Jonathan Franzen at the end of postmodernism / Stephen J. Burn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Burn, Stephen.

Series:

Continuum literary studies

Continuum literary studies series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Franzen, Jonathan--Criticism and interpretation.

Franzen, Jonathan.

Postmodernism (Literature)--United States.

Postmodernism (Literature).

Criticism and interpretation.

United States.

American fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

American fiction.

Physical Description:

xvi, 159 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Continuum, [2008]

Summary:

Jonathan Franzen is one of the most influential, critically-significant and popular contemporary American novelists. This book is the first full-length study of his work and attempts to articulate where American fiction is headed after postmodernism. Stephen Burn provides a comprehensive analysis of each of Franzen's novels - from his early work to the popular success of The Corrections - identifying key sources, delineating important narrative strategies, and revealing how Franzen's themes are reinforced by each novel's structure. Supplementing this analysis with comparisons to key contemporaries, David Foster Wallace and Richard Powers, Burn suggests how Franzen's work is indicative of the direction of experimental American fiction in the wake of the so-called end of postmodernism.

Contents:

Chapter 1 A Map of the Territory: American Fiction at the Millennium 1

Chapter 2 Genealogy: Franzen's Early Writing 28

Chapter 3 In the Concrete Waste Land: The Twenty-Seventh City 52

Chapter 4 Midnight in the System Rooms: Strong Motion 68

Chapter 5 Millennial Fictions: The Corrections 88.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 141-156) and index.

ISBN:

9781847062482

1847062482

OCLC:

227278263