States of exception in the contemporary novel : Martel, Eugenides, Coetzee, Sebald / Arne De Boever.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

De Boever, Arne.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fiction--21st century--History and criticism.

Fiction.

Physical Description:

x, 159 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Continuum, [2012]

Summary:

De Boever (American Studies, California Institute of the Arts) investigates the aesthetics, ethics, and politics of decisions depicted in four novels that were published around September 11, 2001: Yann Martel's The Life of Pi; Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex; J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace; and W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz. None of the novels deals explicitly with the 9/11 attacks; instead, the novels present crisis situations and look at how the characters or narrators make decisions in response to the crises. An introduction reviews related philosophical and political stances by Carl Schmitt and Thomas Hobbes. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Decision time

States of exception in Yann Martel's Life of Pi

Autobiography and human rights in Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex

Literary economies in J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace

Architectures of exception in W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz

From exception to care.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781441125972

1441125973

OCLC:

755004230