Details

The grotesque in contemporary British fiction

von: Robert Duggan
33,99 €
Verlag:	Manchester University Press
Format:	EPUB
Veröffentl.:	16.05.2016
ISBN/EAN:	9781526112040
Sprache:	englisch
Anzahl Seiten:	256

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Beschreibungen

Titelbeschreibung

The grotesque in contemporary British fiction reveals the extent to which the grotesque endures as a dominant artistic mode in British fiction and presents a new way of understanding six authors who have been at the forefront of British literature over the past four decades. Starting with a sophisticated exploration of the historical development of the grotesque in literature, the book outlines the aesthetic trajectories of Angela Carter, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Iain Banks, Will Self and Toby Litt and offers detailed critical readings of key works of modern fiction including The Bloody Chamber (1979), Money (1984), The Child in Time (1987), The Wasp Factory (1984), Great Apes (1997) and Ghost Story (2004). The book shows how the grotesque continues to be a powerful force in contemporary writing and provides an illuminating picture of often controversial aspects of recent fiction.

Titelkurzbeschreibung

This book shows how the grotesque continues to be a powerful force in contemporary British writing and provides an illuminating picture of often controversial aspects of recent fiction.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction 1. The contemporary British grotesque 2. Angela Carter: The play's the thing 3. Martin Amis: The limits of comedy 4. Ian McEwan: Below the waves 5. Iain Banks: Improbable possibilities 6. Will Self: Under the influence 7. Toby Litt: Haunted by the grotesque Conclusion Index

Autorenportrait

Robert Duggan is Senior Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Central Lancashire

Flap copy

The grotesque in contemporary British fiction reveals the extent to which the grotesque endures as a dominant artistic mode in contemporary British fiction and offers a new way of understanding six authors who have been at the forefront of British literature over the past four decades: Angela Carter, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Iain Banks, Will Self and Toby Litt. The well-established and continued influence of this group of writers on their contemporaries is difficult to overstate and this book comprises the first serious critical attempt to apprehend their work through the discourse of the grotesque. While scholarly criticism has sometimes touched upon these authors’ interest in shocking images or taboo subjects, this work explores how sometimes-controversial aspects of the authors’ works derive from important debates that have a fascinating history in artistic and literary discourse. By outlining the aesthetic trajectories of each writer and offering detailed critical readings of key works including Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber (1979), Martin Amis's Money (1984), Ian McEwan's The Child in Time (1987), Iain Banks’s The Wasp Factory (1984), Will Self's Great Apes (1997) and Toby Litt's Ghost Story (2004), this book shows how the grotesque continues to be a powerful force in contemporary writing. The book sheds light on how these writers share a strong connection to a British tradition of the grotesque that goes back to Charles Dickens, Henry Fielding and Jonathan Swift as well as producing compelling and distinctive visions of contemporary life.