The classical tradition in modern American fiction / Tessa Roynon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roynon, Tessa, author.

Series:

BAAS paperbacks.

BAAS paperbacks

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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

American fiction.

American fiction--Classical influences.

Art, Classical, in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press, [2021]

Summary:

Explores the importance and complexity of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelExplores both the sheer extent and the ideologically-invested nature of classical allusiveness in the modern American novelSheds significant new light on canonical and often-taught major American novelistsSynthesizes and builds on existing research to demonstrate how a proper understanding of each writer’s classical allusiveness contributes to broad debates about modernism and postmodernism, intertextuality and the history and categorization of the American novelDraws on the methodologies and insights of Classical Reception studies as well as American studies, and makes an invaluable contribution to both fieldsIncludes a user-friendly glossary that explains all the classical names, concepts and wordsWatch Tessa Roynon discuss the book at a launch event organised by the Rothermere American Institute This book is an invaluable survey of the allusions to ancient Greek and Roman culture in the work of seven major modern American novelists: Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Philip Roth and Marilynne Robinson. Making the classical world accessible to all readers, it combines new close readings of three key texts by each author with overviews of the essential prior scholarship in the field. It also builds on archival research in documenting the nature and extent of each author’s own familiarity with classical literature and languages."

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements

Introduction: Greek and Roman Presences in the Modern American Novel

1. Willa Cather (1873–1946)

2. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)

3. William Faulkner (1897–1962)

4. Ralph Ellison (1913–94)

5. Toni Morrison (1931–2019)

6. Philip Roth (1933–2018)

7. Marilynne Robinson (1943– )

Conclusion: The Diversity of Modern American Fiction’s Classicism

Appendices

Works Cited

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4744-3406-1

1-4744-3405-3

OCLC:

1312727043