Experimental Fiction: An Introduction for Readers and Writers

by Julie Armstrong

Overview

Ever since Ezra Pound's exhortation to 'make it new', experimentation has been a hallmark of contemporary literature. Ranging from the modernists, through the Beats to postmodernism and contemporary 'hyperfiction', this is a unique introduction to experimental fiction. Creative exercises throughout the book help students grapple with the many varieties of experimental fiction for themselves, deepening their understanding of these many forms and developing their own writing skills.

In addition, the book examines the historical contexts and major themes of 20th-century experimental fiction and new directions for the novel offered by writers such as David Shields and Zadie Smith. Making often difficult works accessible for the first time reader and with extensive further reading guides, Experimental Fiction is an essential practical guidebook for students of creative writing and contemporary fiction.

Writers covered include: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, Marcel Proust, Ralph Ellison, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William Gibson, Italo Calvino, Jeanette Winterson, Don Delillo, Caitlin Fisher, Geoff Ryeman, Xiaolu Guo, Tom McCarthy, James Frey and David Mitchell.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441130570
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/23/2014
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Julie Armstrong is Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, where she teaches Creative Writing in an interdisciplinary Contemporary Arts Dept. In addition to her scholarly publishing, she has also written, poetry, television scripts and two works of experimental fiction: Mirror (2010) Troubador and Dream Space (2012).

Table of Contents

Introduction: What is Experimental Fiction?
1. Modernism i. When was/what was modernism?
ii. What was being explored in modernist fiction?
iii. Who was writing modernist fiction?
iv. What were the techniques and forms of modernist writing?
Writing Exercises
Further Reading
2. The Beats i. When were/what were the Beats ii. What was being explored in Beat literature?
iii. Who was writing Beat literature?
iv. What were the techniques and forms of Beat writing?
Writing Exercises
Further Reading
3. Moving Into Postmodernism i. What is/was postmodernism?
ii. What is/was being explored in postmodern fiction?
iii. Who is/was writing postmodern fiction?
iv. What are/were the techniques and forms of postmodern fiction?
Writing Exercises
Further Reading
4. A New Era for Fiction i. What is being explored in experimental fiction of the new era?
ii. Who is writing experimental fiction today?
iii. What are the techniques and forms of contemporary experimental fiction?
Writing Exercises
Further Reading
Conclusion
Index