Orwell to the Present: Literature in England, 1945-2000

by John Brannigan

Overview

This essential introductory guide provides a comprehensive critical survey of the diverse and rich body of literary writing produced in England in the postwar period. John Brannigan explores the relationship between literature and history, and analyses how poets, playwrights and novelists have revisited notions of Englishness, represented Englands of the past, and sought to make new 'maps' of English culture and society.

Orwell to the Present: Literature in England, 1945-2000 combines original readings of familiar texts with wide-ranging explorations of the principal themes and historical and cultural contexts of literature since the end of the Second World War. Writers considered in detail include: Martin Amis, Simon Armitage, Pat Barker, John Betjeman, Edward Bond, Angela Carter, Margaret Drabble, Sarah Kane, Mark Ravenhill, Jean Rhys, Salman Rushdie, Sam Selvon, Graham Swift and Evelyn Waugh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350308855
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	11/25/2002
Series:	Transitions
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

JOHN BRANNIGAN teaches English at Trinity College Dublin and Queen's University of Belfast. He has published works on critical theory, postwar English literature and twentieth-century Irish writing.
JOHN BRANNIGAN is Lecturer in Literary Studies and Irish Studies at the University of Luton, UK.

Table of Contents

General Editor's Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART ONE: ENGLAND REVISITED 'Small Disturbances': England in 1945
'After History': Time and Memory in Postwar Writing
A Literature of Farewell: The Condition of England and the Politics of Elegy
PART TWO: MAKING NEW MAPS 'Common Ground': Feminist Fictions and the Cultural Politics of Difference
From Anger to Blasted : Trauma and Social Representation in Contemporary Drama
English Journeys: Cultural Geographies of Contemporary England
Conclusion
Chronology
Key Concepts and Contexts
Annotated Bibliography
Bibliography
Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

...a significant addition to the field of post-war British literary studies, ongoing debates on the nature and fate of Englishness, and recent critical interrogations of the concept of periodicity. Admirably wide-ranging, filled with subtle and insightful readings and written in a lucid, consistently eloquent prose style, Brannigan's study will prove essential reading to anyone interested in the past half-century of British writing, the scattered itineraries of Englishness that writing maps, and the nature of the work literary theory performs in addressing the idea of a literary period. It is an excellent and rewarding book.' - Ian Baucom, Professor of English, Duke University

'John Brannigan has generated a new analysis of literature in the second half of the twentieth century, sidestepping many of the traditional preoccupations, foregrounding a distinctive array of texts. His book fizzes with insights; it will become a necessary reference point.' - Alan Sinfield, Professor of English, University of Sussex

'...covers a wide range of authors in a stimulating way.' - Dr Tim Woods, University of Wales, Aberystwyth

'Very clear and engaging and fills a noted gap.' - Dr Eve Patten, Trinity College Dublin

'...a fast-paced survey of future possible conclusions about the relationship between British literature and the national consciousness.' - W.B. Warde, Jr., Choice

Editorial Reviews

..".a fast-paced survey of future possible conclusions about the relationship between British literature and the national consciousness."--W.B. Warde, Jr., Choice
"John Brannigan has generated a new analysis of literature in the second half of the 20th century, sidestepping many of the traditional preoccupations, foregrounding a distinctive array of texts. His book fizzes with insights; it will become a necessary reference point." -- Alan Sinfield, University of Sussex
..".a significant addition to the field of post-war British literary studies, ongoing debates on the nature and fate of 'Englishness, ' and recent critical interrogations of the concept of periodicity. Admirably wide-ranging, filled with subtle and insightful readings and written in a lucid, consistently eloquent prose style, Brannigan's study will prove essential reading to anyone interested in the past half-century of British writing, the scattered itineraries of Englishness that writing maps, and the nature of the work literary theory performs in addressing the idea of a literary period. It is an excellent and rewarding book." -- Ian Baucom, Duke University


."..a fast-paced survey of future possible conclusions about the relationship between British literature and the national consciousness."--W.B. Warde, Jr., Choice

"John Brannigan has generated a new analysis of literature in the second half of the 20th century, sidestepping many of the traditional preoccupations, foregrounding a distinctive array of texts. His book fizzes with insights; it will become a necessary reference point." -- Alan Sinfield, University of Sussex

."..a significant addition to the field of post-war British literary studies, ongoing debates on the nature and fate of 'Englishness, ' and recent critical interrogations of the concept of periodicity. Admirably wide-ranging, filled with subtle and insightful readings and written in a lucid, consistently eloquent prose style, Brannigan's study will prove essential reading to anyone interested in the past half-century of British writing, the scattered itineraries of Englishness that writing maps, and the nature of the work literary theory performs in addressing the idea of a literary period. It is an excellent and rewarding book." -- Ian Baucom, Duke University


.,."a fast-paced survey of future possible conclusions about the relationship between British literature and the national consciousness."--W.B. Warde, Jr., Choice
"John Brannigan has generated a new analysis of literature in the second half of the 20th century, sidestepping many of the traditional preoccupations, foregrounding a distinctive array of texts. His book fizzes with insights; it will become a necessary reference point." -- Alan Sinfield, University of Sussex
.,."a significant addition to the field of post-war British literary studies, ongoing debates on the nature and fate of 'Englishness, ' and recent critical interrogations of the concept of periodicity. Admirably wide-ranging, filled with subtle and insightful readings and written in a lucid, consistently eloquent prose style, Brannigan's study will prove essential reading to anyone interested in the past half-century of British writing, the scattered itineraries of Englishness that writing maps, and the nature of the work literary theory performs in addressing the idea of a literary period. It is an excellent and rewarding book." -- Ian Baucom, Duke University


..."a fast-paced survey of future possible conclusions about the relationship between British literature and the national consciousness."--W.B. Warde, Jr., Choice
"John Brannigan has generated a new analysis of literature in the second half of the 20th century, sidestepping many of the traditional preoccupations, foregrounding a distinctive array of texts. His book fizzes with insights; it will become a necessary reference point." -- Alan Sinfield, University of Sussex
..."a significant addition to the field of post-war British literary studies, ongoing debates on the nature and fate of 'Englishness, ' and recent critical interrogations of the concept of periodicity. Admirably wide-ranging, filled with subtle and insightful readings and written in a lucid, consistently eloquent prose style, Brannigan's study will prove essential reading to anyone interested in the past half-century of British writing, the scattered itineraries of Englishness that writing maps, and the nature of the work literary theory performs in addressing the idea of a literary period. It is an excellent and rewarding book." -- Ian Baucom, Duke University

From the Publisher