The Novel Now: Contemporary British Fiction - Hardcover

Bradford, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1405113855 ISBN 13: 9781405113854

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 2007

Synopsis

The Novel Now is an intelligent and engaging survey of contemporary British fiction.

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• 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.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Bradford is Professor of English at the University of Ulster. He has published 14 books on a variety of topics, from Milton to literary theory to post-war British literature. His recent biographies of Kingsley Amis (Lucky Him: The Life of Kingsley Amis, 2001) and Philip Larkin (First Boredom, Then Fear: The Life of Philip Larkin, 2005) have received excellent reviews.

From the Back Cover

The Novel Now is a scrupulous and entertaining account of what has happened to British fiction since 1970. It exposes pretentious and self-indulgent writers and celebrates those novelists whose qualities are exceptional. The book will show that enjoyment and critical scrutiny are not mutually exclusive activities; it is designed to appeal both to general readers and scholars.

Richard Bradford examines both emerging and celebrated authors, considering the work of rising literary stars and weighing their merits against more established figures. Through rigorous evaluation and reflection, the author takes a look at where literature has been, and where it is going. Incorporating coverage of subgenres such as ‘chick lit’, ‘lad lit’, crime fiction and the historical novel, this volume also examines the ways in which gender, sexuality and sexual orientation have been addressed in fiction over the past three decades.

Richard Bradford examines both emerging and celebrated authors, considering the work of rising literary stars and weighing their merits against more established figures. Through rigorous evaluation and reflection, the author takes a look at where literature has been, and where it is going. Incorporating coverage of subgenres such as ‘chick lit’, ‘lad lit’, crime fiction and the historical novel, this volume also examines the ways in which gender, sexuality and sexual orientation have been addressed in fiction over the past three decades.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1405113855
• ISBN 13: 9781405113854
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272