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 15
... male protagonist especially, the relation to the father is a vital means to socialisation, and he is often the principal figure through whom the codes of society are learned. Coming of age is thus a drama of coming to terms with the ...
... male protagonist especially, the relation to the father is a vital means to socialisation, and he is often the principal figure through whom the codes of society are learned. Coming of age is thus a drama of coming to terms with the ...
Page 17
... (male) adolescent, especially where a problematic relationship with the father is involved, or where the social structure of authority is challenged. Russell Banks' Rule of the Bone was published in 1995, and any novel recounting the ...
... (male) adolescent, especially where a problematic relationship with the father is involved, or where the social structure of authority is challenged. Russell Banks' Rule of the Bone was published in 1995, and any novel recounting the ...
Page 27
... male group of immature adults and a poor substitute for a family; that I-Man does have a family, but one that he has abandoned to fend for themselves; that I-Man's Rasta magic is in fact a series of tricks rather than a supernatural ...
... male group of immature adults and a poor substitute for a family; that I-Man does have a family, but one that he has abandoned to fend for themselves; that I-Man's Rasta magic is in fact a series of tricks rather than a supernatural ...
Page 33
... males in the lead. They carry not only instructions about eye color, height, nose shape, enzyme production, microphage resistance, but a story, too' (Eugenides 2003: 210). That Udall's novel has two significant points of origin is ...
... males in the lead. They carry not only instructions about eye color, height, nose shape, enzyme production, microphage resistance, but a story, too' (Eugenides 2003: 210). That Udall's novel has two significant points of origin is ...
Page 54
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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