American Literature: May 2007 Archives
As "The Simpsons" - the longest-lasting comedy of any kind in prime-time TV history, surpassing "My Three Sons," "M*A*S*H," "Happy Days" and "Cheers" - airs its 400th episode, Julian Gough argues in the May 2007 Prospect Magazine issue that the modern literary novel should "steal from 'The Simpsons,' not Henry James." The literary novel, according to Gough, has "gone late Roman" not only for its overindulgence in tragedy and not comedy, but also because the literary novel has lost contact with what made it vital - mass audiences.
Don DeLillo's new post 9/11 narrative, Falling Man, has received a number of reviews in the past week. Below are a few highlights from select reviews."..."Falling Man" proposes no answers; it holds us, anxious, in the unresolved, the unresolvable — in what might, in fact, be the new world order." Sven Birkerts, Los Angeles Times
"...DeLillo leaves us with two paltry images: one of a performance artist re-enacting the fall of bodies from the burning World Trade Center, and one of a self-absorbed man, who came through the fire and ash of that day and decided to spend his foreseeable future playing stupid card games in the Nevada desert." Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
"...DeLillo is seeking to restore our collective awareness of the fragility of life." Steven E. Alford, Houston Chronicle
"...The surprise of "Falling Man" is how acutely DeLillo imagines the terrorist's mind and how feebly he captures the experience of the ordinary citizen." Laura Miller, Salon Books
"...DeLillo's airy, almost ghostlike 9/11 tale, is as on-the-news as he's ever been." Mark Athitakis, Chicago Sun-Times
In his article, Josh Getlin of the Los Angeles Times comments on the seeming shifting balance regarding book reviews published in mainstream press and online literary blogs, noting that as print newspapers begin cutting or resizing their book review sections, literary blogs are keeping the discussion about the book publishing industry alive and churning.
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