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Character networks in contemporary U.S. fiction / Scott Selisker.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Selisker, Scott, author.
- Series:
- Oxford studies in American literary history
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- American fiction--21st century--History and criticism.
- American fiction.
- Characters and characteristics in literature.
- American fiction--History and criticism.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource : illustrations.
- illustration
- Other Title:
- Character networks in contemporary United States fiction
- Place of Publication:
- New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2026]
- Summary:
- A defining shift in 21st-century American culture has been the visibility of our social networks. Our vocabulary for understanding politics and culture is now saturated with terms describing patterns of positioning and group dynamics, such as jobseeker networking, reach, going viral, grassroots networks, and partisan bubbles. Contemporary novelists are shrewd observers of the 'LinkedIn lunatics,' 'Columbuses,' leakers, and others that reflect a shifting landscape of values in the network society. 'Character Networks in Contemporary U.S. Fiction' reads this historical context alongside social network analysis and narrative theory, in order to argue that novelists, too, model complex social networks. To this end, Scott Selisker develops methods for illustrating and interpreting such 'character networks,' which comprise character groupings, go-betweens, unlikely encounters, and surprise realignments.
- Contents:
- Introduction: networked character
- Ways of reading the character network
- Networked media and the social life of privacy
- Creativity and authenticity in the networking age
- The shapes of collectivity
- Conclusion: Rewriting, rewiring, or, how to expand a universe.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (Oxford Academic, viewed on September 14, 2026).
- Other Format:
- Print version : Selisker, Scott. Character networks in contemporary U.S. fiction.
- ISBN:
- 9780197849392
- 0197849393
- OCLC:
- 1604678804
- Publisher Number:
- CIPO000418686
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license
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