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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Page 1
... means to approach a text that enables us to identify important aspects of its meaning: 'The function of genre conventions is essentially to establish a contract between writer and reader so as to make certain relevant expectations ...
... means to approach a text that enables us to identify important aspects of its meaning: 'The function of genre conventions is essentially to establish a contract between writer and reader so as to make certain relevant expectations ...
Page 2
... means to evaluate a novel? Susan Fraiman argues that it is crucial, that genre criticism plays a key role in canon formation both by policing individual categories and by maintaining hierarchical relationships among categories; that it ...
... means to evaluate a novel? Susan Fraiman argues that it is crucial, that genre criticism plays a key role in canon formation both by policing individual categories and by maintaining hierarchical relationships among categories; that it ...
Page 4
... mean 'to reach full legal adult status', and it is commonly seen in studies of the bildungsroman. This is a term which is widely used in anthropology, for example in Margaret Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa (1928), and which had acquired ...
... mean 'to reach full legal adult status', and it is commonly seen in studies of the bildungsroman. This is a term which is widely used in anthropology, for example in Margaret Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa (1928), and which had acquired ...
Page 5
... means of a decisive break with an Old World that had grown corrupt and moribund. This departure to the New World was widely understood in terms of a fresh start for mankind, both economically and spiritually, by which new opportunities ...
... means of a decisive break with an Old World that had grown corrupt and moribund. This departure to the New World was widely understood in terms of a fresh start for mankind, both economically and spiritually, by which new opportunities ...
Page 7
... 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 continuing belief in American innocence is ...
... 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 continuing belief in American innocence is ...
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