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Yet accepting this challenge is what makes postmodern writing so pleasurable to read and rewarding to study.  \nUnlike most introductions to postmodernism and fiction, this book places the emphasis on literature rather than theory. It introduces the most prominent British and American novelists associated with postmodernism, from the ‘pioneers’, Beckett, Borges and Burroughs, to important post-war writers such as Pynchon, Carter, Atwood, Morrison, Gibson, Auster, DeLillo, and Ellis. Designed for students and clearly written, this Introduction explains the preoccupations, styles and techniques that unite postmodern authors.  \nbran nicol is Reader in Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Portsmouth and has previously taught at Lancaster and Chichester. He has published on D. M. Thomas, Iris Murdoch, postmodernism and stalking in contemporary culture.  \nThe Cambridge Introduction to  \nPostmodern Fiction  \nBRAN NICOL  \nCAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS  \nCambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo  \nCambridge University Press  \nThe Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK  \nPublished in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York  \n[www.cambridge.org](www.cambridge.org)  \nInformation on this [title: www.cambridge.org/9780521861571](title: www.cambridge.org/9780521861571)[ ](title: www.cambridge.org/9780521861571)© Bran Nicol 2009  \nThis publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.  \nFirst published in print format ISBN-13 978-0-511-64161-9 ISBN-13 978-0-521-86157-1 ISBN-13 978-0-521-67957-2  \n2009  \neBook (NetLibrary) Hardback  \nPaperback  \nCambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.  \nFor Karen, Joe and Jamie  \nContents  \nAcknowledgements page xi Preface: reading postmodern fiction xiii  \nIntroduction: postmodernism and  \npostmodernity 1  \nPostmodernity and ‘late capitalism’ 3  \nBaudrillard and simulation 4  \nPoststructuralism, postmodernism, and ‘the real’ 6  \nSociology and the construction of reality 8  \nJameson and the crisis in historicity 9  \nLyotard and the decline of the metanarrative 11  \nIrony and ‘double-coding’ 12  \nChapter 1 Postmodern fiction: theory  \nand practice 17  \nAn incredulity towards realism 17  \nWhat postmodern fiction does 30  \nHow to read postmodern fiction 39  \nChapter 2 Early postmodern fiction:  \nBeckett, Borges, and Burroughs 50  \nSamuel Beckett 52  \nJorge Luis Borges 58  \nWilliam Burroughs 65  \nviii Contents  \nChapter 3 US metafiction: Coover, Barth, Nabokov, Vonnegut, Pynchon 72  \nBarth’s Funhouse and Coover’s Descants 75  \nVladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire 82  \nKurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five 86  \nThomas Pynchon 89  \nChapter 4 The postmodern historical novel: Fowles, Barnes, Swift 99  \nHistoriographic metafiction 103  \nBritish historiographic metafiction 105  \nJohn Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman 106  \nGraham Swift, Waterland 112  \nJulian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot 116  \nChapter 5 Postmodern-postcolonial fiction 121  \nSalman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children 124  \nToni Morrison, Beloved 127  \nIshmael Reed, Mumbo Jumbo 133  \nChapter 6 Postmodern fiction by women: Carter, Atwood, Acker 140  \nAngela Carter 142  \nMargaret Atwood 148  \nKathy Acker 156  \nChapter 7 Two postmodern genres: cyberpunk and ‘metaphysical’ detective fiction 164  \nSci-fi and cyberpunk 164  \nWilliam Gibs","cbCainTMKOBzEmQG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainTMKOBzEmQG","pdf",1462670,240,"English","# Acknowledgements\n# Preface: reading postmodern fiction\n# Introduction: postmodernism and postmodernity\n## Postmodernity and ‘late capitalism’\n## Baudrillard and simulation\n## Poststructuralism, postmodernism, and ‘the real’\n## Sociology and the construction of reality\n## Jameson and the crisis in historicity\n## Lyotard and the decline of the metanarrative\n## Irony and ‘double-coding’\n# Chapter 1 Postmodern fiction: theory and practice\n## An incredulity towards realism\n## What postmodern fiction does\n## How to read postmodern fiction\n# Chapter 2 Early postmodern fiction: Beckett, Borges, and Burroughs\n## Samuel Beckett\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n## William Burroughs\n# Chapter 3 US metafiction: Coover, Barth, Nabokov, Vonnegut, Pynchon\n## Barth’s Funhouse and Coover’s Descants\n## Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire\n## Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five\n## Thomas Pynchon\n# Chapter 4 The postmodern historical novel: Fowles, Barnes, Swift\n## Historiographic metafiction\n## British historiographic metafiction\n## John Fowles, The French Lieutenant’s Woman\n## Graham Swift, Waterland\n## Julian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot\n# Chapter 5 Postmodern-postcolonial fiction\n## Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children\n## Toni Morrison, Beloved\n## Ishmael Reed, Mumbo Jumbo\n# Chapter 6 Postmodern fiction by women: Carter, Atwood, Acker\n## Angela Carter\n## Margaret Atwood\n## Kathy Acker\n# Chapter 7 Two postmodern genres: cyberpunk and ‘metaphysical’ detective fiction\n## Sci-fi and cyberpunk\n## Detective fiction\n# Chapter 8 Fiction of the ‘postmodern condition’: Ballard, DeLillo, Ellis\n## Conclusion: ‘ficto-criticism’\n# References\n# Index","[{\"question\":\"Why does postmodern fiction require active reading?\",\"answer\":\"Postmodern fiction asks readers to work to understand the text rather than consuming it passively. It also encourages readers to question their own responses and to reconsider what they think fiction is.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the book’s main focus compared with other introductions?\",\"answer\":\"Unlike many introductions that emphasize postmodern theory, this book emphasizes literature itself. It explains how major postmodern authors share concerns, styles, and techniques.\"},{\"question\":\"Which writers and authors are covered in the book’s survey?\",\"answer\":\"The introduction traces postmodern writing from early pioneers such as Beckett, Borges, and Burroughs to post-war writers including Pynchon, Carter, Atwood, Morrison, Gibson, Auster, DeLillo, and Ellis, with chapters addressing specific authors and genres.\"}]","The Cambridge Introduction to Postmodern Fiction | PDF",1789947940,370]