Publisher Description

THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN FICTION Accessibly structured with entries on important historical contexts, central issues, key texts and the major writers, this Handbook provides an engaging overview of twentieth-century American ction. Featured writers range from Henry James and Theodore Dreiser to contemporary figures such as Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Pynchon, and Sherman Alexie, and analyses of key works include The Great Gatsby, Lolita, The Color Purple, and The Joy Luck Club, among others. Relevant contexts for these works, such as the impact of Hollywood, the expatriate scene in the 1920s, and the political unrest of the 1960s are also explored, and their importance discussed. This is a stimulating overview of twentieth-century American fiction, offering invaluable guidance and essential information for students and general readers.

Back Cover

Accessibly structured with entries on important historical contexts, central issues, key texts and the major writers, this Handbook provides an engaging overview of twentieth-century American fiction. Featured writers range from Henry James and Theodore Dreiser to contemporary figures such as Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Pynchon, and Sherman Alexie, and analyses of key works include The Great Gatsby, Lolita, The Color Purple, and The Joy Luck Club, among others. Relevant contexts for these works, such as the impact of Hollywood, the expatriate scene in the 1920s, and the political unrest of the 1960s are also explored, and their importance discussed. This is a stimulating overview of twentieth-century American fiction, offering invaluable guidance and essential information for students and general readers.

Flap

Accessibly structured with entries on important historical contexts, central issues, key texts and the major writers, this Handbook provides an engaging overview of twentieth-century American fiction. Featured writers range from Henry James and Theodore Dreiser to contemporary figures such as Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Pynchon, and Sherman Alexie, and analyses of key works include The Great Gatsby, Lolita, The Color Purple, and The Joy Luck Club, among others. Relevant contexts for these works, such as the impact of Hollywood, the expatriate scene in the 1920s, and the political unrest of the 1960s are also explored, and their importance discussed. This is a stimulating overview of twentieth-century American fiction, offering invaluable guidance and essential information for students and general readers.

Author Biography

Christopher MacGowan is Professor of English at the College of William and Mary, USA. His numerous publications include work on William Carlos Williams, Denise Levertov, Sherwood Anderson, Ford Madox Ford, and Vladimir Nabokov.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments. How to Use This Book. Chronology: Significant Dates and Events, 1900–2000. Introduction. Part 1 Historical Contexts. The American Scene, c.1900. Expatriates: 1920s and Beyond. Charting the Depression: The 1930s. Post-war Alienation, Experiment, and Alternatives. Multicultural America: Borders, Tradition, and Identity. Part 2 Major Writers. Henry James (1843–1916). Edith Wharton (1862–1937). Theodore Dreiser (1871–1945). Willa Cather (1873–1947). Gertrude Stein (1874–1946). Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951). Raymond Chandler (1888–1959). Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960). F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940). John Dos Passos (1896–1970). William Faulkner (1897–1962). Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961). Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977). Thomas Wolfe (1900–1938). John Steinbeck (1902–1968). Nathanael West (1903–1940). Richard Wright (1908–1960). William S. Burroughs (1914–1997). Saul Bellow (1915–2005). Norman Mailer (1923–2007). James Baldwin (1924–1987). John Barth (b.1930). Toni Morrison (b.1931). John Updike (1932–2009). Philip Roth (b.1933). Don DeLillo (b.1936). Thomas Pynchon (b.1937). Joyce Carol Oates (b.1938). Raymond Carver (1938–1988). Louise Erdrich (b.1954). Sherman Alexie (b.1966). Part 3 Key Texts. Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie (1900). Henry James, The Wings of the Dove (1902). Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905). Willa Cather, My Antonia (1918). Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio (1919). Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt (1922). F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925). Ernest Hemingway, In Our Time (1925). William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (1929). Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). Djuna Barnes, Nightwood (1937). John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Richard Wright, Native Son (1940). J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951). Flannery O'Connor, Wise Blood (1952). Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952). Jack Kerouac, On the Road (1957). Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1958). Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (1961). William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch (1962). Saul Bellow, Herzog (1964). Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49 (1966). Philip Roth, Portnoy's Complaint (1969). Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony (1977). Alice Walker, The Color Purple (1982). Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (1984). William Gibson, Neuromancer (1984). Don DeLillo, White Noise (1985). Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987). Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club (1989). Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses (1992). Part 4 Themes. Race and American Fiction. The American Short Story. Hollywood and American Fiction. Women and Twentieth-Century American Fiction. Guide to Further Reading. Index.

Review

"This comprehensive guide to American fiction in the twentieth century provides a wealth of information on contemporary writers and their writings." (Booknews, 1 June 2011)  

Long Description

Accessibly structured with entries on important historical contexts, central issues, key texts and the major writers, this Handbook provides an engaging overview of twentieth-century American fiction.

Review Text

"This comprehensive guide to American fiction in the twentieth century provides a wealth of information on contemporary writers and their writings." (Booknews, 1 June 2011)   "In this wonderful book, Christopher MacGowan combines a comprehensive survey of major trends and themes with a series of lucid and focussed essays on significant writers and texts. Offering a lively and deeply informed introduction to American fiction of the twentieth century, this is essential reading for students of the subject at any level, and for anyone else interested in learning more about a vital period in American literary history."
?Richard Gray, University of Essex "This is one of the very few indispensible companions to a huge and complex field. Its coverage of key writers and works is impressive."
?David Seed, University of Liverpool

Review Quote

"This comprehensive guide to American fiction in the twentieth century provides a wealth of information on contemporary writers and their writings." (Booknews, 1 June 2011)

Feature

Acknowledgements How To Use This Book Chronology: Significant Dates and Events, 1900-2000 I. Introduction II.Major Writers III.Key Texts IV.Themes Guide to Further Reading

Details