The publication of
Sophie's Choice, one of William Styron's greatest literary achievements, generated a new spark in the critical discussion of the author and is the main emphasis of the interview with Styron and one of the additional essays in this revised edition. The interview was conducted by Robert K. Morris; the essay on
Sophie's Choice by Richard Pearce. Other essays include Jane Flanders on Styron's southern myth, Philip W. Leon on Styron's narrative technique, and Ardner R. Cheshire, Jr., and Mary S. Strine on
The Confessions of Nat Turner.
Originally published in 1975, The Achievement of William Styron was the first collection of critical essays on one of America's most distinguished contemporary fiction writers, and it has become a standard work. Essays from the original edition which are included in this revised edition are those by the editors, and by Louis D. Rubin, Jr., John O. Lyons, Jan B. Gordon, Robert Phillips, and George Core.
Arvustused
The best critical overview of Styron available . . . In these lucid and attentive essays, eleven critics attempt to link Styron's personal vision with enduring values, estimate his place in the Southern tradition, and to enhance our understanding of both his intent and his achievement. -- Bookforum
| Acknowledgments |
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vii | |
| Preface |
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ix | |
| Abbreviations |
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x | |
| Vision and Value: The Achievement of William Styron |
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1 | |
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ROBERT K. MORRIS AND IRVING MALIN |
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| Interviews with William Styron |
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29 | |
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| Notes on a Southern Writer in Our Time |
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70 | |
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| William Styron's Southern Myth |
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106 | |
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| Styron's Fiction: Narrative as Idea |
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124 | |
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| On Lie Down in Darkness |
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147 | |
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| Permutations of Death: A Reading of Lie Down in Darkness |
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158 | |
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| The Symbolic March |
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179 | |
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| Mask and Symbol in Set This House on Fire |
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191 | |
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| The Confessions of Nat Turner and the Burden of the Past |
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206 | |
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| The Recollective Structure of The Confessions of Nat Turner |
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223 | |
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| The Confessions of Nat Turner: Styron's "Meditation on History" as Rhetorical Act |
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237 | |
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| In the Clap Shack: Comedy in the Charnel House |
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269 | |
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| Sophie's Choices |
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284 | |
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| William Styron: A Bibliography |
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299 | |
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| Notes on the Contributors |
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383 | |
Robert K. Morris (Editor) ROBERT K. MORRIS's other books include studies of Anthony Powell, Anthony Burgess, V. S. Naipaul, and the contemporary British novel.
Irving Malin (Editor) IRVING MALIN has published studies of Saul Bellow, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nathanael West, and William Faulkner, and has edited a number of collections, including a critical handbook on The Confessions of Nat Turner. Malin is a member of the International Association of University Professors of English.
