Contemporary British Fiction

Nick Bentley provides an introduction to the major novelists and the main themes in narrative fiction over the last 35 years. He offers a critical discussion of important debates in contemporary fiction engaging with concepts such as postmodernism; the impact of feminism and gender in literary studies; the rise of postcolonial literary theory; and the place of fiction within broader debates in contemporary culture. Bentley offers thought-provoking analysis of a range of British writers including Martin Amis, A.S. Byatt, Angela Carter, Ian McEwan, Hanif Kureishi, Salman Rushdie, Zadie Smith and Jeanette Winterson.

The book grounds the discussion of selected novels in the historical and theoretical contexts of the period. It opens with a chronology followed by a comprehensive Introduction that provides a historical context to the study of contemporary British fiction by detailing significant social, political and cultural events of the period 1975-2005. This is followed by five chapters organized around the core themes: (1) Narrative Forms, (2) Contemporary Ethnicities, (3) Gender and Sexuality, (4) History, Memory and Writing, and (5) Narratives of Cultural Space. A Conclusion, Student Resources and Glossary close the book.

Key Features

*Introduces the major themes and trends in British fiction over the last 35 years
*Analyses a range of writers and texts including Brick Lane by Monica Ali, London Fields by Martin Amis; The Passion of New Eve by Angela Carter; Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby; Atonement by Ian McEwan, Shame by Salman Rushdie, Downriver by Iain Sinclair, and White Teeth by Zadie Smith
*Presents a variety of critical perspectives essential for studying contemporary British fiction
*Provides essential resources for further reading and research