Adventurous, engaging and politically urgent, contemporary American novels have come to enjoy a particular prestige and, through university courses, film adaptations and cultural controversies, a global circulation. This book provides an introduction to the contemporary American novel focusing on contexts, key texts and criticism.

Critical introduction to the contemporary american novel focusing on contexts, key texts and criticism.

To match brevity with wit, conciseness with comprehensiveness, is no easy task, but one that the authors of The Contemporary American Novel in Context execute with considerable verve and to great success... this portable study nonetheless telescopes diverse sociocultural contexts and complex literary texts with remarkable clarity. It is therefore highly recommendable to instructors and more senior academics as a teaching and reference aid, and, in particular, to students seeking keen insights into contemporary American literature and culture.