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Systems from Hell : Problem Definition and the Literary Portrayal of Failure in Our Public Policy and Social Institutions.

De Gruyter SUNY Press eBook-Package 2024 Available online

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EBSCOhost Academic eBook Collection (North America) Available online

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Ebook Central University Press Available online

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Format:
Book
Author/Creator:
Rochefort, David A.
Series:
SUNY Series in New Political Science Series
Language:
English
Subjects (All):
American fiction--21st century--History and criticism.
American fiction.
Literature and society--United States--History--21st century.
Literature and society.
Social problems in literature.
Social problems--United States.
Social problems.
Genre:
Literary criticism.
Physical Description:
1 online resource (302 pages)
Edition:
1st ed.
Place of Publication:
Albany : State University of New York Press, 2024.
Summary:
Examines how contemporary novels document and define social problems using a variety of narrative techniques to focus attention on systemic failure.
Contents:
Intro
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Telling the Story of Systemic Failure
Plan of the Book
Part I: Theoretical Considerations
Chapter 1 The System as Panacea, Uncertain Promise, and Scourge
The System: Properties and Functioning
The System as Panacea
The System as Uncertain Promise
The System as Scourge
Conclusion
Chapter 2 Narrative and Its Political Uses
Narrative: A Primer
Political Narrative
Political Fiction
The Social Problem Novel
The Framework of Problem Definition and Its Application
Part II: Four Social Problem Novels
Chapter 3 Health Care, But at What Cost?
Issue Background
So Much for That (2010)
Illness, the Unplanned Journey
Victims and Villains
A Tutorial in Systemic Criticism
Chapter 4 Falling into the Cracks of Our Mental Health (Non)System
72 Hour Hold (2005)
A State of Constant Crisis
No One to Blame for Mental Illness
Race and Mental Illness
A Broken System
The Flight to Utopia
Chapter 5 How Deep the Despair of Life in the Precariat
The Night Always Comes (2021)
A Cast of Damaged Characters
Grasping After the Elusive American Dream
The Nightmarish Search for a Solution
A Nebulous but Totalistic System
A Bitter Mom and the Unfair Society She Lives In
Chapter 6 Justice Denied
The Man Who Lived Underground (2021)
Two Plots, Two Protagonists, One Overarching Theme
The "Unbearable" Scene
Wright's Evolving Political Compass
Part III: Conclusion
Chapter 7 Empathic Policy Argument, Agenda Setting, and the Culture Wars
On the Construction of "Empathic Policy Argument"
How Novels Can Influence Politics and Policymaking
The Multiple Streams Approach.
Applying the Multiple Streams Approach to Two Classic Novels
Contemporary Social Problem Novels and the "National Mood"
Social Problem Novels and Book Banning
Systemic Reform: Adjustment Versus Transformation
Appendix A: A Partial Listing of Social Problem Novels since 2000
Climate Change
Environment
Feminism, Women's Rights
Health and Mental Health Care
Homelessness
Immigration
Political Dysfunction and Extremism
Poverty, Inequality, Late-Stage Capitalism
Racial Inequality and Injustice
School Shootings
Technology
Terrorism
War
Notes
Index.
Notes:
Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.
ISBN:
9798855800265
OCLC:
1468527193

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