Thomas F. Marvin - Kurt Vonnegut: A Critical Companion

Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers

Second Series

Julia Alvarez by Silvio Sirias

Rudolfo A. Anaya by Margarite Fernandez Olmos

Maya Angelou by Mary Jane Lupton

Ray Bradbury by Robin Anne Reid

Louise Erdrich by Lorena L. Stookey

Ernest J. Gaines by Karen Carmean

Gabriel Garcia Marquez by Ruben Pelayo

John Irving by Josie P. Campbell

Garrison Keillor by Marcia Songer

Jamaica Kincaid by Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert

Barbara Kingsolver by Mary Jean DeMarr

Maxine Hong Kingston by E. D. Huntley

Terry McMillan by Paulette Richards

Larry McMurtry by John M. Reilly

Toni Morrison by Missy Dehn Kubitschek

Chaim Potok by Sanford Sternlicht

Amy Tan by E. D. Huntley

Anne Tyler by Paul Bail

Leon Uris by Kathleen Shine Cain

Gloria Naylor by Charles E. Wilson, Jr.

Tom Wolf by Brian Abel Ragen

The volumes in the series are written by scholars with particular expertise in analyzing popular fiction. These specialists add an academic focus to the popular success that these writers already enjoy.

The series is designed to appeal to a wide range of readers. The general reading public will find explanations for the appeal of these well-known writers. Fans will find biographical and fictional questions answered. Students will find literary analysis, discussions of fictional genres, carefully organized introductions to new ways of reading the novels, and bibliographies for additional research. Whether browsing through the book for pleasure or using it for an assignment, readers will find that the most recent novels of the authors are included.

Each volume begins with a biographical chapter drawing on published information, autobiographies or memoirs, prior interviews, and, in some cases, interviews given especially for this series. A chapter on literary history and genres describes how the author's work fits into a larger literary context. The following chapters analyze the writer's most important, most popular, and most recent novels in detail. Each chapter focuses on one or more novels. This approach, suggested by the advisory board as the most useful to student research, allows for an in-depth analysis of the writer's fiction. Close and careful readings with numerous examples show readers exactly how the novels work. These chapters are organized around three central elements: plot development (how the story line moves forward), character development (what the reader knows of the important figures), and theme (the significant ideas of the novel). Chapters may also include sections on generic conventions (how the novel is similar to or different from others in its same category of science fiction, fantasy, thriller, etc.), narrative point of view (who tells the story and how), symbols and literary language, and historical or social context. Each chapter ends with an "alternative reading" of the novel. The volume concludes with a primary and secondary bibliography, including reviews.

The alternative readings are a unique feature of this series. By demonstrating a particular way of reading each novel, they provide a clear example of how a specific perspective can reveal important aspects of the book. In the alternative reading sections, one contemporary literary theoryway of reading, such as feminist criticism, Marxism, new historicism, deconstruction, or Jungian psychological critiqueis defined in brief, easily comprehensible language. That definition is then applied to the novel to highlight specific features that might go unnoticed or be understood differently in a more general reading. Each volume defines two or three specific theories, making them part of the reader's understanding of how diverse meanings may be constructed from a single novel.

Taken collectively, the volumes in the Critical Companions to Popular Contemporary Writers series provide a wide-ranging investigation of the complexities of current best-selling fiction. By treating these novels seriously as both literary works and publishing successes, the series demonstrates the potential of popular literature in contemporary culture.

Kathleen Gregory Klein

Southern Connecticut State University