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 2
... particular efficacy does genre theory have as a 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 ...
... particular efficacy does genre theory have as a 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 ...
Page 3
... particular kind of late eighteenth-century novel have for the study of recent American texts that are removed both historically and culturally from the term's origin? This question haunts every study of fiction about coming of age ...
... particular kind of late eighteenth-century novel have for the study of recent American texts that are removed both historically and culturally from the term's origin? This question haunts every study of fiction about coming of age ...
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... particular resonance in the context of American national mythology. For example, one particularly prevalent conception of the United States is that it originated as a nation by means of a decisive break with an Old World that had grown ...
... particular resonance in the context of American national mythology. For example, one particularly prevalent conception of the United States is that it originated as a nation by means of a decisive break with an Old World that had grown ...
Page 6
... particular political ideology that subsequent critics have drawn attention to and taken issue with. One might argue that Lewis's methodology suffered from a debilitating ahistoricism in its interpretations of texts as portraying a point ...
... particular political ideology that subsequent critics have drawn attention to and taken issue with. One might argue that Lewis's methodology suffered from a debilitating ahistoricism in its interpretations of texts as portraying a point ...
Page 7
... particular interest in the concept of innocence. These works included Leslie Fiedler's An End to Innocence (1955), Ihab Hassan's Radical Innocence (1961), and Henry Nash Smith's Virgin Land (1950). These studies of American national ...
... particular interest in the concept of innocence. These works included Leslie Fiedler's An End to Innocence (1955), Ihab Hassan's Radical Innocence (1961), and Henry Nash Smith's Virgin Land (1950). These studies of American national ...
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