The Maximalist Novel

From Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow to Roberto Bolano's 2666

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American
Cover of the book The Maximalist Novel by Stefano Ercolino, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stefano Ercolino ISBN: 9781623561901
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: June 19, 2014
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic Language: English
Author: Stefano Ercolino
ISBN: 9781623561901
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: June 19, 2014
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Language: English

The Maximalist Novel sets out to define a new genre of contemporary fiction that developed in the United States from the early 1970s, and then gained popularity in Europe in the early twenty-first century.

The maximalist novel has a very strong symbolic and morphological identity. Ercolino sets out ten particular elements which define and structure it as a complex literary form: length, an encyclopedic mode, dissonant chorality, diegetic exuberance, completeness, narrratorial omniscience, paranoid imagination, inter-semiocity, ethical commitment, and hybrid realism. These ten characteristics are common to all of the seven works that centre his discussion: Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Underworld by Don DeLillo, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, and 2005 dopo Cristo by the Babette Factory.

Though the ten features are not all present in the same way or form in every single text, they are all decisive in defining the genre of the maximalist novel, insofar as they are systematically co-present. Taken singularly, they can be easily found both in modernist and postmodern novels, which are not maximalist. Nevertheless, it is precisely their co-presence, as well as their reciprocal articulation, which make them fundamental in demarcating the maximalist novel as a genre.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The Maximalist Novel sets out to define a new genre of contemporary fiction that developed in the United States from the early 1970s, and then gained popularity in Europe in the early twenty-first century.

The maximalist novel has a very strong symbolic and morphological identity. Ercolino sets out ten particular elements which define and structure it as a complex literary form: length, an encyclopedic mode, dissonant chorality, diegetic exuberance, completeness, narrratorial omniscience, paranoid imagination, inter-semiocity, ethical commitment, and hybrid realism. These ten characteristics are common to all of the seven works that centre his discussion: Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Underworld by Don DeLillo, White Teeth by Zadie Smith, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, and 2005 dopo Cristo by the Babette Factory.

Though the ten features are not all present in the same way or form in every single text, they are all decisive in defining the genre of the maximalist novel, insofar as they are systematically co-present. Taken singularly, they can be easily found both in modernist and postmodern novels, which are not maximalist. Nevertheless, it is precisely their co-presence, as well as their reciprocal articulation, which make them fundamental in demarcating the maximalist novel as a genre.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book The Famishing Vanishing Mahoosive Mammoth by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Divine Discontent by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book History of Central Asia, The: 4-volume set by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Spitfire Aces of Burma and the Pacific by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book The Theatre of Tennessee Williams by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Lasting Impressions by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Katori Hall Plays One by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Recent Trends In Transfer Pricing Intangibles, GAAR and BEPS by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Poitier Revisited by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book 3D Warhol by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book Using Computers Games across the Curriculum by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book The Spanish Civil War 1936–39 (2) by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book The Constitution of Israel by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book The Flannelettes by Stefano Ercolino
Cover of the book World War II Tales: The Phantom Farm by Stefano Ercolino
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy