Reading the Absurd

The absurd is arguably one of the most significant literary genres of the second half of the 20th century and as a genre it has received plenty of scholarly attention from literary scholars. Over the years, the features of absurd drama have received some attention from stylisticians, but Gavins’s monograph constitutes the first comprehensive stylistic study of absurd narrative prose. She employs a variety of stylistic models to analyse this genre… I was impressed to see how Gavins uses the framework in tandem with so many other stylistic models, cognitive and traditional. -- Jane Lugea, University of Huddersfield * Language and Literature *
Reading the Absurd is an elegant and eclectic exploration of the concept of the absurd in a range of literary genres. Productively enriched by reader response theories, Gavins’s model of the absurd is built solidly on the analytic techniques of contemporary stylistics and cognitive-poetics. In all, this is a compelling and groundbreaking study of a concept that has hitherto been largely the preserve of drama and theatre studies. -- Paul Simpson, Professor of English Language, Queen's University