Novels of the Contemporary Extreme
When reality becomes so extreme it seems invented, what can fiction do? How do recent novels portray contemporary forms of brutality such as global terrorism, torture, and sexual violence? What draws us to scenes of apocalyptic horror? Are the media, the internet, television, popular culture, and global fear tearing us apart, or are they all that hold us together? Under what circumstances might writing (or reading) violence be an ethical act? These are a few of the questions that pop up repeatedly in this fascinating collection. Many of the novels studied here provoked controversy, even scandal, as they pushed the limits of representation to contemplate the implications of a world without stable boundaries, guardrails, or safety nets. The book will be of interest to students of contemporary fiction, of literature from of other periods of extreme violence (such as the Holocaust), and to those interested in cultural theory. Daring and thought-provoking, Novels of the Contemporary Extreme maps the power and limits of imagination and makes an important contribution to 21st-century literary and cultural studies.
Lynn Higgins, Dartmouth College
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