American Literature in Transition, 1970–1980

Description

American Literature in Transition, 1970–1980 examines the literary developments of the twentieth-century's gaudiest decade. For a quarter century, filmmakers, musicians, and historians have returned to the era to explore the legacy of Watergate, stagflation, and Saturday Night Fever, uncovering the unique confluence of political and economic phenomena that make the period such a baffling time. Literary historians have never shown much interest in the era, however - a remarkable omission considering writers as diverse as Toni Morrison, Thomas Pynchon, Marilyn French, Adrienne Rich, Gay Talese, Norman Mailer, Alice Walker, and Octavia E. Butler were active. Over the course of twenty-one essays, contributors explore a range of controversial themes these writers tackled, from 1960s' nostalgia to feminism and the redefinition of masculinity to sexual liberation and rock 'n' roll. Other essays address New Journalism, the rise of blockbuster culture, memoir and self-help, and crime fiction - all demonstrating that the Me Decade was nothing short of mesmerizing. Copyright_page Contents Illustrations Contributors Chronology Introduction: Sucking in the Seventies part i themes 1 In the Shadow of the 1960s: “What Do We Do Now?” 2 “It’s Not Okay with Me”: The 1970s War against Nostalgia 3 “We Interrupt This Program” 4 “All in the Family” 5 “An Element of Present Danger” 6 “The Zipless Fuck is Absolutely Pure” part ii genres and the business of literature 7 Our Stories, Our Selves 8 “(Not Just) Knee Deep” 9 Green Letters in a Decade Black with Ink 10 Future Shocks: Science Fiction Transformations in the 1970s 11 Death Wishes 12 The Great American Novel in the 1970s 13 The Bestseller and the Blockbuster Mentality 14 “Do the Hustle” part iii cultural engagements 15 First to Write: The 1970s and the Vietnamese War 16 Nixon Burning 17 The Maturation of the New Journalism in the 1970s 18 Rock is Dead/Long Live Rock 19 The Confessional Turn 20 The Feminist 1970s 21 Blood on the Page: The Decade Gets Its Period Conclusion: Keep on Truckin’ Works Cited Index