Hints and Guesses: William Gaddis's Fiction of LongingUniv of Wisconsin Press, 1997 - 302 頁 The author of four truly important novels--The Recognitions in 1955, J R in 1975, Carpenter's Gothic in 1985, and A Frolic of His Own in 1995--William Gaddis is considered by many literary scholars to be one of the most outstanding novelists of the twentieth century, to be spoken of in the same breath as James Joyce, Robert Musil, and Thomas Pynchon. Hints and Guesses: William Gaddis's Fiction of Longing is the first scholarly work to discuss all four Gaddis novels. While not dismissing the inclination of many scholars to view Gaddis's fiction as postmodern, Christopher Knight moves critical response in another direction, toward a discussion of Gaddis's significance as a satirist and social critic. Knight investigates Gaddis's predominant thematic interests, including those of contemporary aesthetics, Flemish painting, forgery, corporate America, Third World politics, and the U.S. legal system. What Knight finds is an author not only acutely sensitive to post-war social realities but also one whose critique carries with it an implied utopian dimension. |
內容
Introduction | 3 |
The Recognitions and Wyatt Gwyons Role | 24 |
JR and the Question of That Which Is Worth Doing | 83 |
Disorder as Symbolic of a Cultural Vacancy | 94 |
The Schoolroom Children and Lost Sheep | 106 |
Amy Joubert Edward Bast and the Need for a Larger Trust | 116 |
That Which Is Worth Doing or Responding to Ought | 129 |
Carpenters Gothics Bare Ruined Choirs | 146 |
A Frolic of His Own Whose Law? Whose Justice? | 201 |
Judge Crease and the Common | 217 |
Conclusion | 240 |
Works Cited | 285 |
常見字詞
aesthetic American appears artist asked attempt attention Bast becomes begins believe better characters clear comes course critics damn death Elizabeth ethic everything exist experience face fact father fear feel fiction final Flemish Gaddis Gaddis's Gibbs give Goes hand hear hope idea imagined important instance interest it's Italy Judge justice later less live look lost material matter McCandless mean nature never novel offers once original Oscar painter painting Paul perfection person picture play possible present question reason Recognitions reference relation religious remains response rules says seems sense simply speaks suggests tells things thought tion true trust truth turn understand Valentine whole wish writes Wyatt