New Readings of the American Novel: Narrative Theory and Its Applications - Tapa blanda

This study introduces a variety of theoretical models for the reading of narrative: Genette, Ricoeur, Iser, Barthes, Bakhtin, among others. Its aim is to demonstrate to students and teachers of literature how such models can be used to explain how a text's effects are created. At the same time, the author argues for a grounding of the individual text in its historical and cultural context. The seven American novels discussed come mainly from the traditional "canon"; a final chapter on "There Eyes Were Watching God" argues, however, for a broadening of the boundaries of literary discourse.