E-raamat: Hybrid Novels: Post-postmodernism, Sincerity, and Race at the Turn of the 21st Century [Taylor & Francis e-raamat]

The phrase “post-postmodernism” has appeared in Contemporary Literary Studies since the 20^th century, but what does it mean? Scholars have defined the term in various, often contradictory ways. Existing studies also rarely centralise race – an essential component in the transition from postmodern irony to post-postmodern sincerity. Hybrid Novels analyses post-postmodernism’s only consistency and certainty: hybridity. This speaks for a broader social issue concerning the ethics of categorisation and the conflicting labels imposed on subjectivity. Hybrid Novels considers landmark American/British novels by Percival Everett, Jonathan Franzen, Zadie Smith, and David Foster Wallace, published from 1996-2001. It positions these authors at the centre of the post-postmodernism debate together for the first time. This book suggests that 2010s autofiction further develops post-postmodern tensions of irony and sincerity at the turn of the 21^st century. Major American/Canadian novels by Sheila Heti, Ben Lerner, Teju Cole, and Tao Lin are discussed, published from 2010-2013.

Hybrid Novels answers long-gestating questions in Contemporary Literary Studies about how to define post-postmodernism. It suggests that hybridity is the solution to this problem. It negotiates a balance between postmodern irony and post-postmodern sincerity, which existing studies have more often placed in opposition.