MARC record from Internet Archive

LEADER: 03667cam a2200373 i 4500
001 12211100
005 20161123131458.0
008 160907s2016 scu b s001 0 eng
010 $a 2016028682
020 $a9781611176971$qhardcover
020 $a1611176972$qhardcover
024 $a40026448238
035 $a(OCoLC)ocn949866162
035 $a(OCoLC)949866162
035 $a(NNC)12211100
040 $aDLC$beng$erda$cDLC$dYDXCP$dBTCTA$dBDX$dNYP$dYDX
042 $apcc
050 00 $aPS3566.A4554$bZ67 2016
082 00 $a813/.54$223
100 1 $aKeesey, Douglas,$eauthor.
245 10 $aUnderstanding Chuck Palahniuk /$cDouglas Keesey.
264 1 $aColumbia, South Carolina :$bThe University of South Carolina Press,$c[2016]
300 $axii, 138 pages ;$c24 cm.
336 $atext$btxt$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$bn$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$bnc$2rdacarrier
490 1 $aUnderstanding Contemporary American Literature
520 $a"Ever since his first novel, Fight Club, was made into a cult film by David Fincher, Chuck Palahniuk has been a consistent presence on the New York Times best-seller list. A target of critics but a fan favorite, Palahniuk has been loathed and loved in equal measure for his dark humor, edgy topics, and confrontational writing style. In close readings of Fight Club and the thirteen novels that this controversial author has published since, Douglas Keesey argues that Palahniuk is much more than a "shock jock" engaged in mere sensationalism. His visceral depictions of sex and violence have social, psychological, and religious significance. Keesey takes issue with reviewers who accuse Palahniuk of being an angry nihilist and a misanthrope, showing instead that he is really a romantic at heart and a believer in community. In this first comprehensive introduction to Palahniuk's fiction, Keesey reveals how this writer's outrageous narratives are actually rooted in his own personal experiences, how his seemingly unprecedented works are part of the American literary tradition of protagonists in search of an identity, and how his negative energy is really social satire directed at specific ills that he diagnoses and wishes to cure. After tracing the influence of his working-class background, his journalistic education, and his training as a "minimalist" writer, Understanding Chuck Palahniuk exposes connections between the writer's novels by grouping them thematically: the struggle for identity (Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, Choke); the horror trilogy (Lullaby, Diary, Haunted); teen terrors (Rant, Pygmy); porn bodies and romantic myths (Snuff, Tell-All, Beautiful You); and a decidedly unorthodox revision of Dante's Divine Comedy (Damned, Doomed). Drawing on numerous author interviews and written in an engaging and accessible style, Understanding Chuck Palahniuk should appeal to scholars, students, and fans alike."--$cProvided by publisher.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505 0 $aUnderstanding Chuck Palahniuk -- The Struggle for Identity: Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, Survivor, Choke -- The Horror Trilogy: Lullaby, Diary, Haunted -- Teen Terrors: Rant, Pygmy -- Porn Bodies and Romantic Myths: Snuff, Tell-All, Beautiful You -- Palahniuk's Divine Comedy: Damned, Doomed.
600 10 $aPalahniuk, Chuck$xCriticism and interpretation.
776 08 $iOnline version:$aKeesey, Douglas, author.$tUnderstanding Chuck Palahniuk$dColumbia, South Carolina : The University of South Carolina Press, 2016$z9781611176988$w(DLC) 2016043017
830 0 $aUnderstanding contemporary American literature.
852 00 $bglx$hPS3566.A4554$iZ67 2016