Author

Publication

2002 - University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, South Carolina

Language

English

Word Count

47,250 words, Guess

Page Count

189 pages

Identifiers

  • Internet Archiveunderstandingwil00hixh
  • ISBN-101570034729
  • ISBN-139781570034725
  • Goodreads156181
  • LibraryThing8400139
and 4 more

Classifications

  • DDC813/.54
  • LCCPS3557.A845 Z67 2002
  • LCCPS3557.A845Z67 2002

Description

"Hix offers readings of Gass's works, from the early books, Omensetter's Luck and In the Heart of the Heart of the Country, to his later The Tunnel and Cartesian Sonata. Hix identifies the continuous presence of psychological, metaphysical, and ethical themes, including the lingering effect on adults of childhood hurts, the results of being "trapped" in language, and the consequences of hatred. While agreeing with critics who label Gass's novels and stories metafiction, he contends that to stop the exploration there would be to miss a complete appreciation of the novelist. Hix demonstrates instead how Gass's writings both break and follow tradition - as metafiction belonging to the company of works by John Barth but also as moral fiction belonging to the long American tradition that includes The Scarlet Letter and To Kill a Mockingbird."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

Series Statement

  • Understanding contemporary American literature

Reader Reviews

No reviews yet for this book.

Be the first to share your thoughts!