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Reading the Novel in English 1950 - 2000
Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000; “ This is an excellent introductory study. The selection of texts is intriguing. The volume is well-informed by criticism of the field and Shaffer’s close reading is exemplary. His interpretations cast fresh light on some novels that have become canonical and therefore this study is of great use to students generally and for those teaching them.”
Philip Tew, University College Northampton; Director, UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies Written in clear, jargon-free prose, this introductory text charts the variety of English-language novel writing in the second half of the twentieth century. It focuses equally on British and Irish novelists, and on Anglophone novelists from other countries (exclusive of the US). The text provides students both with strategies for interpretation and with fresh readings of ten influential novels. It maps out the most important contexts and concepts for understanding the fiction of the period, considering subjects such as the aftermath of literary modernism and the end of the British Empire. Novels discussed in depth include Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The author treats the English-language novel of this period as a socially-engaged and exploratory genre, one that challenges and stretches the prevailing canons of knowledge and literary representation in its bid to depict and probe an evolving present.
Philip Tew, University College Northampton; Director, UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies Written in clear, jargon-free prose, this introductory text charts the variety of English-language novel writing in the second half of the twentieth century. It focuses equally on British and Irish novelists, and on Anglophone novelists from other countries (exclusive of the US). The text provides students both with strategies for interpretation and with fresh readings of ten influential novels. It maps out the most important contexts and concepts for understanding the fiction of the period, considering subjects such as the aftermath of literary modernism and the end of the British Empire. Novels discussed in depth include Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day, and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. The author treats the English-language novel of this period as a socially-engaged and exploratory genre, one that challenges and stretches the prevailing canons of knowledge and literary representation in its bid to depict and probe an evolving present.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2005
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February 16, 2016The introduction to this book throws a comprehensive - easy to understand - light on the post-colonial and post-modern novels written in English in the second half of the 20. century and the circumstances in which they were born.
The rest of the chapters, always dealing with one specific novel and its author, read beautifully if you've already read the novel in question. However, if you haven't, the chapters still provide a good context and background to the texts, with comparisons to other major works.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the post-WWII "English" novels.
The rest of the chapters, always dealing with one specific novel and its author, read beautifully if you've already read the novel in question. However, if you haven't, the chapters still provide a good context and background to the texts, with comparisons to other major works.
I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about the post-WWII "English" novels.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review