable impact on these novels’ literary elements and overall narrative. This paper will examine the impact of the interdisciplinary approach on themes, plot, and characterization on two selected contemporary novels: Zero K (2016) by Don DeLillo and The Road (2006) by Cormac McCarthy. It aims to provide a new reading of the two novels from an interdisciplinary perspective, demonstrating how a multidisciplinary approach reveals more meanings and aspects that cannot be revealed as effectively when examined from the viewpoint of a stand-alone discipline.