Through a close-reading of the work of five prominent American postmodernist writers, this book re-evaluates the role of the past in recent American fiction, outlines the development of the postmodernist historical novel and considers the waning...
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Through a close-reading of the work of five prominent American postmodernist writers, this book re-evaluates the role of the past in recent American fiction, outlines the development of the postmodernist historical novel and considers the waning influence of postmodernism in contemporary American literature. Through a close-reading of the work of five prominent American postmodernist writers, this book re-evaluates the role of the past in recent American fiction, outlines the development of the postmodernist historical novel and considers the waning influence of postmodernism in contemporary American literature
Includes bibliographical references (p. 189-204) and index
Revised version of the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Essex
Electronic reproduction; Available via World Wide Web
Cover; Contents; Acknowledgements; 1 Introduction: Representing History, Re-presenting the Past; 2 'Nothing but words': Chronicling and Storytelling in Robert Coover's The Public Burning; The chronicler and synchronic history; Nixon and diachronic history; 3 'There is a world inside the world': Don DeLillo's Libra and Latent History; The sum total of all the things they aren't telling us; Contingency vs conspiracy?; Branches of history; 4 Pynchon Plays Dice: Mason Dixon and Quantum History; A singular line and a singular time?; Subjunctive spaces and subjunctive times
or, Pynchon's other worlds5 'A long list of regrettable actions': William T. Vollmann's Symbolic History; The Self and the Other: a dialogue through history; History as transformation; Trading for weapons; Dreaming of America; 6 'There is only narrative': E.L. Doctorow and Postmodernism; Making the connections in history: The Book of Daniel; History as a tune on a player piano: Ragtime; 'Denying history its rights': The March; 7 Conclusion: Moving on from Postmodernism; Notes; Bibliography; Index
