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 |
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Page 3
... character as a result of their experience. Is the depiction of that initial immaturity in an autobiography fundamentally different from its depiction in a coming-of-age novel? Only in the claim to veracity that it makes. Paul de Man ...
... character as a result of their experience. Is the depiction of that initial immaturity in an autobiography fundamentally different from its depiction in a coming-of-age novel? Only in the claim to veracity that it makes. Paul de Man ...
Page 4
... characters to come of age at any point, for example in their twenties? Douglas Coupland's Generation X (1991) is some form of contemporary bildungsroman, but of characters who are certainly older than adolescents. The same might be said ...
... characters to come of age at any point, for example in their twenties? Douglas Coupland's Generation X (1991) is some form of contemporary bildungsroman, but of characters who are certainly older than adolescents. The same might be said ...
Page 5
... characters to come of age in their twenties, where previously those experiences would have occurred during childhood and adolescence? Even for twelve- and nineteen-year-olds there is a considerable variation in depictions of that moment ...
... characters to come of age in their twenties, where previously those experiences would have occurred during childhood and adolescence? Even for twelve- and nineteen-year-olds there is a considerable variation in depictions of that moment ...
Page 7
... character were part of an attempt to identify and to characterise in detail particularly American qualities that could be institutionalised and defended; each of them devotes a great deal of attention to interpretations of the meaning ...
... character were part of an attempt to identify and to characterise in detail particularly American qualities that could be institutionalised and defended; each of them devotes a great deal of attention to interpretations of the meaning ...
Page 8
... contextualise themselves: historically, the fictional characters are looking for a sense of historical provenance or genealogy that defines their individual interpretation of 'contemporary'. 8 Coming of Age in Contemporary American Fiction.
... contextualise themselves: historically, the fictional characters are looking for a sense of historical provenance or genealogy that defines their individual interpretation of 'contemporary'. 8 Coming of Age in Contemporary American Fiction.
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