Letters

Barth, John

ISBN 10: 039912425X / ISBN 13: 9780399124259

Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1979

About this Item

A landmark of postmodern American fiction, Letters is (as the subtitle genially informs us) "an old time epistolary novel by seven fictitious drolls & dreamers each of which imagines himself factual." Seven characters (including the Author himself) exchange a novel's worth of letters during a 7-month period in 1969, a time of revolution that recalls the U.S.'s first revolution in the 18th century - the heyday of the epistolary novel. Recapitulating American history as well as the plots of his first six novels, Barth's seventh novel is a witty and profound exploration of the nature of revolution and renewal, rebellion and reenactment, at both the private and public levels. It is also an ingenious meditation on the genre of the novel itself, recycling an older form to explore new directions, new possibilities for the novel. One quarter black cloth over off-white parchment, silver spine titles; signed by author on half title page. This is a used book. Pages are clean and bright with no markings, notes, or highlighting except for a few small stains on the front endpaper. Pages 3-16 have bent upper corners. No DJ. No owner's marks or bookplates, not ex-library. Binding is tight and square with slight edge wear at tops and bottoms of boards. Corners are bumped. An excellent reading copy.

Seller Inventory # L1335

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Letters
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons
• Publication Date: 1979
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 039912425X
• ISBN 13: 9780399124259
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

The letters of seven people, including a British gentlewoman who finds herself pregnant by her young American lover and a bachelor lawyer who enjoys incest on his final cruise in preparation for suicide, take readers on a journey through history

From the Back Cover

A landmark of postmodern American fiction, Letters is (as the subtitle genially informs us) "an old time epistolary novel by seven fictitious drolls & dreamers each of which imagines himself factual". Seven characters (including the Author himself) exchange a novel's worth of letters during a 7-month period in 1969, a time of revolution that recalls the U.S.'s first revolution in the 18th century - the heyday of the epistolary novel. Recapitulating American history as well as the plots of his first six novels, Barth's seventh novel is a witty and profound exploration of the nature of revolution and renewal, rebellion and reenactment, at both the private and public levels. It is also an ingenious meditation on the genre of the novel itself, recycling an older form to explore new directions, new possibilities for the novel.