In interviews, it is common for DeLillo to mention that he has been influenced more by European films, Abstract Expressionism, and jazz than any particular authors or literary style. His emphasis on jazz, which played a major role in his development as a person as well as an artist, seems to be especially relevant for The Body Artist. In the novel, the narrator's observations and Lauren's thoughts are like a piece of jazz— words intertwine, interact, and test each other's limits. Jazz is the music that plays with time, and jazz's manipulations of time seem similar to DeLillo's own imaginings and expressions of it throughout the story.

DeLillo's novel, with its emphasis on the profound experience of the everyday, seems to fit well within a grouping that includes John Cheever and Raymond Carver. The former's focus on suburban settings and everyday life shares the idea...