Coming of Age in Contemporary American FictionEdinburgh University Press, 2007 M04 18 - 200 pages This book explores the ways in which a range of recent American novelists have handled the genre of the 'coming-of-age' novel, or the Bildungsroman. Novels of this genre characteristically dramatise the vicissitudes of growing up and the trials and tribulations of young adulthood, often presented through depictions of immediate family relationships and other social structures. This book considers a variety of different American cultures (in terms of race, class and gender) and a range of contemporary coming-of-age novels, so that aesthetic judgements about the fiction might be made in the context of the social history that fiction represents. A series of questions are asked:* Does the coming-of-age moment in these novels coincide with an interpretation of the 'fall' of America?* What kind of national commentary does it therefore facilitate?* Is the Bildungsroman a quintessentially American genre?* What can it usefully tell us about contemporary American culture? Although the focus is on the conte |
From inside the book
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... Edgar Mint 2 I Change Therefore I Am: Growing up in the Sixties Geoffrey Wolff, The Age of Consent Gish Jen, Mona in the Promised Land 3 Citation and Resuscitation Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides Rick Moody, Purple America 4 ...
... Edgar Mint 2 I Change Therefore I Am: Growing up in the Sixties Geoffrey Wolff, The Age of Consent Gish Jen, Mona in the Promised Land 3 Citation and Resuscitation Jeffrey Eugenides, The Virgin Suicides Rick Moody, Purple America 4 ...
Page 10
... Edgar Mint and Middlesex shows. It is worth comparing their anxieties about the status of their beginnings in fiction with that of seventeen-year-old Sam in Bobbie Ann Mason's novel In Country: During that month, she had originated. She ...
... Edgar Mint and Middlesex shows. It is worth comparing their anxieties about the status of their beginnings in fiction with that of seventeen-year-old Sam in Bobbie Ann Mason's novel In Country: During that month, she had originated. She ...
Page 16
... Edgar's journey is dedicated to returning to this story's point of origin, and Bone's narrative is a series of regressions in which he becomes increasingly empowered to address the trauma that initiated his story. In both cases, moving ...
... Edgar's journey is dedicated to returning to this story's point of origin, and Bone's narrative is a series of regressions in which he becomes increasingly empowered to address the trauma that initiated his story. In both cases, moving ...
Page 31
... Edgar Mint Brady Udall's first novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint (2001) was published following the success of his short story collection Letting Loose the Hounds (1997) and it is the story of its eponymous protagonist's life in ...
... Edgar Mint Brady Udall's first novel, The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint (2001) was published following the success of his short story collection Letting Loose the Hounds (1997) and it is the story of its eponymous protagonist's life in ...
Page 32
... Edgar grows up, he becomes increasingly preoccupied with the thought that the mailman must be suffering from terrible guilt in the mistaken belief that he has killed Edgar. Therefore, Edgar decides to devote his life to finding the ...
... Edgar grows up, he becomes increasingly preoccupied with the thought that the mailman must be suffering from terrible guilt in the mistaken belief that he has killed Edgar. Therefore, Edgar decides to devote his life to finding the ...
Contents
1 | |
15 | |
Growing up in the Sixties | 46 |
Chapter 3 Citation and Resuscitation | 72 |
Life Sentences | 98 |
Chapter 5 Lexicon of Love | 130 |
6 Memoirs and Memorials | 154 |
Conclusion | 181 |
Bibliography | 183 |
Index | 189 |
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adolescence adult aesthetic American argued attempt attention authority becomes begins believes Bone Bone’s called challenges chapter characterised characters child childhood circumstances closely coming of age coming-of-age contemporary critical crucial culture death defined depiction desire dramatises Edgar especially example experience expression father feel fiction final Fishboy further genre girls gives growing idea identity important innocence integral interest interpretation issue kind knowledge language linguistic Lisbon Lucille Lucille’s Maisie male means metafiction Mona Mona’s moral mother narrative narrator nature never novel origin parents particular partly past Phillip politics protagonist Prozac Nation Purple question reader reading recognise relationship respect response Ruth scene sense significant simply simultaneously social society speak specific story structure subjectivity suicide symbolic takes tell things understanding United voice women writing young