Publisher Description

Jonathan Coe is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed contemporary British writers. This comprehensive introduction places his work in clear historical and theoretical context, offering extensive readings of the author's ten novels from The Accidental Woman to Expo 58, including the remarkable What a Carve Up! The book explores Coe's biography and his experimentations with narrative, genre and comedy, as well as his thematic preoccupations with history, memory, loss and nostalgia.The first volume devoted entirely to Coe, this book includes:- A supporting timeline of key dates in literature and current events- An examination of the critical reception to Coe's works- An exclusive interview with Jonathan Coe himself

Author Biography

Vanessa Guignery is Professor of English Literature and Postcolonial Literature at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France. She is the author of Novelists in the New Millennium (2012), also published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Table of Contents

General Editors' Preface Acknowledgements PART I: INTRODUCTION Timeline 1. Introduction 2. A Biographical Reading PART II: MAJOR WORKS 3. 'Funny, Brutalist and Short': The Accidental Woman, A Touch of Love and The Dwarves of Death 4. State-of-the-nation Novels: What a Carve Up!, The Rotters' Club and The Closed Circle 5. Gravity and Grace: The House of Sleep and The Rain before it Falls 6. Everyman on the Road and Abroad: The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim and Expo 58 PART III: CRITICISM AND CONTEXTS7. Author Interview 8. Other Writings 9. Critical Reception Bibliography Index.

Long Description

Jonathan Coe is a highly-acclaimed writer whose work has enjoyed worldwide success. This study, the first of its kind, explores the full range of Coe's work, offering readers a comprehensive and accessible overview of his novels, fiction and other writings, as well as the surrounding criticism. The volume also features a new interview with Coe.

Feature

Covers all aspects of Coe'swriting, rather than focusing on specific aspects

Description for Bookstore

An original study on the works of Jonathan Coe, also including an interview with the author.

Details