Understanding Jack Kerouac introduces readers to what Matt Theado calls Kerouac's "unwieldy accretion of published work"-fiction, poetry, nonfiction, selected letters, religious writing, and "true-story novels." Presenting this cultural icon of the Beat Generation primarily as a writer rather than as a social rebel or media celebrity, Theado elucidates the reasons Kerouac's reputation has outlived disparaging beatnik associations and why his writings continue to attract an expanding readership. Theado takes a book-by-book approach to the sometimes-confusing canon and develops a framework for...
Understanding Jack Kerouac introduces readers to what Matt Theado calls Kerouac's "unwieldy accretion of published work"-fiction, poetry, nonfiction, ...
Understanding Kurt Vonnegut is a critical analysis of Vonnegut's fiction as a point of entrance for students and general readers alike. In close readings of Vonnegut's novels, William Rodney Allen examines the distinctive stylistic, thematic, and formally innovative elements that earned Vonnegut (1922-2007) a mass following, especially among young readers, as well as critical respect among scholars.
Understanding Kurt Vonnegut is a critical analysis of Vonnegut's fiction as a point of entrance for students and general readers alike. In close readi...
In this revised edition of Understanding Contemporary American Literary Theory, Michael P. Spikes adds Stanley Fish and Susan Bordo to the critics whose careers, key texts, and central assumptions he discusses in introducing readers to developments in American literary theory during the past thirty-five years. Underscoring the largely heterogeneous mix of strategies and suppositions that these critics, along with Paul de Man, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Edward W. Said, and Stephen Greenblatt, represent, Spikes offers concise analyses of their principal claims and illustrates how their works...
In this revised edition of Understanding Contemporary American Literary Theory, Michael P. Spikes adds Stanley Fish and Susan Bordo to the critics who...
Weaves together scholarly assessments, interviews, biographical information, and the author's own critical analysis to provide a complete and complex picture of Maxine Hong Kingston's works and their impact on memoir, feminist fiction, Asian American literature, and postmodern literature.
Weaves together scholarly assessments, interviews, biographical information, and the author's own critical analysis to provide a complete and complex ...
Since the release of her first novel, The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed, in 1968, Lee Smith has published nearly twenty books, including novels, short stories, and memoirs. This volume offers a comprehensive treatment of the life and work of this award-winning feminist Appalachian writer.
Since the release of her first novel, The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed, in 1968, Lee Smith has published nearly twenty books, including novels, shor...
The winner of every major American literary prize, John Updike (1932-2009) was one of the most popular and prolific novelists of his time and a major cultural figure who traced the high point and fall of mid-century American self-confidence and energy. This volume offers a close look at the extraordinary literary achievements of this popular and prolific American author.
The winner of every major American literary prize, John Updike (1932-2009) was one of the most popular and prolific novelists of his time and a major ...
Since the early 1980s, Jim Grimsley has received increasing acclaim for his achievements in a variety of dramatic and literary genres. David Deutsch offers the first book-length study of Grimsley's diverse work and argues for his vital role in shaping the contemporary queer American literary scene.
Since the early 1980s, Jim Grimsley has received increasing acclaim for his achievements in a variety of dramatic and literary genres. David Deutsch o...
An illuminating study of an award-winning writer who captured the complex challenges twentieth-century women faced in their struggle for independence. In Understanding Alice Adams, Bryant Mangum examines the thematic intricacies and astute social commentary of Adams's eleven novels and five short story collections.
An illuminating study of an award-winning writer who captured the complex challenges twentieth-century women faced in their struggle for independence....
