Toward diversity and emancipation : (re- )narrating space in the contemporary American novel / Marcel Thoene.

Originally presented as the author's doctoral thesis--Universität Bielefeld, 2015.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Introduction: Contemporary American (Literary) Studies, the Spatial Turn and Narrativity -- 2. Key Tropes of Space in U.S.-American Cultural History -- 3. Literary Tradition: Space in Earlier Periods of U.S.-American Literature -- 4. Re-Thinking Narrative Theory for Contemporary Literature -- 5. Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections -- 6. Toni Morrison's African American History Trilogy -- 7. Luis Alberto Urrea: Into the Beautiful North -- 8. Sherman Alexie: Reservation Blues -- 9. Conclusion.

"This book focuses on the pivotal role which space and spatiality assume in plot and narrative discourse of contemporary U.S.-American literary narratives. Embarking from a new, spatialized approach to cultural history and particularly narrative theory that might also prove useful for neighboring philologies, Marcel Thoene hypothesizes that the canon of novels selected represents a dialectic of simultaneous affirmation and subversion of the American space myth. This results in an integrative and emancipatory function of space reflecting the current dynamic toward a more transcultural, diverse and conflictive post-national U.S.-American society"--Provided by publisher.

Print version record.

eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - Worldwide