Zeroville Online

The term "cineautistic" is often applied to Vikar to describe his singular, obsessive relationship with film. He does not interact with the world through social cues but through cinematic references. This detachment allows him to see the "palimpsest" of Hollywood—the layers of history and discarded footage that others ignore. As a film editor, Vikar’s skill lies in finding the "hidden movie" within the frames, suggesting that truth in Zeroville is not found in dialogue, but in the cuts and transitions of the editing room. 3. 1969: The Fatal Date

This paper examines Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel Zeroville as a post-noir exploration of the transition from "Old Hollywood" to "New Hollywood." By analyzing the journey of the "cineautistic" protagonist, Vikar, the study argues that Erickson uses the medium of film as a metaphysical language to solve the mystery of cultural displacement during the pivotal year of 1969. 1. Introduction Zeroville

The Cinematic Palimpsest: Memory, Myth, and the Death of Old Hollywood in Steve Erickson’s Zeroville The term "cineautistic" is often applied to Vikar

Steve Erickson’s Zeroville is more than a "Hollywood Novel"; it is a meditation on the power of the moving image to define human experience. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1969—the year of the Manson murders and the release of Easy Rider —Vikar enters a landscape where the old myths are crumbling. With the images of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor from A Place in the Sun tattooed on his shaved head, Vikar serves as a living canvas for the very history the industry is trying to outrun. 2. The "Cineautistic" Lens As a film editor, Vikar’s skill lies in