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
Results 1-5 of 28
Page 1
... argument about the significance of coming of age to our understanding of contemporary America. Adolescents are important because of the ways in which they are at the forefront of social change, even while they are simultaneously the ...
... argument about the significance of coming of age to our understanding of contemporary America. Adolescents are important because of the ways in which they are at the forefront of social change, even while they are simultaneously the ...
Page 2
... argued that each adolescent grows up to constitute his or her own family in the future, and thereby changes the genre that one might term 'family'. But what is the proper literary genre to which depictions of adolescence belong? The ...
... argued that each adolescent grows up to constitute his or her own family in the future, and thereby changes the genre that one might term 'family'. But what is the proper literary genre to which depictions of adolescence belong? The ...
Page 3
... argument that undermines the autobiography's claim to be a work of 'non-fiction', or as Paul Jay interprets it, 'de ... arguments about autobiography are attempts to circumscribe and delimit the field of those works that can be usefully ...
... argument that undermines the autobiography's claim to be a work of 'non-fiction', or as Paul Jay interprets it, 'de ... arguments about autobiography are attempts to circumscribe and delimit the field of those works that can be usefully ...
Page 6
... argue that Lewis's methodology suffered from a debilitating ahistoricism in its interpretations of texts as portraying ... argued that the mythology of the American nation as a new beginning for mankind is a version of pastoral, and that ...
... argue that Lewis's methodology suffered from a debilitating ahistoricism in its interpretations of texts as portraying ... argued that the mythology of the American nation as a new beginning for mankind is a version of pastoral, and that ...
Page 7
... argued that, 'But if American Innocence means anything, it must mean just this: that every generation, native or foreignborn, began its task anew despite the secret betrayals of history' (Hassan 1961: 36). Here Hassan argues that a ...
... argued that, 'But if American Innocence means anything, it must mean just this: that every generation, native or foreignborn, began its task anew despite the secret betrayals of history' (Hassan 1961: 36). Here Hassan argues that a ...
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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Common terms and phrases
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