Reviews for Postmodern American Fiction: A Norton Anthology

The average rating for Postmodern American Fiction: A Norton Anthology based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-06-28 00:00:00 Richard Atkinson I lost this book. I have no idea where it is.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-10-19 00:00:00 Dave Farcy What can I say? This is a must-have book for anyone who wants ALL their lit theory bases covered. This collection culls short stories and excerpts from novels and culminates with a section on postmodernist theory itself. My favorites so far are the stories from Walter Abish, David Foster Wallace, Ishmael Reed, the immortal Grace Paley, Jay Cantor, Laurie Anderson) and some ultra-hip hypertext selections you can read at the Norton website. Highly ironic is the notion that in America (a country not known for its ironic sensibilities) postmodernism has found a home in America (really- it's been a recognizable feature since WW2 with writers like Vonnegut, Pynchon, Heller, Oates, Le Guin and Barth) while being rejected in Europe, where it was developed. Irony-Tragedy-Parody-Pastiche, it's all here for maximum human enjoyment. My only quibble is that Philip K. Dick's VALIS would've been a great addition to this volume, but I guess there's only so much you can put in one book. Here's hoping that will be rectified with Postmodern American Fiction: Volume 2!