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Reading the Contemporary Irish Novel 1987–2007 is the authoritative guide to some of the most inventive and challenging fiction to emerge from Ireland in the last 25 years. Meticulously researched, it presents detailed interpretations of novels by some of Ireland's most eminent writers. This is the first text-focused critical survey of the Irish novel from 1987 to 2007, providing detailed readings of 11 seminal Irish novels A timely and much needed text in a largely uncharted critical field Provides detailed interpretations of individual novels by some of the country's most critically celebrated writers, including Sebastian Barry, Roddy Doyle, Anne Enright, Patrick McCabe, John McGahern, Edna O'Brien and Colm Tóibín Investigates the ways in which Irish novels have sought to deal with and reflect a changing Ireland The fruit of many years reading, teaching and research on the subject by a leading and highly respected academic in the field

Part of the Blackwell Manifestos series, The State of the Novel offers a lively, yet rigorous investigation into the state and future of the contemporary British novel written by an expert in the field. Evaluates the state of the ‘serious literary'novel and novel criticism Prominent treatment is paid to the ‘internationalization'of the novel in English Offers a manifesto on contemporary fiction from an expert in this field; Dominic Head is best known for his Cambridge Introduction to Modern British Fiction 1950-2000 Establishes the shared interests of contemporary theorists of the novel, cultural commentators, and novel consumers An ideal supplementary text for students and faculty interested in the novel and contemporary fiction

The Novel Now is an intelligent and engaging survey of contemporary British fiction. Discusses familiar names such as Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, and Angela Carter and compares them with more recent authors, including David Mitchell, Ali Smith, A.L. Kennedy, Matt Thorne, Nicola Barker, and Toby Litt Incorporates original coverage of subgenres such as chick lit, lad lit, gay fiction, crime fiction, and the historical novel Discusses the ways in which notions of regional identity and tribalist views have surfaced in UK and Irish fiction, and how post-Imperial sensibility has become a feature of the ‘British'novel Situates contemporary fiction within its socio-cultural and literary contexts.

Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000; “This is an excellent introductory study. The selection of texts is intriguing. The volume is well-informed by criticism of the field and Shaffer's close reading is exemplary. His interpretations cast fresh light on some novels that have become canonical and therefore this study is of great use to students generally and for those teaching them.” Philip Tew, University College Northampton; Director, UK Network for Modern Fiction Studies Written in clear, jargon-free prose, this introductory text charts the variety of English-language novel writing in the second half of the twentieth century. It focuses equally on British and Irish novelists, and on Anglophone novelists from other countries (exclusive of the US). The text provides students both with strategies for interpretation and with fresh readings of ten influential novels. It maps out the most important contexts and concepts for understanding the fiction of the period, considering subjects such as the aftermath of literary modernism and the end of the British Empire. Novels discussed in depth include Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day, and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. The author treats the English-language novel of this period as a socially-engaged and exploratory genre, one that challenges and stretches the prevailing canons of knowledge and literary representation in its bid to depict and probe an evolving present.

A Concise Companion to Contemporary British Fiction offers an authoritative overview of contemporary British fiction in its social, political, and economic contexts. Focuses on the fiction that has emerged since the late 1970s, roughly since the start of the Thatcher era. Comprises original essays from major scholars. Topics range from the rise and fall of the postcolonial novel to controversies over the celebrity author. The emphasis is on the whole fiction scene, from bookstores and prizes to the changing economics of film adaptation. Enables students to read contemporary works of British fiction with a much clearer sense of where they fit within British cultural life.

Daniel R. Schwarz has studied and taught the modern British novel for decades and now brings his impressive erudition and critical acuity to this insightful study of the major authors and novels of the first half of the twentieth century. An insightful study of British fiction in the first half of the twentieth century. Draws on the author's decades of experience researching and teaching the modern British novel. Sets the modern British novel in its intellectual, cultural and literary contexts. Features close readings of Hardy's Jude the Obscure, Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim, Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and The Rainbow, Joyce's Dubliners and Ulysses, Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse and Forster's A Passage to India. Shows how these novels are essential components in a modernist cultural tradition which includes the visual arts. Takes account of recent developments in theory and cultural studies. Written in an engaging style, avoiding jargon.

This book introduces readers to the history of the novel in the twentieth century and demonstrates its ongoing relevance as a literary form. A jargon-free introduction to the whole history of the novel in the twentieth century. Examines the main strands of twentieth-century fiction, including post-war, post-imperial and multicultural fiction, the global novel, the digital novel and the post-realist novel. Offers students ideas about how to read the modern novel, how to enjoy its strange experiments, and how to assess its value, as well as suggesting ways to understand and appreciate the more difficult forms of modern fiction Pays attention both to the practice of novel writing and to theoretical debates among novelists. Claims that the novel is as purposeful and relevant today as it was a hundred years ago. Serves as an excellent springboard for classroom discussions of the nature and purpose of modern fiction.