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 39
Page 9
... nature of historiography rather than of the coming-of-age novel, but it is important, nevertheless, to be alert to its implications because each novel here is involved in a process of defining for itself the contemporary in ways that ...
... nature of historiography rather than of the coming-of-age novel, but it is important, nevertheless, to be alert to its implications because each novel here is involved in a process of defining for itself the contemporary in ways that ...
Page 16
... nature of the journey he is committed to give his adventures an urgent adult dimension that goes to the heart of the structures of his culture. Huck's relationship with his father, the fact that he is technically 'dead' throughout the ...
... nature of the journey he is committed to give his adventures an urgent adult dimension that goes to the heart of the structures of his culture. Huck's relationship with his father, the fact that he is technically 'dead' throughout the ...
Page 19
... natural justice, that is consonant with his insistence on narrative honesty and fidelity. The theft of the coins might be usefully compared with his subsequent theft of a green silk nightgown from Victoria's Secret. There is no ...
... natural justice, that is consonant with his insistence on narrative honesty and fidelity. The theft of the coins might be usefully compared with his subsequent theft of a green silk nightgown from Victoria's Secret. There is no ...
Page 20
... his subjectivity is increasingly defined by a native sense of natural justice. As Bone expresses it himself, 'The dant upon more power you've got the more you're able 20 Coming of Age in Contemporary American Fiction.
... his subjectivity is increasingly defined by a native sense of natural justice. As Bone expresses it himself, 'The dant upon more power you've got the more you're able 20 Coming of Age in Contemporary American Fiction.
Page 29
... nature of this cavernous topography is revealed by Bone's unconscious recognition of it; although this region is completely unfamiliar to him, it 'turned out to be like I thought', and 'when we got there it was sort of the way I'd ...
... nature of this cavernous topography is revealed by Bone's unconscious recognition of it; although this region is completely unfamiliar to him, it 'turned out to be like I thought', and 'when we got there it was sort of the way I'd ...
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