The Novel Now: Contemporary British Fiction

The Novel Now is a scrupulous and entertaining account ofwhat has happened to British fiction since 1970. It exposespretentious and self–indulgent writers and celebrates thosenovelists whose qualities are exceptional. The book will show thatenjoyment and critical scrutiny are not mutually exclusiveactivities; it is designed to appeal both to general readers andscholars.

Richard Bradford examines both emerging and celebrated authors,considering the work of rising literary stars and weighing theirmerits against more established figures. Through rigorousevaluation and reflection, the author takes a look at whereliterature has been, and where it is going. Incorporating coverageof subgenres such as chick lit , ladlit , crime fiction and the historical novel, this volumealso examines the ways in which gender, sexuality and sexualorientation have been addressed in fiction over the past threedecades.

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

Part I: Realism Versus Modernism: Win, Lose or Draw?.

1. Before Now. A Brief Account of the Pre–1970s BritishNovel.

2. Something Unusual: Martin Amis and Ian McEwan.

3. The Effects of Thatcherism.

4. The New Postmodernists.

Part II: Excursions From the Ordinary.

5. The New Historical Novel.

6. Crime and Spy Fiction.

Part III: Sex.

7. Women.

8. Men.

9. Gay Fiction.

Part IV: Nation, Race and Place.

10. Scotland.

11. England, Englishness and Class.

12. The Question of Elsewhere.

13. Wales.

14. The Troubles.

15. Epilogue: The State of the Novel.

Select Bibliography: Recommended Further Reading.

Index

Richard Bradford is Professor of English at the University of Ulster. He has published 14 books on a variety of topics, from Milton to literary theory to post–war British literature. His recent biographies of Kingsley Amis ( Lucky Him: The Life of Kingsley Amis, 2001) and Philip Larkin ( First Boredom, Then Fear: The Life of Philip Larkin, 2005) have received excellent reviews.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007

"This survey of a vast field is elegantly managed, withagreeable readings along the way."
The Guardian

"Bradford is formidable, bracing and wildly stimulating"
The Telegraph

"The Novel Now shows that Richard Bradford is a verysharp and unillusioned critic; that he is his own man."
Martin Amis

Praise for Richard Bradford s previous works:
For Lucky Him: The Life of Kingsley Amis
"sharp and convincing written with magisterialskill"
The Daily Telegraph
"perceptive intelligent written with an unstridentease and sympathy that would surely have pleased his subject"The Spectator

For First Boredom, Then Fear: The Life of PhilipLarkin
"quite the best book [on him] yet to appear amasterful analysis Bradford is in such complete command ofhis subject matter, nothing escapes him. It is as if he has hadaccess to Larkin s very thought processes. A great biographyof a great artistic genius. Utterly magnificent"
The Daily Express
"extraordinary quite the best thing to appear on Larkinin ages"
The London Evening Standard