Manchester University Press
1 The quiet novel
Abstract
Quiet novels privilege the experience of men like Jacob and look at the relative value and variety of quiet states that philosophy has valued for centuries. The study of the quiet novel has something important to say about the production and distribution of literary fiction. Contrasting literary and philosophical oppositions of quiet and loud continued throughout the postmodern era and into the early twenty-first century. This chapter explores this dynamic at a greater length, by arguing that noise is often favoured in situations that seem to be unprecedented, with the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 as representative. The residual association of quiet with silence is an important factor in the former's continued association with inaction. The chapter argues that the quiet novel prioritises a mode of reflection and meditation that has always existed at the margins of American culture.
Abstract
Quiet novels privilege the experience of men like Jacob and look at the relative value and variety of quiet states that philosophy has valued for centuries. The study of the quiet novel has something important to say about the production and distribution of literary fiction. Contrasting literary and philosophical oppositions of quiet and loud continued throughout the postmodern era and into the early twenty-first century. This chapter explores this dynamic at a greater length, by arguing that noise is often favoured in situations that seem to be unprecedented, with the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 as representative. The residual association of quiet with silence is an important factor in the former's continued association with inaction. The chapter argues that the quiet novel prioritises a mode of reflection and meditation that has always existed at the margins of American culture.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Series editors’ foreword vi
- Acknowledgements viii
- Epigraph ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 The quiet novel 14
- 2 ‘9/11’ and the noise of contemporary fiction 48
- 3 Quiet in time and narrative 80
- 4 The quiet novel of cognition 116
- 5 The novel of ‘(dis)quiet’ 151
- Conclusion 190
- Bibliography 196
- Index 223
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- Series editors’ foreword vi
- Acknowledgements viii
- Epigraph ix
- Introduction 1
- 1 The quiet novel 14
- 2 ‘9/11’ and the noise of contemporary fiction 48
- 3 Quiet in time and narrative 80
- 4 The quiet novel of cognition 116
- 5 The novel of ‘(dis)quiet’ 151
- Conclusion 190
- Bibliography 196
- Index 223
