Understanding Chuck Palahniuk

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Understanding Chuck Palahniuk by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin, University of South Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin ISBN: 9781611176988
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press Publication: September 30, 2016
Imprint: University of South Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
ISBN: 9781611176988
Publisher: University of South Carolina Press
Publication: September 30, 2016
Imprint: University of South Carolina Press
Language: English

Ever since his first novel, Fight Club, was made into a cult film by David Fincher, Chuck Palahniuk has been a consistent presence on the New York Times best-seller list. A target of critics but a fan favorite, Palahniuk has been loathed and loved in equal measure for his dark humor, edgy topics, and confrontational writing style. In close readings of Fight Club and the thirteen novels that this controversial author has published since, Douglas Keesey argues that Palahniuk is much more than a “shock jock” engaged in mere sensationalism. His visceral depictions of sex and violence have social, psychological, and religious significance. Keesey takes issue with reviewers who accuse Palahniuk of being an angry nihilist and a misanthrope, showing instead that he is really a romantic at heart and a believer in community. In this first comprehensive introduction to Palahniuk’s fiction, Keesey reveals how this writer’s outrageous narratives are actually rooted in his own personal experiences, how his seemingly unprecedented works are part of the American literary tradition of protagonists in search of an identity, and how his negative energy is really social satire directed at specific ills that he diagnoses and wishes to cure. After tracing the influence of his working-class background, his journalistic education, and his training as a “minimalist” writer, Understanding Chuck Palahniuk exposes connections between the writer’s novels by grouping them thematically: the struggle for identity (Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, Choke); the horror trilogy (Lullaby, Diary, Haunted); teen terrors (Rant, Pygmy); porn bodies and romantic myths (Snuff, Tell-All, Beautiful You); and a decidedly unorthodox revision of Dante’s Divine Comedy (Damned, Doomed). Drawing on numerous author interviews and written in an engaging and accessible style, Understanding Chuck Palahniuk should appeal to scholars, students, and fans alike.

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

Ever since his first novel, Fight Club, was made into a cult film by David Fincher, Chuck Palahniuk has been a consistent presence on the New York Times best-seller list. A target of critics but a fan favorite, Palahniuk has been loathed and loved in equal measure for his dark humor, edgy topics, and confrontational writing style. In close readings of Fight Club and the thirteen novels that this controversial author has published since, Douglas Keesey argues that Palahniuk is much more than a “shock jock” engaged in mere sensationalism. His visceral depictions of sex and violence have social, psychological, and religious significance. Keesey takes issue with reviewers who accuse Palahniuk of being an angry nihilist and a misanthrope, showing instead that he is really a romantic at heart and a believer in community. In this first comprehensive introduction to Palahniuk’s fiction, Keesey reveals how this writer’s outrageous narratives are actually rooted in his own personal experiences, how his seemingly unprecedented works are part of the American literary tradition of protagonists in search of an identity, and how his negative energy is really social satire directed at specific ills that he diagnoses and wishes to cure. After tracing the influence of his working-class background, his journalistic education, and his training as a “minimalist” writer, Understanding Chuck Palahniuk exposes connections between the writer’s novels by grouping them thematically: the struggle for identity (Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, Choke); the horror trilogy (Lullaby, Diary, Haunted); teen terrors (Rant, Pygmy); porn bodies and romantic myths (Snuff, Tell-All, Beautiful You); and a decidedly unorthodox revision of Dante’s Divine Comedy (Damned, Doomed). Drawing on numerous author interviews and written in an engaging and accessible style, Understanding Chuck Palahniuk should appeal to scholars, students, and fans alike.

More books from University of South Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Life of the World to Come by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Understanding Larry McMurtry by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Keep and Give Away by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Fragments of the Ark by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Discovering South Carolina's Rock Art by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Days of Destruction by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Understanding Marilynne Robinson by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Textual Curation by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Claiming Freedom by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book A Southern Girl by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Caissons Go Rolling Along by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Sojourner in Islamic Lands by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book When Nighttime Shadows Fall by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Copts in Context by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
Cover of the book Claws by Douglas Keesey, Linda Wagner-Martin
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