Literature of the 1980s: After the Watershed
Volume 9
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:5th Oct '10
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
Joseph Brooker relates developments in fiction, poetry and drama to social change - from the new generation of London novelists such as Martin Amis and Ian McEwan to the impact of feminism in the writing of Angela Carter and Jeanette Winterson. Brooker also explores the literary strategies used by writers of working-class origin in the age of Thatcherism such as James Kelman and Tony Harrison, as well as the voices used by Black British writers including Fred D'Aguiar and Hanif Kureishi. The rise of postmodernism is explored in relation to developments in literary theory and the popularity of self-conscious modes of writing. Literature of the 1980s provides a vibrant account of the diverse literature from a decade which left Britain a very different place. Key Features *The first academic book-length discussion of British literature of the 1980s *Extensive historical background for understanding literary texts and other cultural forms such as television, film and music *Consideration of how images of the 1980s have appeared in later culture *Close attention to influential writers including Martin Amis, Angela Carter, Jeanette Winterson, Salman Rushdie, Pat Barker, James Kelman and Hanif Kureishi
Brooker’s ability to represent such a wide range of literary and cultural texts within a coherent structure is no small feat. [...] The real strength of the book lies in its ability to provide such an impressively thorough account of a wide range of texts alongside some impassioned and convincing close readings of so many of them. Brooker is doing much more than simply defining, checking or expanding the shifting canons of eighties literature: his literary readings and his sense of the period make both available to us anew. -- Nicky Marsh
Joseph Brooker's book manages the admirable task of introducing and even historicising a period whose legacy is just beginning to be understood. Ranging from Derrida to Duran Duran, he provides an exemplary work of literary and cultural history, while braiding politics and literature together in revealing close readings of key authors and texts. This is a brave, lucid and richly informed book, necessary reading for anyone interested in understanding a tumultuous period in the cultural history of these islands. -- Ray Ryan
Brooker offers an engaged and critical analysis of some of the central literary works and preoccupations of the decade... * Years Work in English Studies, vol 91, no 1, 2012 *
Brooker offers an engaged and critical analysis of some of the central literary works and preoccupations of the decade... * Years Work in English Studies, vol 91, no 1, 2012 *
ISBN: 9780748633944
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 509g
248 pages