Full Description
Jonathan Coe is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed contemporary British writers. This comprehensive introduction places his work in clear historical and theoretical context, offering extensive readings of the author's ten novels from The Accidental Woman to Expo 58, including the remarkable What a Carve Up! The book explores Coe's biography and his experimentations with narrative, genre and comedy, as well as his thematic preoccupations with history, memory, loss and nostalgia.
The first volume devoted entirely to Coe, this book includes:
- A supporting timeline of key dates in literature and current events
- An examination of the critical reception to Coe's works
- An exclusive interview with Jonathan Coe himself
Contents
General Editors' Preface
Acknowledgements
PART I: INTRODUCTION
Timeline
1. Introduction
2. A Biographical Reading
PART II: MAJOR WORKS
3. 'Funny, Brutalist and Short': The Accidental Woman, A Touch of Love and The Dwarves of Death
4. State-of-the-nation Novels: What a Carve Up!, The Rotters' Club and The Closed Circle
5. Gravity and Grace: The House of Sleep and The Rain before it Falls
6. Everyman on the Road and Abroad: The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim and Expo 58
PART III: CRITICISM AND CONTEXTS
7. Author Interview
8. Other Writings
9. Critical Reception
Bibliography
Index.
