1st Edition

Travel and Dislocation in Contemporary American Fiction

By Aliki Varvogli Copyright 2012
180 Pages
by Routledge

208 Pages
by Routledge

180 Pages
by Routledge

This book offers a critical study and analysis of American fiction at the beginning of the twenty-first century. It focuses on novels that ‘go outward’ literally and metaphorically, and it concentrates on narratives that take place mainly away from the US’s geographical borders. Varvogli draws on current theories of travel globalization and post-national studies, and proposes a dynamic model... Read more

Contents  Acknowledgements  Introduction  I: Africa and the Limits of Fiction  1: Philip Caputo, Acts Of Faith; Dave Eggers, What Is The What  2: Norman Rush, Mortals; Russell Banks, The Darling  II: Travel And Globalization  3: Amy Tan, Saving Fish From Drowning; Garrison Keillor, Pilgrims  4: Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated; Dave Eggers, You Shall Know Our Velocity  III: Dislocation And/At Home  5: Chang-Rae Lee, A Gesture Life; Ethan Canin, Carry Me Across The Water  6: Dinaw Mengestu, How To Read The Air; Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake  Bibliography  Index

Biography

Aliki Varvogli is a lecturer in English at the University of Dundee. She has published books on Paul Auster and Annie Proulx, and several articles on contemporary American fiction. Her articles have appeared in The Journal of American Studies, Symbiosis, Atlantic Studies, Philip Roth Studies and other journals.

"Recommended" --Choice

'Published as part of Routledge's Transnational Perspectives on American Literature, a series edited by Susan Castillo of works share a common interest in the cultural and linguistics permeability of the United States in the age of globalization, Travel and Dislocation in Contemporary American Fiction adds to this debate with nuanced readings of recent American fiction that come together to create a searching account of the plural nature of selves, nations and cultures at the start of the twenty-first century.' - Journal of American Studies